Understanding the Metaverse And Your Part In The Inclusive Internet
My vision for an inclusive internet is two-fold. First, it will drive more equal access to the discovery of information. Second, it will celebrate every human’s uniqueness.
A more equal society benefits everyone, not just those who have been systematically oppressed. The same can be said for our digital society which is now so intricately linked to “real” world events. When I think of an inclusive internet, I see digital products taking proactive (and not reactive) measures to look after the people on their platform. I see algorithmic bias as a top priority, and not a factor that further drives inequity. In the inclusive internet, I see a place with more ownership of our experiences and control over what we’re influenced by. It’s a place where moderation tools do not further victimize people.
You’ve likely heard the buzz around the metaverse lately. The metaverse presents an interesting lens for us to consider what an inclusive internet could look like because it’s still in the beginning stages. If the last 15 years have proved anything, it’s that we can no longer afford to be naive when it comes to building new spaces for humans to connect.
For those interested in the hype around the “metaverse,” but aren’t sure where to start – don’t worry. Even though the term took to the masses when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, it was a term first coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 sci-fi novel, Snow Crash. The novel depicted the metaverse as a 3D virtual world where people walk around as avatars and interact with each other, and computer-generated characters. This depiction has framed what a lot of technologists, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs are thinking when they picture “the metaverse.” If you’re thinking, “How did I miss all of this?” — fear not because metaverse doesn’t actually exist yet (only fragments of it do).
It also won’t be some sci-fi futuristic land that results in none of us interacting IRL. My vision for it is purely additive versus an alternate reality to our daily lives. The reason I’m mentioning any of this is that the metaverse is an evolution of our understanding of the potential capabilities of the internet. As with any evolution, this provides an opportunity for reflection.
So, if the dawn of a new type of internet is upon us, how can you play a part in making it inclusive?
1. Advocate for better moderation tools.
Consent should be built into all features across any platform. This should not be an afterthought or a list of terms and conditions that no one reads. Digital privacy commonly affects women, similar to how physical privacy affects women in our real world, and the tools needed to prevent harassment and enable consent do not currently exist in a meaningful way online. While there will always be bad actors, existing platform moderation tools have often been reactive. As it stands, the status quo for report/block tools looks a lot like someone telling me to “walk in well-lit areas” and “don’t wear short skirts.” These tools are inherently biased (They’re mostly made by men.), and not protective enough. They further place the burden on the victim to protect themselves, and they rarely hold the harasser accountable.
There's a huge opportunity for technology to do better here. As we build these new platforms in the metaverse (three-dimensional or otherwise), it is important to consistently advocate and demand better moderation tools. If you want to get more involved, check out the Center for Humane Technology.
2. Find your people.
Social platforms have become too big and too broad. While platforms like Facebook and Instagram became known as social gathering spaces, they are now marketplaces for small businesses to launch and advertise products to millions. Platforms shouldn’t make you work to find the things you want to read in favor of their own monetization strategies. Be more intentional with how you spend your time, find platforms for all the different interest areas you have, and hang out with people in those places.
3. Be wary of sensationalist content.
Algorithms favor “hot takes.” The content you see on your Twitter feed is typically sensationalist content that drives more views, and when there are more views, Twitter gets more ad dollars. Are you caught in the hype? Do you find yourself negatively impacted by the content you’re viewing? Does the content you’re reading seem wildly speculative? Stop yourself!
Platforms that contribute to an inclusive internet will better align their financial models with their user base instead of monetizing off said users. For example, it is possible that platforms in “the metaverse” can create business models via tokens that provide monetary incentives for sharing higher-quality content. This will hopefully create more aligned financial models that benefit both the platform and humans on the platform.
4. Embrace your uniqueness.
Algorithms are as biased as the people who build them. The inclusive internet has the opportunity to not celebrate everyone looking exactly the same. Due to many platforms’ focus on photo-sharing, algorithms have forced us to present ourselves in a very unnatural way that doesn’t celebrate our individuality at all. To share “successful” content on the platform requires you to bow to the algorithm being pushed to people who already elected to follow you. Look to engage with platforms that go below the surface level, platforms that focus on everything apart from your appearance – like your unique knowledge, stories, or experiences.
