Building a Clear and Consistent Identity By Joe Love

In the new business era of the 21st century, a great product or service must have a strong identity in order to attract passionate customers. Although many organizations hide their identity behind layers of packaged messaging and advertising the most successful businesses are the ones that promote their true identity in the new customer universe.Who you are and what you do should be the basis of all your marketing; having your customers and prospects know who you are and remember what you do is what makes your business authentic. Your identity is what people remember and know your business as. It is based on truth and honesty rather than being phony and something that your business is not.The identity of an organization is not a combination of character traits as it is for individuals. Identity is about being unique and authentic; it is about the soul of your business, and that is what people get passionate about.Here are four ways to make your company unique:1. Find the uncontested space. This is the most reliable, but most difficult method. It involves finding a business a business that no one else in and then defining it through your company. It is also the hardest to rely on, because as soon as you create a new industry there will be other competitors entering and ready to take you on.2. Position yourself. Positioning is the art of defining how you want to be perceived without necessarily changing the product or service you offer. Ultimately, this is closely linked to storytelling.3. Create a twist. Many times, you will be in a business where finding that completely different position seems impossible. In these businesses, you need to find an element that is unique and part of who you are that sets you apart. This is a twist. Finding this twist can be tricky, because it should be about more than just finding your signature product or service. It needs to be more significant.4. Think outside your region. This is not about changing your business, but about changing where you do it. If you have a regional business that is the same as that of several competitors, consider uprooting and establishing it elsewhere. This is not possible for everyone, but for those who have the option, it can offer a strong way for your identity to stand out.Authenticity influences how your business is truly shaped and how your customer's perception of your business is formed. Authentic businesses know how to keep their real voices and use them to build credibility and trust with their customers. Authenticity must be built from four key components:1. You must define your heritage. Where your company comes from is a great place to start to build your identity. Having a real heritage that customers can identify with brings your identity to life and demonstrates that there was a real struggle by real people to start and build the company.2. You must demonstrate passion and belief. The real passion behind a company is something that cannot be faked or manipulated, and people easily recognize when this is being done.3. You must foster individuals instead of people. Authentic companies have individuals working for them who are the ones that demonstrate passion and belief in their products and services.4. You must have motives beyond the profit. If a customer feels like every interaction with you is noting more than a chance for you to sell something, trust erodes. If, on the other hand, the interactions are about something more than profit, you can build trust.Whether your business is a one person consulting operation or a ten-person service organization, every business needs a strong identity to be successful. Understanding and incorporating company goals and visions are as important to the development of identity as it is to strategies and planning.Copyright�2008 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Love