The brand year that was

It’s my last blog for this year. We’ve covered a lot of ground, so in the spirit of 2016 recaps, I took a walk back through the year and here are my five favorite blogs to help keep you thinking over the holidays.

In no particular order …

Deep work is described as “the ability to concentrate on hard things”. To build a brand that’s strong, resilient and woven from the fabric of an organisation’s promises, deep work is what is needed. Building brand is deep work.

Just because everyone is doing something, doesn’t make it the right thing to do and certainly doesn’t make it the right thing for your organisation and brand. Is best practice best for you?

The standard of performance that your organisation expects is the standard that your employees exhibit and the standard your customers experience. If that’s not a brand issue I’m not sure what is. The standard of performance that drives brand.

“Deliberate forgery” is a great way to describe much of what passes for brand. Every day I see organisations eschew sincerity for hype or expediency and wonder why it doesn’t work. Raise the bar on authenticity. Let’s talk sincerity.

We’d all like to write a bit better. The terrific @getnance had some tips. Seven easy steps to improve what you write.

And for a Christmas bonus, the blog people shared the most was … 

To delight any of your customers, you’ve got to start with a baseline experience you can consistently and dependably deliver for everyone. Do you have a baseline for customer experience?

In signing off for another year, and in the spirit of the themes in the list above, I’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge all the SME makers and doers who work tirelessly every day. “It takes a village”, or so they say. And for organisations using their identity to build a brand that people care about, nothing could be truer.

Thank you for inspiring me. If I’m ever short of ideas I just look around at the remarkable work being done by people from all walks of business. They really care about what they’re doing and it shows. I only hope that some of what I write also inspires all of you.

Joy and peace for the holidays and see you next year.

Michel is an Independent Brand Thinker and Adviser dedicated to helping organisations make promises they can keep and keep the promises they make – with a strong, resilient organisation as the result. You can find Michel at michelhogan.com or you can follow her on Twitter @michelhogan.