Category :Corporate Identity

Branding- It’s not about the logo

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Chris Schindler

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard companies say they want to revise and improve their company brand. Nine out of 10 times, what they really mean is that they want to come up with a new and improved logo, website or other visual presentations of their brand’s “look and feel.” A company’s logo/corporate identity, website and other visual elements are important in communicating a brand, but by no means are they the only things that represent your brand.

Your brand is a relationship you have with your customers, prospects, suspects, partners, vendors and the general business community. It’s hard for me to imagine how a logo, website or other visual elements solely convey what your brand represents. My personal feeling is that strong brands require much more thought than just a shinny logo or slick website.

I believe that strong brands, first and foremost, are strategically designed around what space you want to own and why your company is better than the competition. The company has to know just why it is better, and know how to effectively communicate that simple message clearly and concisely.

Great companies know how to effectively market and get their message out, not only through advertising, but through multiple mediums that reach their targets via the mediums that their targets interact with. You must accept and believe that these days it requires many mediums to be able to make a connection that is real and cuts through the clutter to drive results.

First, you have to know how to integrate this message into your company internally. Get the operations, sales and marketing all on the same page and understand what the brand stands for and how to deliver on the stated brand promise.

Great companies also understand that it takes more than looks. Your product or service has to fulfill the promise that it is cracked up to be. It has to be able to deliver the goods and make customers and clients true brand believers.

For a brand to be great these days you have to have strategy, substance, succinct message, and yes, a good logo and nice website. But you also must have the determination and commitment to succeed. A great brand requires a holistic and integrated approach, much more than just a snappy logo.

Written by Michael Doyle, President of Brand Iron

New Clients That Have Saddled-up

Posted on October 3, 2007 by Chris Schindler

The Wright Group offers personalized commercial insurance and employee benefits plans for emerging organizations. They have the specialized knowledge and experience to strategically develop and execute customized insurance plans for companies that need to stay competitive. Meeting your company’s financial and lifestyle goals is The Wright Group’s number one priority.
Brand Iron and The Wright Group are working together to create a brand that will help drive revenue. Stay tuned for The Wright Group’s new delivery process, website rollout and other marketing that is sure to demand the attention of their target market.



Caring Hands Chiropractic is Brand Iron’s newest Small Business Model client. Dr. Haas, Owner of Caring Hands Chiropractic, has dedicated his practice to helping his clients live a pain-free life. He believes the keys to a healthy lifestyle are rooted in good fitness/exercise habits, regular sleep habits, work/life balance, healthy eating habits and experienced chiropractic care.

Brand Iron is assisting Dr. Haas in crafting and communicating his unique selling position. He has taken a pro-active approach within his industry – focusing on preventative care and focusing on his clients’ long- and short-term health. Brand Iron is helping his business grow through increased brand recognition and unique messaging.


Brand Iron’s Small Business Model is the perfect solution for companies who want to succeed. We’ll coach you on:

  • Creating brand value

  • Generating additional revenue

  • Developing and executing tactical implementation plans

  • Sales, Marketing and Operations strategy

If you are interested in the Small Business Model – please call us at 303-534-1901 for a free 15-minute consultation on whether this program is right for your company.

“My name is ________”

Posted on October 3, 2007 by Chris Schindler

A popular theme song goes, “Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name.” This is the precise recognition that all companies are trying to accomplish through their marketing and advertising efforts. Companies like Brand Iron are here to make sure those efforts are well-focused and drive results. I just got off the phone with a client who now understands the effort it took to get his brand over the “everyone-knows-our-name” hurdle. Every brand has a different hurdle to clear, but here are some simple ideas on what it might take to get your brand over the hurdle, and start producing tangible results:

1. Understand what really separates you from your competition. Figure out what space you own and make the message as simple to understand as possible. Package your message in a tangible fashion that is clear and concise.

2. Identify who the right targets are for your product or service and discuss the most effective ways to get your message out.

3. Take a look at your company and see what the “barriers to growth” may be. Be sure to look at your:

Marketing- Do you have enough contact points with your target audience for them to know who you are and will they be receptive when you call? Do they know who and what your brand is all about? Does your brand leave them with a positive feeling that will compel them to make that purchase?

Sales – Can your sales staff close the leads the marketing department is generating? Can they close the customers that walk through your doors?

Operations – Is your customer service approach and database up to snuff? Can your company deliver on the promises that your sales team is making?

4. Address your internal brand and make sure that your company’s brand is represented from the inside out. Look at everything from how you answer the phone to delivering your service, or even how you receive payment and send out a bill. These little things matter a great deal and will leave a lasting impression.

5. Develop a holistic branding plan that integrates your company’s marketing, sales and operations. Map out the tactical items necessary for you and your company to fill up your sales funnel.

6. Execute your branding plan flawlessly, ensuring that you are going to execute on a regular basis, no matter how busy you become. You want to do this to avoid the sales rollercoaster.

As a close friend says, “Go the extra mile; it’s the final 5%
that makes what you do either great or mediocre.”

7. Monitor how you are doing against your goals and objectives and modify those things that aren’t working. Once the failing areas are identified, determine how you can rectify the situation and do it quickly.

8. Execute and get your entire organization to commit to succeed.

Follow these steps, and someday you might walk into a place and realize that everybody knows your name.