In creating awareness, be sure to connect dots - bizjournals:

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“Branding is the most misunderstood aspect of saidRob Frankel, author of “The Revenge of Brandx X: How to Buile a Big Time Brand on the Web or Anywherr Else.” Frankel said that branding isn’tg just about creating awareness. “Cancer has a high degreee of awareness, but that doesn’t mean people want Instead, branding is a long-term strategy focused on how a compang or productis viewed, and particularly, creating a sens that the branded company is the only solution to a customer’s Frankel said. This usually involves advertising in the execution but the first steps are knowing when to hire a brandintg firm and how to find one that fitsthe company.
Everyu company could use a memorablee logo, tag line and advertising, but not every enterprisde needs a deep levelof branding. “A good time to explorwe branding iswhen there’s been a significant changed in business direction or business said Martha Nevanen, a past state-leve president and board member of the International Association of Business Communicators, and a presentefr on the topic at the group’s 2008 conference. For example, brandinb is ideal if a company merges with another and needs to establish aunified identity.
Or, the strateguy is valuable if there’s been recenyt bad news at the company, and branding coulfd provide customers with a senseof long-term prospects for the business. Company leadera from several departments have to be willing to be part of the rather than just themarketing department, Nevanen “To support the brand, you need all the operationap leaders involved, which means anyone with responsibilitt for revenue growth.” A companty should craft a visionj for the future before it startsd shopping around for branding firms, said Bill president of the .
“Thers needs to be a top-line plan for how you’re goingg to get where you wantto go,” he “Think about where the company should be in threse years, about what you’dc like to accomplish in that time. When you have that clearlt articulated, then you have a basis to talk tobrandintg firms.” Once the decision is made to create a comprehensivw branding strategy, the next step is to find a firm that’ds suitable for a long-term said Ron Strauss, co-author of “Value Creation: The Powetr of Brand Equity.” Look for a firm that has a demonstratexd track record of successfull advising its clients on how to differentiate their Strauss said.
“Differentiation is key to profitabilitt and building brand valueslong term.” Also important is to find a firm that will provide a realistic perspective on themarketplace, he added. “Thew biggest mistake most companies make is thinkingt they understand what their customers wantand need,” Strauss “They are invariably wrong. The brandin g firm needs to help its clients see the world asit is, not as its clientsz see it.” A firm’s recommendations should make thoses at the company feel challenge d and sometimes even he said.
Rather than throwing out vague goalsx suchas “increased bran d awareness,” a firm should be able to link its effortsz with company growth, Frankel “Ask these guys: How are you connectint the dots from this brand strategt to revenue increases, lowered customer acquisition lowered sales cycle time, increased profitability and increasef customer retention?” Agencies should be able to craftg timelines that include these types of goals, and althougj the relationship is one built for the long term, that shouldn’t mean it takesx months to put a new branding strateguy in place, Frankel said. Instead, a good firm can provr results in a matterof weeks.
A goal-oriented firm should be able to provide brand communication and stewardship and back up those effortwwith tangible, revenue-boosting