Communication Tools: Branding

Take a look at your communication materials inventory - print, Web-based, news releases, etc. Do they all look like they are coming from the same place? Does your organization have a look, theme and message that is carried through all of its communication materials from letterhead to billboards? If not, your organization needs a brand.

Branding long ago moved beyond the cattle ranch and into the corporate sector, but smaller organizations still has some catching up to do in this area.

A brand

• Is an organization’s representation of who they are in colors, words, name, and tagline
• Represents the essence of your organization
• Reminds internal audiences what the organization is all about
• Helps external audiences recognize you
• Should all have a tie-back to your name, who you are, and what you do
• Above all, branding is about consistency

Message consistency means that your brand is consistent throughout your communication pieces (written material, signage, press coverage, newsletters, videos, etc.) released by your organization. A consistency in action, however, means that you can show a visible track record of your organization’s work. This is perhaps the most important part of branding. A good brand is not created by marketing; it is created by the recognition of your logo in connection with all of the work that people can see you’re doing.