Building a Brand

As for Alfred Lin's (COO & CFO of Zappos) Seven Ways to Build a Brand, he’s made some really good points. One that resonates with me, and I think with most citizens, even aside from being consumers, is the “commitment to transparency”. I’ve often heard our President say something similar in his regards to his relationship with the public, in essence, promising to give us the real deal. As for Zappos, I appreciate and respect (especially after seeing the gap between their revenue and net profit) Lin’s transparency - the consumer gets exactly what is advertised to them. There are no underlying commitments, no fine print, just a price that you see, and then pay, and then you get your product. And if you don’t like it, hey, no problem, you can return it for free. No hidden costs. During the recession, we’ve all become way more aware of our financial standing and where/how we choose to spend our hard earned disposable dollars. It’s nice to know exactly what kind of commitment you’re making without someone trying to take you, even when it just comes down to a pair of shoes.

Leadership would also have to be a key point on my list. While building a team is essential, the best way to do so is to have a Star at the helm who can lead you through the good and bad times while maintaining the values and culture that defined your company initially. So many companies haven’t been able to survive, in part to the fact that they give up the commitments they’ve made to their team and consumers and thus, their culture falls apart.

And of course, we can’t leave out Social Networking. This may be transient, but at this point, that remains to be seen. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have had a very positive impact on companies’ visibility and profitability, and for a pretty small fee, no less. It will be interesting to see what other innovative solutions present themselves in the years to come.

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