Having a business that sells a product or a service doesn\u2019t mean that you now have a logo. And if you design a logo, create a Facebook page or launch a website it doesn\u2019t mean you have a brand either.<\/p>\n
If you go to Google and look up the word \u201cbrand\u201d you will notice that the results you get are talking about the symbols, a name or a term that distinguishes a product from the other. <\/span><\/p>\n According to Wikipedia<\/a>, a brand is:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2026a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes one seller\u2019s product from those of others. Brands are used in business, marketing and advertising\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Well, it\u2019s somehow similar to what I told you, right?<\/span><\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean it is 100% accurate. Why? The funny thing is that nowadays everyone that owns a company thinks they also have a brand. Or that because they do something special for this world, have their own blog, have their own Twitter account, they have a personal brand. <\/span><\/p>\n I found a more specific definition about the brand and maybe you should consider this instead of the Wikipedia or Google first pages search results. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer\u2019s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it\u2019s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn\u2019t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n And if you didn\u2019t know you wrote this, let me introduce you to Seth Godin and his blog<\/a> where you should go and subscribe. <\/span><\/p>\n But let\u2019s get back to our topic today, why your logo or your business is not a brand?<\/span><\/p>\n Because there are specific elements that define your brand on the market and in the customers\u2019 minds. Which ones are those elements and how can you know if you have a brand or not?<\/p>\n I want to share with you my 3 elements that will help you see if you have a brand or not. <\/span><\/p>\n First and most important element is:<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t have a brand if you don\u2019t have a consumer. Not a customer, but a consumer.<\/strong> So, what\u2019s the difference between a customer and a consumer:<\/span><\/p>\n The Customer is the one who buys the product from a seller. <\/span><\/p>\n The Consumer is the one who uses the product. <\/span><\/p>\n So, which one do you want? A customer that comes and buys from you or a consumer that uses your product or service?<\/p>\n Think about it like this: the one who buys from you will not necessarily use the product as well but the one who actually uses your product or service got it from either the customer or you. <\/span><\/p>\n More exactly, you can rely on a consumer more than on a customer. <\/span><\/p>\n Not only will they tell you if your product is good or bad, but after their experience with your it, they will also try to evangelize it. <\/span><\/p>\n When talking about a consumer they will use your product daily, that meaning they already think about your product as a part of their life so here comes the first element that defines your product as a brand. <\/span><\/p>\n [Tweet “Make the consumer use your product every day.”]<\/p>\n Now, when I\u2019m traveling by train, there are people around me that read on Kindle, listen to music and play on the phone. What do they have in common? Maybe nothing. For me, they are complete strangers, but they all have one thing in common – they use a product while traveling. And what does that mean? That that product is a brand for them. A brand that sets an expectation. <\/span><\/p>\n Now think about this: how many consumers do you have? How often do they use your brand on a regular basis?<\/p>\n1. The consumer<\/b><\/h2>\n