5. Share your shadow.
Life online is a partial representation of the people we actually are. As a result, we ignore the darker sides of life in favor of “social peacocking.” Play a part in defining the inclusive internet by questioning the content you’re sharing, and practice being more authentic with what you share. Our move towards the metaverse could enable this more successfully, especially with the emergence of digital identities.
Remember: Being yourself is one of the most powerful things you can do online. Don’t ignore the less sunny side of life; it's what makes you human.
About the Expert: Emma Bates is the Co-Founder and CEO of Diem, a social networking platform created for women. The social media alternative is a search engine powered by an incentivized community of female & non-binary knowledge-sharers.
3 Branding Mistakes Most Startups Make (and How to Avoid Them)
A brand strategist breaks it down.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
With gorgeous visuals dominating our social media feeds and splashy companies with impeccable design popping up all the time, it’s impossible not to think about branding as a modern startup. But, despite the amount of attention so many founders give their brand identities, I see some common mistakes that can hold their companies back.
The good news is, developing a solid brand doesn’t have to be as complicated as many folks make it out to be. Here are the three most common branding mistakes I’ve seen startups make during my 15+ years working as a brand strategist—and how you can easily avoid them to ensure you’re putting your company’s best foot forward.
Mistake #1: Spending Too Much on Branding
If you’re like most startup founders, you’ve probably spent a lot of time fretting over your budget for branding. Is it worth trying to scrounge up the $50k you’ll need to work with your dream agency?
I’m going to let you off the hook and tell you, no, it’s almost certainly not. What so many founders don’t account for when doing this math is just how often early-stage startups pivot as they’re trying to figure out their product-market fit.
Considering that good design is all about tying your brand to your business strategy (more on that in a minute), you don’t want to invest a lot into your brand until you feel secure in that strategy. If you do, that investment is quickly going to feel like a waste when you realize you need to rebrand to match your company’s new direction.
But you also don’t want to try and create a sexy brand on the cheap. You get what you pay for in the design world, so this usually won’t end up looking as professional as you’d like. Instead, I recommend startups aim for simple branding that allows you a lot of flexibility for future changes. Think of this like a black dress: it’s nothing revolutionary, but it also looks timeless and sleek.
For instance, make a wordmark—your company name in a timeless typeface, à la West Elm or Glossier—instead of trying to create an image-based logo. (I even created a tool to help entrepreneurs do just that!). Use a color-palette generator to choose a few simple colors based on the feeling you want to evoke. And make ample use of the templates available on sites like Canva for everything from websites to business cards to social media posts, customizing them with your wordmark and colors to make them yours. This sort of approach will get you good-enough branding, even on a budget.
Mistake #2: Focusing on Form Over Function
Especially when you’re DIYing your company branding, it can be tempting to choose what you think looks coolest. The problems come when brands solely select design elements based on their beauty without considering their usability in the slightest.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen brands design funky logos that are impossible to decipher when they’re scaled down to fit in a social media icon, or choose a typeface that looks cool but is challenging for users to actually read, or pick a website design that looks unique but is difficult to navigate.
Instead, make sure you think about your users at every step. When designing your logo or wordmark, test it at a bunch of different sizes to make sure it works. Check your color palettes against accessibility tools that ensure there’s enough contrast to be readable (and that your chosen palette will work for colorblind folks, too). Have a friend try and use your website to see if they’re able to navigate easily to where you want them to go.
Any time you’re making a brand decision, just take a step back and ensure it supports your users rather than getting in the way of them engaging with you entirely.
Mistake #3: Not Tying the Brand to a Solid Strategy
Of course, a DIY brand strategy may not work forever. At some point, once you’ve found your product-market fit, you’ll want to invest in professional design and branding work to take your company to new heights. But too many startups walk into that process with a mood board of what they want to look like, instead of focusing on what they want their brand to convey.
The best brands aren’t plucked out of thin air—they’re rooted in the company’s business strategy. All of the design elements, from the logo to the colors, are carefully selected to align with a company’s mission and goals, to attract their target audience, and to set them apart from the competition.
So instead of spending time blue-skying about your dream design, use your energy to do some actual business exercises. When I work with clients, we go through branding workbooks that ask questions like:
What’s your company’s vision statement? Its mission statement?
What are the in-depth demographics and psychographics of your target audience?
Who are your biggest competitors and what does their branding look like?
