Human beings are powered by emotion, not by reason.

Branding is about feelings and emotion. The best brands are multi demensional and so they impact you in different ways. These could be socially, mentally, spiritually and functionally. We will return to these later on this page.

A key to branding is that you cannot tell people how to feel. You must cause them to feel the way that you want them to. It's about walking the talk.

Here is an example. If somebody asks you to trust them, do you? It depends on who they are however if they are someone you know well they probably don't have to ask for your trust. If they are somebody you don't know so well then you might say "sure" but really the request would probably make you feel uncomfortable.

So here's how it is: if you want people to trust you then you behave that way. You may even go out of your way to demonstrate that you can be trusted. You continue to behave like this over a number of years building up a feeling of trust in everyone you meet. Eventually people will feel that they can trust you. That is your brand.

From your Marketing research in the previous step you have identified one or a number of target markets. You have analysed them and determined a little about who they are. You may even understand some of their values and feelings about your idea. Now you need to define your brand in a way that will connect and resonate with them. This stuff hooks them in often without them even knowing it. Like when trusting a trust worthy person, it's not something you think about, you just feel comfortable doing it. Now that is a great brand.

So how do you define your brand?

Think about some of the great brands. Kevin Roberts the former CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi describes them as "Lovemarks" in his book titled "Lovemarks - The Future Beyond Brands". Kevin says "They command high respect and high love."

Here are some feelings or emotions:

Consider these emotions when you think about the following products. Which ones connect with you. You may not love a specific product but you may be able to understand why others do.

Now consider these brands, and your product from the following aspects:

Jot down some notes about your idea under these headings. How do you want your target market to feel about your product. What things will you have to do in each of these areas to support the desired emotional responses that you want your customers to have.

Take some time with this.

Your enthusiasm should be starting to grow and be more resiliant. Your idea is beginning to come to life. You have identified your target market and now you have some firm ideas about how to captivate them.

You have come a long way so far and without spending any money. You will come to realise that this initial work has in fact saved you or maybe even made you a lot of money.

In our next steps we will consider some of the logistical issues, strategies, tactics and finances. If you are ready to go Please now click here to continue.