When it comes to branding, we often hear that the product or service should speak for itself.
There is a wrinkle to that expression that is more relevant today, given the always-on and everywhere nature of media. When potential customers, employers and even buyers/investors evaluate your product and service offerings, they are rightfully interested in who stands behind them.
If they like your products and services, they are also asking:
- Who are these guys?
- Can they be trusted?
- What’s their motivation?
At its core, a brand is a promise to perform, deliver to expectations and, hopefully, exceed them. That’s a promise no brand can keep without the co-branding of trusted company owners and leaders.
High-profile CEOs like Warren Buffett and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang can move markets by simply showing up.
Companies with excellent track records behind them have earned trust by successfully navigating the inevitable challenges that every company faces.
You may not consider yourself to be in the same league as these icons, but there is one quality they share that you can emulate — they show up. They are visible to their constituents and honest about what potentially lies ahead.
What landscape leaders can do
You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a valuable personal brand. However, you do need to be visible — in your industry, within your community and on your team.
When potential customers, employees or even buyers or investors evaluate your company, they’re not just analyzing performance metrics. They’re looking for leadership. They want to know the people entrusted with keeping those brand promises.
There was a time when your brand was as strong as the name on the door. We’re in a new era of leadership now, one where being known, trusted and respected as a person matters at least as much as the company name.
How can you build that presence? Here are a few suggestions that might help you polish your own personal brand.
Tell your story: Why did you get into the business? What did you overcome? Every company has an origin story, and it often reflects the company’s commitment to its customers. It’s not necessary to have an epic story. More important is feeding the curiosity people have about their relationship with your company.
Document, don’t create: You may be thinking that you need to craft compelling content to get traction with social media. As marketing strategist Gary Vaynerchuk says, “Document. Don’t create.”
Show others how you think, how you work and, most of all, what you care about and why. Broken Arrow, Okla.-based Proactive Landscaping documents the involvement of its co-founders in all project estimates, construction oversight and long-term customer care. Owner and co-founder Craig Blonsky says, “It makes customers feel like more than a number.”
Use your voice: A key brand distinction is the authentic voice of its leaders. It is practiced and perfected at every opportunity, including industry and community events, as well as in company media. That exposure presents a risk, but as Steve Jobs once said, “If mistakes are made, it means decisions are made, and that’s good. Support customers and learn from those mistakes.”
The collective voice of customers is powerful, but your voice still matters.
If the day comes when you want to sell your company or step back while keeping a stake, you’ll discover your brand adds tangible value to the equation. You cannot leave that to chance.