What characteristics do you want your brand to be known for?
Yes, working through these types of questions is a lot harder, and a bit less fun, than thinking about your favorite colors and fonts. But doing so will be infinitely more valuable to your brand, and the future of your business.
“Any time you’re making a brand decision, just take a step back and ensure it supports your users rather than getting in the way of them engaging with you entirely.”
—Saskia Ketz, Founder of MMarchNY
About the author: Saskia Ketz is the founder of MMarchNY, an NYC-based branding agency that’s worked with world-class brands like Netflix, Ikea, Timberland, and Mojomox, an online wordmark builder that allows startups on tight budgets to create dynamic, professional-looking logos themselves.
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From Brand Story to Brand Guidelines: All of Your Branding Needs, Covered
Make the brand of your dreams a reality.
When you’re launching a business today, there’s one crucial element you can’t afford to leave out: your brand’s identity. In fact, businesses who focus on building a strong identity around their brand have a higher credibility, integrity, and loyalty among customers.
Branding is essential to successfully market your business, but at first attempt, shaping a brand identity can be an overwhelming task. Traditional branding agencies can be expensive, especially for a modest start up budget.
Thankfully, ZeBrand is removing the traditional barriers to branding and putting the reins in your hands to take the first step. The platform’s AI-powered algorithm learns your preferences and goals, providing a more agile and streamlined approach that allows anyone to brand their way—regardless of skills, budget, or expertise. With ZeBrand, emerging businesses can find their brand voice for a fraction of the time and cost than when hiring a branding agency.
From building your brand story to crafting brand guidelines, and everything in between - ZeBrand offers accessible tools that eliminate the barriers that stand in the way of making the brand of your dreams a reality.
So what elements constitute a strong brand identity? The checklist below contains the essentials to get you started.
Mission Statement – A strong brand identity is anchored in an enduring mission statement. A brand mission statement determines your brand’s purpose, and explains WHY you exist. It’s the essence of your business’s goals and the underlying philosophy. This is the foundation of building a brand that truly represents your organization.
Vision Statement – Simply put, vision statements are an extension of your company mission statement, which describes what you want to do and achieve in the long run. Whether that’s five, ten, or even fifteen years ahead, your vision statement sets a definitive direction of what your company will look like in the future.
Core Values – Like a person, a company has a set of guiding principles that help you connect with your target audience and build trust. These are the values that you uphold and emulate through your brand and business. They are the heart and the soul behind your ‘WHY’ and help govern decisions – small and large – across every facet of the business.
Positioning Statement – In order to help your customer realize your brand’s value, you must identify and amplify what is uniquely distinct about your brand and offering. This is often referred to a positioning statement, which tells your customer, either explicitly or implicitly, what they can expect from your product or service.
Brand Story – Summarize your brand personality, what your mission statement is, and the vision of your brand. Define where you are and where you want to go. By reading this, users will feel inspired and have a deep understanding of the essence of your brand and what makes your business unique.
ZeBrand just launched their brand story module which takes users on a journey to craft their brand story and narrative, including background, mission, vision, core values, and solutions or offerings.
Brand Guidelines – As your business grows and you start to interact with more stakeholders, it’s important for everyone to be on the same page as you when it comes to communicating your brand identity. Brand guidelines instruct others on how your brand should be presented to the world. In addition to your brand story and some or all of the terms above, brand guidelines also include visual components such as your brand’s logo, color palette, typography, photography and specific use cases for other styles of content.
Start with this free 5-minute questionnaire to discover how ZeBrand can help turn your vision into a reality.
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5 Branding Lessons from an Influencer with Over 1.35 Million YouTube Subscribers
Here’s how to stand out from the rest.
Photo: Karen Rosalie Courtesy of Aileen Xu
Here’s one thing that has remained consistent since I started Lavendaire in 2014: My hair color is constantly changing. My subscribers always notice when I go from pink to blonde to lavender to blue, and everything in between.
At this point, my changing hair color is part of the Lavendaire brand. I encourage my audience to experiment with their looks as a form of creativity and self-expression, which are core values for Lavendaire as a personal-growth brand.
Framing my hair changes as an example of how to embody Lavendaire values is just one way I’ve been intentional with my brand.
If you’re looking to start or refresh your own brand, here are five other lessons for you.
Lesson #1: Choose your brand name wisely.
