Without trying to sound sarcastic, where is your brand in the marketplace? Or, amongst those of your competitors? The position of your brand presently may be proportional to the efforts you have given to sustain its presence wherever it is. However, for many who have put in so much effort and still do not get the desired result, it is not time to give up just yet.

Whatever the case may be the ability of your brand to sustain its relevance (promise) and market position in the market place even in the midst of stiff competitors is the power of your brand. Interestingly, this may be true without the confirmation by the audience; specifically speaking, A brand is actually confirmed by the audience and or customers. Your position therefore is determined by the audiences’ emotional attachment to your brand. This is a result of the messages and other confirmation they draw from your brand, what you actually portray your brand to look like.

Therefore, it is important that your brand is not just seen and heard but known for something. That thing is what makes your brand. In other words, there is nothing called ‘BRAND’ without what you are known for. What this means is that your brand goes beyond your logo, trademark or any magnificent graphical illustration presented to sway your audience. It is a sum total of values, physical and emotional representation that is fully recognized by your audience. Whatever efforts you put into your brand will move it either forward or backwards, so care must be taken to know what exactly you want.

Audience must See and hear the right messages
More importantly, it does take consistent and persistent numbers of seconds, minutes, days, years and even decades to build and sustain a brand, it does not just come easy. The watchword is ‘focus’, just as the saying goes “The eyes that look are many, but the eyes that see are few”. Your audience has to see and hear the right things about you, they have to see and hear what you want to be known for. This time, you are to take the tactics and techniques of communicating these values seriously. Don’t you wonder why major brands in the world associate themselves with football? Football is one sport in the world that soaks emotions and exudes them when they are mature even though some people go home sad and some go happy. You need to discover the soft spot of your audiences so as to emotionally connect to them with your product acting as the driver of the messages.
If you joke with your competitors’ position right now, don’t joke with the market leaders because it tells you where you are and where you ought to be in the marketplace. But, that is only if you got the eyes and the mind to see. It was once said by an inspirational speaker that we see with the mind and not the eye. Pictures of where you want to be are first created in the subconscious-the mind before they are manifested into the realm of the physical. Model your brand towards a greater one and keep your focus there until there is an appearance of what you have dreamed about.

This is where your brand is right now
Once again, where is your brand? The position of your brand today is not a mystery, I bet you. It is not far from you either. It is simply in the minds of that audience or customer where your messages are always domiciled. To actualize this, get five or more of these customers and ask pertinent questions without sentiments and bias and then you are on the way to knowing where you recede in the market place. Contact an expert with vast knowledge, so as to facilitate this exercise for a clean and actual result.

Partnerships that work
At this level respect partnership, the partners that will help move your brand from the place of being relevant to be essential, a level where people subscribe to your brand as a point of necessity for them at all times. In this present world of globalization, you cannot walk alone. Choose the partners that will help you actualize your values, dreams and aspirations. Those you will decide to ride with should possess certain qualities such as trust, accountability, ability to communicate correctly and many more. One of the major advantages of choosing the right partner is that your brand climbs the ladder faster as long as the right paths are traded.

Written by
Mfon Barry Udoh