Whether you’re building a new brand or redefining your old one, it’s easy to get lost in the details of fonts, logos and voice guidelines. While design elements and messaging are important parts of your overall brand identity, they aren’t your brand.

The essence of a brand is simple: First, know who you are. Second, be who you are. And finally, say who you are.

Know it.

FedEx is a highly complex operation, but the complexities don’t matter to customers. All they care about is our brand promise. Simply put, the FedEx brand is synonymous with “reliability.” Define your benefit to customers in as straightforward of terms as possible.

At times, you may need to refresh your brand in order to stay relevant. Case in point: The FedEx acquisition of Kinko’s, now known as FedEx Office. More and more, customers expect convenient business solutions on the go. So we expanded our services to meet these needs. But our original promise of reliability — the same promise we made when we started three decades ago — still holds true today.

Be it.

Your brand is the essence of who you are, but it means nothing without corresponding action. Once you know your promise to customers, you need to deliver on that promise. That’s what branding is all about. Every time you keep the promise, you strengthen your brand identity. When you break the promise, you diminish the brand.

If your promise is reliability, then you need to offer reliability in everything you do — from your products and services to your website and communications. This is how you build brand equity with customers.

Say it.

Once you know who you are and you’re delivering on that promise, you need to say who you are to customers — over and over again. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should express yourself in exactly the same way to every customer. High school students may appreciate a certain tone or format more than, say, a Fortune 500 executive. But the heart and soul of your message needs to be consistent.

Who you are as a business should drive how you look, feel and sound to the public. Create a marketing and communications plan that says, “Here’s who I am, and here’s how that benefits you, the customer” — in every e-mail, printed material, website, blog, phone conversation, tweet and Facebook post. And use your design elements to drive that message home.

Now, there’s a fine line between consistency and redundancy, but when it comes to branding, that’s OK. Most customers don’t spend a lot of time learning about your business. They don’t read your ads, website and press releases in the same way they read the morning paper. If you want customers to instinctively associate your business with your brand promise, you can’t be afraid to repeat yourself.

Before you get caught up in wordsmithing, font choices and color palettes, ask yourself: Why am I in this business to begin with? What is my unique benefit to customers? If you want your small business to grow and thrive, you need to know the answers. And always keep your promises.

Courtesy of Open Forum