Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 - (Page 28)

The formula for success for just about any business or endeavor invariably includes the word “consistent” somewhere in the recipe. As a ﬁtness professional, you tout the absolute necessity of consistency to your clients — whether it’s in eating habits or workout schedules — to achieve measurable and positive results. If you’re a business owner, you demand consistency from your trainers and other employees as well, not only being to work on time but also in how they work with clients and implement your ﬁtness philosophy. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that branding your business relies on the same principal of consistency for it to be a successful eﬀort. 28 creating a unique, positive and recognizable identity for a company, product or service. It is not a speciﬁc product or service per se, and it is not a logo, either. A quick side note: A good logo is worth every penny you pay for it. It is very much the cornerstone of your company’s identity and branding, so getting your best friend’s son who happens to be going to art school and doing garage band posters is not the way to go. If that is the route you’ve mistakenly taken, don’t be afraid to suck it up, ﬁnd a professional and have them revamp or recreate your logo — you won’t regret it. Back to the point: For an example of the ﬁnest branding eﬀorts, I believe Coca-Cola sets the precedent, having created such a branded identity for its family of products that it is recognized internationally — even in the most remote regions of the planet. To a lesser extent, Nike, Target and the golden arches of McDonald’s have the same appeal. While these companies have had countless ad campaigns over the years, and some have even revamped their logos, the one thing that has remained consistent is their branding. That being said, a brand is the core audience’s gut feeling about the product or service you oﬀer. While you provide the direction of your business, your clients deﬁne your branding. Brands are established by emotions (since people are emotional beings), not facts or strategies. In fact, your brand is not what you say it is but what your clients and customers say it is. Still confused? Think back to your best friend in high school or college. Do you ever hear a certain song or band that reminds you of that person? Maybe it’s a style of clothing, an endearing (or irritating) mannerism, a particular phrase or perhaps a favorite pastime you both shared that invokes their memory. Over the course of your relationship with your friend, many things — not just one aspect — “branded” your friend. Your friend didn’t brand him/herself, the branding was deﬁned by you and your emotions. And so it is with corporate branding: It’s not a particular thing, but it is a look and feel. The whole point of establishing your branding is that even if your company’s name and logo are not immediately visible, the audience automatically identiﬁes what they are seeing or hearing with your business. OCTOBER2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM A Nebulous Concept What really is branding, anyway? Technically speaking, branding is the process of Clarifying the Ambiguous Giving your company a branded identity is a process. You just don’t come right out of the chute with some cool business cards and have an established brand. It takes developing a set of criteria that translates into all the advertising or marketing collateral you produce, whether it’s brochures, website, print ads or other media such as radio or television. This is where the key word consistent comes in. That doesn’t mean that everything looks the same or says the same thing; it means that all your collateral evokes the same emotional response from the intended viewer. 1. Deﬁne your message — The starting point of developing your branding is your message. Keeping your key audience in mind, think about who they are, what they need and what they identify with, and build from there. Since branding is the emotional and visual representation of what your business stands for, your message must reﬂect that. 2. Develop your logo — Your second consideration in branding development is your visual identity, and the basis of that is your logo. Its style, the typeface(s) used and colors are pivotal. Your logo must stand on its own, so you want to ﬁnd typefaces that work well with your logo and then make sure your collateral incorporates those typefaces consistently. You can choose diﬀerent fonts when the occasion calls for it — such as for a special promotion or speciﬁc headline — but your chosen typefaces remain as part of your branding infrastructure. Additionally, the colors of your http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Current Controversies Combating with Obesity Pilates and Yoga for Athletes New! The Balancing Act The Top Prize Building a Base of Special Populations Datebook The Success Image The Anatomy of a Fitness Assessment Branding Training Ruts Product Profile New on the Market

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

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