The key to clarity of your own brand is a simple as the 3Cs – Clear values, Consistency and Clarity. Master the 3Cs and you will achieve clarity in the brand that is you – people will know what you stand for and what it is you do.
Clear values is the first C and the most important. Do not move on unless you have this completed. Clear values can often look like the most simple, in my experience it is the most difficult. Values are not easily adopted, they aren’t chosen on a whim. Values are developed, tested and challenged until they are robust enough for them to become actual values. Fortunately there is a proven exercise to help you establish and understand just what your own values are. Consistency follows clear values as it is essential to be consistent with your values. Consistency comes into play when your values are challenged. If you are unable to be consistent with your values then you have the wrong values and you need to go back to the first C. Clarity is about being clear about what you do and who you are and being able to communicate this to others. In order to be clear about what you do answer the following questions: · What do you want to accomplish, what is your goal? · What does that goal look like – be verbose, be descriptive · How will you know when you have accomplished your goal? · How will you measure or assess your progress towards your goal? Once you have successfully answered these questions the test will be how you communicate it to others. There are two ways you can communicate – simply or not (not can also be called business speak or just plain complicated). For example what is this sentence trying to say: Pulchritude possess profundity or a merely cutaneous nature Complicated isn’t it? But how many times do we add extra words or simply long words when plain and simple language would be much more effective? The sentence above? I’m telling you that beauty is skin deep.
