Your Brand is What People Say About You When You Are Not in the Room

The instant you step into a room, your presence leaves a mark. Similarly, the moment someone enters your website, steps into your office, or catches a glimpse of your logo, you’ve started crafting their brand experience.

Whether or not you are present, people are talking about you. Especially in the world of generative AI, crafting a brand experience is more important than ever. You have the opportunity to direct the conversation and tell your story to make a lasting impression on your audience.

A brand is an encompassing experience that stretches from the moment a person interacts with your company to the emotions stirred up when engaging with your products or services. While some sectors, like the construction industry, might seem less inclined to focus on branding, the truth remains that every touchpoint contributes to the overall brand experience.

We’ll use Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) as an example. When you think of GVCA as a brand, what are the first things that come to mind?

The Evolution of Branding: Beyond Visuals

The logo and the catchy slogan are still important but building a brand personality in the world of Artificial Intelligence, figuring out who you are and what you sound like is even more important. How can you create a connection with a customer or prospect when there is so much noise in the world? More than just aesthetics, we have the opportunity to create a bond with every action we take.

We know that in construction, you don’t have to have a strong brand like Nike to secure Requests for Proposals. However, this doesn’t mean branding should be ignored. A strong brand can instill trust, reliability, and professionalism and give you something to talk about that calls out even more attention to your brand.

A Guide to Humanizing Your Brand

Create an image in your mind: questions for creating a brand personality using Grand Valley Construction Association as an example:

• If you could see GVCA walk into a room, what are their traits?
• What do they like to do for fun?
• What kind of music do they listen to?
• What are they like at a party?
• What did they wear to the party?

Answering these questions may feel silly, but they are important to creating a long-term brand strategy. Be consistent and speak the same way across the entire organization. Humanize your brand.

How to apply this brand personality: 

Tell Your Story: Every project has a story behind it. Share these stories on your website, social media, or through case studies. Highlight the challenges you overcame, the innovative solutions you employed, and the positive impact your work had on the community.

Define Your Brand Identity: Start by defining your brand’s core values, mission, and unique selling proposition. What sets your company apart from others in the industry? Develop a clear and concise brand message that communicates these attributes.

Consistent Visual Identity: Be **consistent.** This includes designing a memorable logo, selecting a distinct color palette, and developing a coherent design language for all your marketing materials and online presence.

Website and Online Presence: Invest in a well-designed website that showcases your projects, expertise, and company culture. Use high-quality images and videos to illustrate your capabilities and completed works.

Engage on Social Media: Please, no more boring content. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter are great avenues to showcase your projects, share industry insights, and connect with potential clients. Regularly posting relevant content helps position your company as an authoritative voice in the industry.

In the construction industry, we know that many view social media as low priority. Through thoughtful planning and strategic use, social media can increase your brand visibility, engagement, and connect you to your customers and prospects for the long term. We encourage you to create content that is fun, engaging and shows off your brand personality. Over the long run, these benefits foster direct interaction with potential clients, partners, and employees, and enables the sharing of educational content. It also facilitates networking, industry trend awareness, crisis management, and provides a platform for timely updates on ongoing projects.

Client Testimonials: Genuine testimonials from satisfied clients carry significant weight. Feature these testimonials on your website and marketing materials to demonstrate your company’s reliability and the positive experiences others have had working with you.

Sustainability and Innovation: In today’s world, emphasizing sustainability and innovation can be a powerful branding tool. Highlight your company’s commitment to eco-friendly practices, energy efficiency, and the use of cutting-edge construction technologies.

Employee Engagement: Your employees play a pivotal role in shaping your brand experience. Encourage a positive company culture that values professionalism, expertise, and a customer-centric approach. Happy employees contribute to positive client interactions.

Community Involvement: Participate in community projects, charity initiatives, or local events. Being an active member of your community helps build a positive reputation and fosters a sense of goodwill associated with your brand.

As brands, we have the opportunity to cultivate community, to make people feel seen and heard, and to give ourselves a reason to celebrate our lives together. What can we do to go above and beyond? How can we create reasons for us to come together when people are feeling lonelier than ever? How can we bring our employees to participate and in turn, attract talent, reduce turnover and ensure we grow together?

The world is changing so quickly, let’s use the power of brand to make an impact on this world.