| Tags: Brand, brand development, professional service brands

Is what you can’t see hurting your company brand?

When most of us hear the word “brand”, companies like “Proctor and Gamble” and “Apple’ often come to mind. With large advertising budgets, these companies sell tangible product to us as consumers. And whether it is on the web or in a store, their brands are visible to us it seems every where we turn.

On the other hand, companies that sell professional services, whether B2B or B2C, often stop thinking about their brand beyond business cards, a website and maybe a brochure. Why? Because their branding efforts are largely invisible.

For the professional service provider, It is not the logo, website, or business card that creates the brand. Rather it is the touch points that can’t be seen like keeping promises, exceeding service level requirements, and responsiveness to customer inquiries that build trust and create brands. These invisible touch points are functions of company vision, employee training, pricing strategy and customer relationships.

If you were to put a magnifying glass on your invisible brand, what do you find? Touch points that build trust and increase referrals or maybe not so favorable word of mouth.