The brand platform, the foundation of your company's identity

The brand platform is a valuable tool that forms the basis of a comprehensive communication strategy. It must be consistent with the company's organization and provide insight into its prospects. This platform is mainly structured around a vision and a mission. The vision will justify the mission.

 

The brand platform, yes, but when?

 

Building a brand platform cannot be improvised. It is a reference document that is created based on the company's activity and sets the course for achieving its objectives. The most opportune time to build a platform is, of course, when the company is first created and then during phases of revitalization. It is therefore the result of a strategic decision by the company's leaders.

 

What are the benefits of the brand platform?

 

The brand platform is the best way to embed a brand in the minds of a target audience, starting with the company's employees, who must embrace it. A strong brand gives meaning to the company's social purpose. Keep in mind that individuals are always more committed to an approach that has been explained to them and that they understand.

 

It provides clear and concise guidelines that serve as a roadmap for all future communication activities. It helps to create a strong identity that can generate interest, engagement, and trust.

 

Formalize your brand identity

 

Formalizing your platform is not simply a matter of writing something down. Above all, it is a collaborative effort involving the entire company, from senior management to support services and, of course, production. The brand platform is the result of a shared and accepted vision.

 

The brand platform is the resultof brainstorming workshops during which company stakeholders, regardless of their position in the organizational chart, will ask themselves what the company is, what it is not, what it would like to be, and how it intends to achieve this.

 

While the vision most often comes from the leader(s), translating that vision into reality is the result of collective effort.

A platform that is the result of individual work and is pushed unilaterally from the top down is very unlikely to yield results. On the contrary, if this work is the result of collective reflection and reflects the proposals made, it can be used to initiate the first steps toward ownership.

 

The reflection process should shed light on the following points:

• The vision: What is the course of action for the coming years?
• The ambition: What are our goals?
• The mission: What is our purpose?
• Values: What are the principles underpinning the company culture?
• The promise: What is our added value?

 

This workshop-based work will produce recommendations that will enable guidelines to be established on:

• Visual identity : The logo, naming (if brand creation is required), and graphic charter.
• The signature: It allows you to reinforce your identity and clarify your message.
• Positioning: the promise you make to your customers and what sets you apart from your competitors.
• Speeches and messages: You need to define the tone you will use and the nature of the messages you will convey. Both substance and form contribute to building a brand.
• Deployment across your communication media: A brand platform is a living document. It is not meant to remain archived in a drawer. On the contrary, it is essential to translate it across all your communication media.

 

A unique brand image, the result of this strategic thinking

 

Your brand image will be the result of this initial strategic thinking. It is not just about having a nice logo and a few advertising elements. It will be expressed through your visual identity, but also through your everyday behavior towards your employees, customers, suppliers, and partners.

 

A brand platform addresses both know-how (missions) and interpersonal skills (values).

 

Many business leaders do not see the value in reviewing their communication strategy and do not see any major changes in their business after redesigning their websites or sales documentation.

The reason for this is that they often lack consistency across all these communication channels. Their Facebook or LinkedIn pages convey one message, while their sales representatives convey another. Prospects and customers do not feel like they are interacting with the same person, which disrupts their overall understanding of the message and limits their buy-in and, therefore, their engagement.

 

Brand image is the result of consistent communication that you activate and contributes to shaping your audience's perception. Your graphic charter must be correctly applied and your positioning consistent. By respecting these principles, your brand will become a real lever for engagement and will serve to boost your reputation and develop your sales.

 

The long-term goal: to build a strong brand

 

A strong brand is an understandable brand, one for which promises can be linked to actions. This fulfillment of promises contributes to the development of trust and, as a result, to the influence of your brand.

Your brand must have its own personality and inspire confidence so that your customers feel comfortable with their choices, remain loyal, and the commercial benefits are aligned with your development objectives.

 

This exercise of developing your brand platform is a fundamental step that must be done carefully if you want people to want to listen to your story and buy into it.

 

Always keep in mind that a brand is alive. It must constantly reinvent itself to meet the changing aspirations of your customers.