Photo of handshake and quote: Helping organizations better define who they are, what they do, how they do it, and why anyone should care!

Branding Bytes Archives

Issue 35:
Thoughts On Using Social Media

Issue 34:
Reigning in Public-Private Partnerships

Issue 33:
Seven Ways to Avoid Toxicity In the Workplace

Issue 32:
A Few Bad Apples Bruise the Brand

Issue 31:
Branding Beyond the Logo

Issue 30:
The Yin and Yang of Celebrity Leadership

Issue 29:
Want to Raise More Funds? SPEAK UP!

Issue 28:
Government Funding Cuts: Act!

Issue 27:
"We Are Sorry":
Your Brand is Your Behavior

Issue 26:
Tell Your Story

Issue 25:
Good Leaders

Issue 24:
Think "People,"
Not "Organization"

Issue 23:
What's in a Name?
Just about Everything!

Issue 22:
Is Your Mission
Getting Creepy?

Issue 21:
Welcome to the Age
of the New Normal

Issue 20:
"Receptionist" vs Director of First Brand Impressions

Issue 19:
It's Not About How Your Message is Delivered

Issue 18:
When it Comes to Your Brand, Details Matter

Issue 17:
A Good Brand Requires TLC: Just Ask My Wife!

Issue 16:
Toxic-Work-Environment Syndrome Can Tarnish Your Brand

Issue 15:
Adjusting to the
New Face of Need

Issue 14:
Tired of all the Doom and Gloom? This is Your Time!

Issue 13:
A New Year's Resolution: Don't Cut Off Your Nose

Issue 12:
What You Do Is
About All of Us

Issue 11:
Ethical Standards
and Your Organization

Issue 10:
Leadership: Whose Journey is it, Anyway?

Issue 9:
Giving Circles
and Branding

Issue 8:
The World's Richest Men
— and Philanthropy

Issue 7:
What is an External
Brand Audit?

Issue 6:
Keeping Everyone
on Brand Message

Issue 5:
What is an Internal
Brand Audit?

Issue 4:
Turn Board Members into Better Brand Ambassadors

Issue 3:
Leadership, Vision
— and Branding

Issue 2:
What's 1st—Organization or Brand? / Govt. Cuts?—Branding Helps

Issue 1:
Branding Myths

Issue 2, Spring 2006

What's First — Organization or Brand?
Government Cuts? — Branding Helps

Q. Ours is a new organization interested in branding. But what comes first, building the organization or building the brand?

A. To my way of thinking the two are inseparable. A brand is not a cosmetic you apply to your organization to make it look pretty after all else is in place; your brand is nothing less than your organization's DNA; it is truly who you are and what you do in all your thoughts, words and deeds. A good brand speaks to everything about your organization — from the moment you open your doors!

So, whether yours is a start-up, or an organization revisiting its strategic plan, or merging with another organization and trying to determine its new identity, you need to ask the following strategic and brand identifying questions:

The answers to these questions get to the heart of your organization and should be reflected in your brand messages. If a good strategic plan is a good management tool, then it follows that good branding serves as a good messaging tool to help management achieve its stated goals and objectives.

Q. Our government funding has been drastically cut. How can branding help?

A. It's true, federal domestic spending is currently trapped between Iraq and a hard place. The good news, however, is there's plenty of private sector money out there.

Many community and family foundations, as well as civic-minded individuals, some of whom may be recipients of sizable inheritances, are seeking responsible, accountable organizations to support. But you'll need to make your case to get your share. And at the risk of repeating myself, it all comes down to aggressively promoting your brand — i.e. who you are, what you do, how you do it and why any prospective donor should care enough to support you.

If you're having trouble answering the last question, ask yourself this: What would our community look like if we didn't exist? How many more families would be living in substandard housing, or not have access to medical care? How many more children would go to bed hungry, or not be able to read or write on grade level or have access to the arts? How many more battered spouses might not have a safe place to take refuge?

Whatever your mission may be, your brand is your calling card to new revenue streams.

As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback, questions, success stories and branding challenges. Also, if you are in need of a motivational speaker, trainer, branding consultant/coach, or management consultant who can help you answer the questions: Who are we? What do we do? How do we do it? And should anyone care? I invite you to for more information.

In the meantime, good luck with your branding! — Larry

About Branding Bytes

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