It would have been easy to name my brand after myself, but “Aileen Xu” is not easy for people to spell or pronounce. I wanted it to be easy for people to recognize and—more importantly—to share my brand name.
“Lavendaire” was unique, easier to spell and pronounce, and it also reflected the aesthetic of the brand itself: dreamy, fresh, and clean.
Bonus tip: Think about Google-ability. If you Googled your brand name, would you get a bunch of results unrelated to your brand? Since I made up the word, if you Googled “Lavendaire”, you’d only find Lavendaire-related results.
Lesson #2: Be strategic about your niche.
Here’s a lesser-known fact: I used to be involved in the Asian American YouTube community, mostly through music videos. It was a fun experience but not related to what I wanted my brand to be about.
So, I made the decision to distance myself from that niche and create content in my own niche of personal growth. I wanted to be “Aileen of Lavendaire,” not “Aileen from that music video.” If I hadn’t made that decision, it would have been harder to position myself and my brand as separate from the entertainment niche.
Lesson #3: Make what’s missing, and make it your own.
Self-help content already existed online, but it didn’t feel like it existed for me. The people creating the content were generally older white men that I couldn’t relate to as a young Asian woman.
So, I made the content I wanted to see, but I also put my own spin on it. I wanted to bridge the gap between practical self-help and woo-woo topics like manifestation. Other people who couldn’t relate to existing self-help content could turn to Lavendaire instead and get that extra value from the woo-woo topics.
Ask yourself: What gap does your brand fill and how can it stand out even further?
Photo: Courtesy of Aileen Xu
Lesson #4: Have a long-term vision.
Here’s mine: In ten years, I want Lavendaire to be a household name. It sounds a little vague, but having that vision allows me to ask, “Okay, so what would it take to get there? Marketing, PR, maybe projects with a wider reach.” And so, we planned projects with that in mind.
Your vision doesn’t have to be super specific, but you have to have some sort of idea of where you want your brand to be a year or five years from now. That way, you can work backward and plan projects that will get you closer to that vision.
Otherwise, you might just keep churning out work without direction, using your time and energy just to keep your brand relevant.
Lesson #5: Curate your brand with one person in mind.
I create content for Lavendaire with one person in mind: a girl in her early twenties who’s looking for her path in life. She loves inspiring books, yoga, astrology, and journaling. Her fashion is feminine and relaxed. Ultimately, she’s the ideal client for Lavendaire.
She’s who I had in mind when I created the 2021 Artist of Life Workbook. I know this girl wants to plan her year with intention, and it would be a bonus to do all of her planning in a pretty notebook that she’d be proud to keep by her side at all times.
By keeping this ideal client in mind, Lavendaire’s branding and messaging stay consistent across the board. Obviously, not everyone who follows Lavendaire fits perfectly into that mold, but enough of the brand resonates that people are drawn in.
If you know who your brand is for, you’ll reach and attract people who resonate with it. You’ll also naturally repel people who don’t resonate with it, which is perfectly okay and even beneficial to your brand! Don’t think you’re shutting anyone out or losing potential audiences.
As Lavendaire subscribers know: It’s more valuable to use your energy on people who effortlessly vibe with you than to use it trying to convince people who don’t.
About the author: Aileen Xu is a content creator and entrepreneur in personal growth and lifestyle design, inspiring people around the world to embrace their true potential and create their dream life. Her YouTube channel, Lavendaire, has over one million subscribers and her podcast, “The Lavendaire Lifestyle,” has over five million downloads. Aileen is the creator of the Artist of Life Workbook, a detailed guide to creating your most inspiring and successful year, and the Daily Planner by Lavendaire, a tool for designing a productive, effective and meaningful day.
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5 Ways to Brand Yourself Before You Get Branded
Ideas are cheap—it's what you do with them that matters.
Photo: Smith House Photography for Create & Cultivate
As an entrepreneur, it's easy to think about branding your business. What are your fonts going to look like? How do you talk about your business? What is your logo going to be? But oftentimes, the last thing on your mind is, how are you branding yourself? Branding yourself is an integral part of telling your story—and it’s crucial to tell your story before someone else tells it for you. It allows you to define what you want to be known for and how you want to shape your story.
