In recent content I’ve been reading and watching from the Executive Protection/Bodyguard community, there seems to be some confusion over the definitions of Brand and Branding.
Brand
Your brand is the definition of you, perceived by your market based on their interactions/experiences with you. It is made up of your personality, your core values, and beliefs, how you communicate, and with whom you associate.
There are many stages of a brand, starting with awareness and ending with brand loyalty. As a customer first becomes aware of a brand, their experiences, and interactions with it culminate into brand perception. If the right experiences take place, it could establish a lifetime of brand equity.
Branding
Branding, on the other hand, is the act of communicating your brand. It is the activity you perform to get your brand into the marketplace.
Branding is the process of giving a meaning to your brand, creating and shaping your brand in consumers’ minds.
Branding is everything you do to let people know about your brand. It’s your promise to the market.
You must be able to communicate the differentiating attributes of your brand. You are just one person among thousands of specialists in the executive protection marketplace trying to make a name for yourself.
Suggested reading:
Developing Brand Evangelists
https://larrysnow.me/developing-brand-evangelists/
Executive Protection Self-Assessment Guide
https://larrysnow.me/executive-protection-self-assessment-guide/
It’s Not Easy Being Security
https://larrysnow.me/its-not-easy-being-security/
Brand, Branding, and Marketing for the EP Professional
https://larrysnow.me/free-ebook-protection-professionals-2/
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
https://larrysnow.me/optimize-your-linkedin-profile-my-top-ten-linkedin-tips/
https://larrysnow.me/my-eight-tips-to-start-using-linkedin-to-your-advantage/
How to Use Social Media for Your Security Business
https://larrysnow.me/how-to-use-social-media-for-your-security-business/
ISDA created the Protective Services Roadmap Checklist
https://isdacenter.org/isda-roadmap-checklist/