There are many things a brand must communicate with their audience and customers. These three things are honesty, quality and competency.

Honesty is the very bedrock upon which successful brands operate.
One thing I notice and hold dear is that honest companies are the ones that last. Sure, there are companies run by unscrupulous people and they appear to get ahead, but keep in mind their day is coming. So don’t be afraid or question whether it is right to not only run your company honestly, but your personal brand as well.
You may not initially get the same recognition, but you will know that your hard work will pay off one day and your integrity will always be in-tact and that’s something to be proud of.

A quality brand is one that places care into not only the product, but the brand image that is projected about the brand. Let’s take Lays classic potato chips for example: Over the years, you’ve come to expect a certain taste, flavor and freshness for this chip brand.
Lays makes it a point to place on the back of the bag a stamp that says “Guaranteed fresh, or this snack is on us.” They offer an 800 number for questions/comments and also allow consumers to meet them on Facebook, so their consumers know that Lays is listening to them. Lays not only projects a quality brand image by doing this, but they are protecting their brand image by offering new outlets to monitor their customers interaction with the brand.

Nothing is worse than an incompetent brand. Today’s brands are expected to be smart, functional, intuitive, have the ability to adapt to change when necessary and to solve both seen an unseen problems of the consumer.
Nothing takes the place of competency. If you purchase a product and it doesn’t even do the basic functions that you purchased it for, you will quickly return it for a better product. The same is true for a personal brand.
This is why focusing on what you can do well works better than trying to create competency where there is none.

Thanks for visiting www.TheUptownDiva.com for your personal branding concerns. For a consultation, or to simply chat about your brand, find me on Twitter.com @theuptowndiva or @thesocialiteprj. I am also on Facebook at Cristal Carrington. See you and your brand there.

-Smooches & Stay Fabulous

Cristal Carrington