I work with fashion brands and entrepreneurs and one of the most common questions I get from business owners is: “How do I brand myself?” Your ability to self-brand will not only help your business launch but also scale. When potential investors and business development partners look to support you, they want to know about YOU and what integrity, passion, and expertise you bring to the table. That is what is valuable. Ideas are cheap—it's what you do with them that matters.
The motto here is “you are what you say you are.” So what are you going to say?
Here are my favorite tips on how to brand yourself before you get branded.
Step 1: Think of your personal Instagram account as a branded platform.
Are you posting pictures of going out all the time? Is it all photos of your family? Think about the message you want to put out there. The nuances of your bio and your visual content will shape the type of person people perceive you to be. If you want the freedom to post whatever, whenever, then consider a private account or being intentional and OK about that perception of you.
Step 2: Share your opinions online.
Are you positioning yourself as a thought leader? Do you want to be considered a resource or expert? Share your opinions by writing guest blog posts, commenting on other blogs, and offering to share your insights with reporters. A great resource is HARO: Help a Reporter Out. Just the other day I saw requests for style experts, financial planners, and entrepreneurs to share thoughts on a particular topic.
Step 3: Start speaking.
Public speaking is a great way to get your ideas in front of others. You don’t need to have a huge company or have had amazing accomplishments. Think like a TED speaker. All you need is one idea, something you feel passionate about and more importantly an idea you think could help others to start public speaking. Once you start to share your ideas on a larger platform you will begin to solidify “Brand You.”
Step 4: Mind your company.
What types of events do you attend? Where are you spending your time? It’s important to stay relevant both for networking purposes and to get inspired. You are branded by the nature of the content you consume; both externally and internally it changes your discourse. I suggest creating a calendar of events each season and figuring out where you need to be. You might need to shell out some money to be a part of an event, or if you can’t find one that fits you, then create one!
Step 5: Master LinkedIn.
Everyone is on LinkedIn, from Jenna Lyons to Richard Branson. Why? Because it's where you go to find people in your space, read industry-relevant articles, and see who is doing what. Have you curated your LinkedIn page? What does your bio say? Optimize your content by including recent projects, all of your social media channels, have a professional-looking photo, and make it clear what exactly you do and what kind of expert you are. I’ve been on LinkedIn for years but only recently started leveraging the article posting tools. If you are publishing blog posts, you should definitely be syndicating them on LinkedIn.
You don’t need a special website dedicated to your brand, or even a book published to start to carve out your niche and brand identity. You do need to determine what you stand for, how you want people to perceive you, and what tone of conversation you want to have. Every time you send an email, it’s branding. Your voicemail message? Yep, branding. You can’t escape it, so embrace it.
About the Author: Syama Meagher is a retail strategist for brands and retailers. She helps entrepreneurs launch and grow fashion business through e-commerce, wholesale, and brick-and-mortar locations. She has previously worked at Barneys New York, Gucci, AHAlife, and Macy’s. To build your brand and create a profitable business check out www.ScalingRetail.com and email hello@scalingretail.com.
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This story was originally published on February 14, 2019, and has since been updated.
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Five Ways to Make Your Nonprofit Brand Stand Out
How can you break through the clutter and away from the “me-too” marketing?
by: Julie Cottineau
The world of non-profit marketing has become much more challenging than it ever was. No longer is competition coming from other established non-profit organizations; now, it’s also from individual fundraising resources like Gofundme.com pages and requests on Facebook from friends for support in cause-related marathons, walkathons, etc. In some ways, social media has made it easier for your organization to connect with potential supporters; yet, on the other hand, it’s amplified the noise in the category, making it harder to get noticed and connect.
How can you break through the clutter and away from the “me-too” marketing to get the vital resources your cause needs and deserves?
It starts with better branding. And by brand, I don’t mean a more colorful logo or a catchy slogan. I mean the fundamental story your organization is telling – who you serve, what your promise is, and how you’re different — what I like to call your TWIST.
Here are a few tips you can implement right away for stronger non-profit branding.
