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Inspiration

Branding – making the intangible tangible

hen was the last time you focused on brand- fixed. But your brand exists only in someone's mind."
ing your payments business? If you own
a one-person shop, you and your business Something that exists only in a person's mind is subjective
W are inextricably linked, and you probably and typically has feelings associated with it. This means the
embody your brand every day without giving it much process of articulating a brand can be thorny. Challenging
thought. If you own a larger enterprise, it is a product of as this may be, it is well worth the effort.
your vision, but there is distance between you and your
business. And there should be a clear distinction between Marketing experts at the Walker Sands agency stated, "The
you and your company's brand. best way to build and nurture an effective brand image
is through a multidisciplinary approach that combines
In either case, it's helpful to review your branding from owned, earned and paid media in a coordinated, digital
time to make sure you have clarity on how you want your ecosystem constructed of PR, social, search and other
merchant customers, prospects, colleagues, current and elements."
potential partners, and other professionals in the wider
payments, fintech and merchant services realm to see you. Four steps for brand building
Walker Sands further offered four steps for building your
When they hear the word "brand" many people picture a brand image:
ranch where livestock is roped, branded with a symbol and
sent to pasture. While business branding often involves the 1. Identify your key audience.
use of logos, it goes far beyond such symbols to include what 2. Determine critical business goals.
advertising pioneer David Ogilvy called "the intangible
sum of a product and its attributes." 3. Define your brand persona.
4. Develop key messaging.
Real but not objective
Even when branding a sole proprietorship, figuring out how If you run an ISO with other individuals, you have a built-in
to describe a sum of intangibles is not easy. Most people rely team to brainstorm with on these steps. You can brainstorm
on a more practical description of brand as the perception and ultimately reach alignment on what makes your brand
of an organization, service, product or experience. unique. From there, you can devise a marketing strategy
that is backed by your knowledge of how you define your
In a December 2011 Forbes article, "What is a Brand Anyway," brand, what it means and how to talk about it.
Jerry McLaughlin wrote, " Put simply, your 'brand' is what
your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand If you are a sole proprietor, reach out to others working
name. It's everything the public thinks it knows about solo, and collaborate to help each other work through the
your name brand offering—both factual (e.g., it comes in steps. No matter what size your company is, doing this will
a robin's-egg-blue box), and emotional (e.g., it's romantic). strengthen your business and help you reach your goals.
Your brand name exists objectively; people can see it. It's

Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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