by Liliana Grace

What if when you wake up tomorrow, your competitors now offered your core services completely free?

Then what? 

Is your brand strong enough to keep your doors open and show the value you offer?

What is your brand?  Is it clear?

A brand includes how someone feels about you when they think of you.

Creating a logo, refreshing a color palette, or updating a website is only the beginning. 

Changing these things without working on the core elements of branding will only be expensive and leave you disheartened.

As you evaluate your brand, consider the earned, owned, and paid aspects of your organization in the community.

For more clarity, here is what each of those means.

• Earned media is represented in community chamber or local news articles, social media mentions, reviews, and other types of in person media where the community is talking about your organization.
• Owned media are things you own, such as your website, social media channels, GMB (Google My Business), electronic communications, any print items including promotional items, and more. These items should emphatically be cohesive and tell the story of your brand.
• Paid media is anything that has a cost associated with promoting your brand. Paid advertising also includes paid consultants, designers, social media experts, content creators, community sponsorships, cool keepable promotional swag, digital advertising, radio, tv, video, banners, and anything that has a cost associated with it.

Building a solid brand will help you last the test of time.  Become a community favorite and a trusted resource.  Earned, owned and paid media all work together and often overlap each other.  As you head into the fall and look towards FY27, feel free to reach out  if you have questions ! One of our strategists would love to chat with you.  We are here for you as you are there for her!

Educating & empowering you for success,