1. YOUR BRAND IS THE EXPERIENCE YOU CREATE
Branding has become a buzzword and one of the most overused and least understood terms in marketing lexicon. Many people tend to limit the definition of brand to the logo, name, and website. These are important elements, but the real value of a brand is the experience you create. How you make people feel. It’s this relationship that creates long-term brand ambassadors as they rave about you to friends and family, and even strangers, on social media. How can you provide a better experience to your community? Not just an easier way to donate, but in all aspects of the brand journey. When I was VP of Brand for Virgin, we didn’t just think about the time in the air as the Virgin airline journey. We thought about the whole continuum. From when someone was considering a trip, all the way to when they got home and were telling their friends about the wonderful experience. Where does your brand journey begin and end? And how can you keep your organization top of mind and engage your stakeholders in between core events? Let your brand ambassadors be part of your ongoing story.
"Branding has become a buzzword and one of the most overused and least understood terms in marketing lexicon."
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This could mean providing regular opportunities on social media for them to share their own experiences related to your cause. It could also mean inviting some of your more loyal members in to create the next chapter of your story. What do they hope for the future? What do they love about your brand experience, and what do they wish could be different or better?
2. BRAND BLINDERS GET IN THE WAY. TAKE THEM OFF!
If you printed out the websites of your organization and other non-profits in your sector and covered up the names and logos, could you tell who was who? The answer is probably not. That’s because many non-profits spend too much time trying to look “legitimate” that they end up using the same words and imagery as everyone else. The problem with this is your important message won’t cut through. Take off those blinders and question the “givens” in your category. Look for outside expertise and new perspectives whenever possible.
3. LOOK BEYOND YOUR CATEGORY AND TWIST FOR INSPIRATION
How do you create a brand that has tangible value, is authentic, and stands out? How do you TWIST? It starts with looking at your story from new angles. Cast aside the do’s and don’ts, colors and imagery and so-called best practices of other non-profits in and out of your sector; find fresh ideas by using an out-of-category perspective.
Think of brands that you love in all areas of your life and learn how to use these brands to inform and influence your own branding strategy and execution. Get inspired by a brand like Apple with its empowering Genius Bar, or Starbucks with its focus on customization, or Amazon, who helps customers with suggestions for additional products. How can your non-profit take these lessons and TWIST them for a stronger, more distinctive brand experience? For example, think about the fun moment when you open a Snapple and look under the cap. What kind of inspiring and unexpected message could you include in the flap of your fund-raising mailers that could create a moment of surprise, delight and connection?
4. USE YOUR BRAND AS A DECISION MAKING FILTER
I’ve worked with several large non-profits and one thing I’ve noticed is that many organizations, in an effort to please everyone, take on too many initiatives. Their websites become overwhelming with a hodge-podge of programs and messages and it's difficult to determine what they really stand for. Brand building is not easy. Many organizations have great ideas, but what will make you successful is your ability to bring your idea to life, into the communities you wish to serve. Identifying your brand TWIST can help you say yes to the right opportunities and stay focussed. But just as important, it can also help you say no when necessary to ideas that distract from your core resources and cloud your message.
5. MAKE SURE THE ORGANIZATION "WALKS THE TALK" OF THE BRAND
A clear brand TWIST is also critical for internal alignment and guiding behaviors. Writing and sharing your TWIST within your organization helps ensure everyone from the Executive Director to the part-time helper is presenting a unified vision of the brand. Your employees and volunteers should be able to answer the question, “What does your organization do?” highlighting your unique TWIST. Make the brand story part of the on-boarding of everyone who is a key resource for the organization, including staff, volunteers, and key partners.
"Make the brand story part of the on-boarding of everyone who is a key resource for the organization."
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One of my Brand School graduates makes brand a part of their weekly staff meetings. He repeats the core brand promise and values and leads an interactive discussion on how each individual is living the brand promise in their specific role and what kind of actions they should stop or start doing to make sure their actions, and not just their words, are bringing this promise to life. Your brand promise is not something that should be sitting on a plaque in a conference room. It should be felt in every interaction and every brand touch point.
A strong brand can be a non-profit’s secret weapon. It can help you make the most of limited resources and share your story more effectively with those who can help make your mission a reality.
Julie Cottineau is the bestselling author of Twist: How Fresh Perspectives Build Breakthrough Brands, founder and CEO of BrandTwist, and creator of Brand School Online, an actionable branding class for entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profits. She is the former Vice President of brand for Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and served in executive positions at Interbrand and Grey Global. She has taught integrated marketing communications at Columbia and Cornell universities, and is a frequent commentator on brand strategy and innovation in top business media.
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