When companies start thinking of a new brand they often get ahead of themselves by choosing colours, coming up with brand tag lines, media channels and brand tone before answering the most important question that should drive your branding direction.

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR CUSTOMERS TO SAY?

Let's try a few exercises and take some time for these exercises to train your brain to answer this question.

"We want our customers to say we are the most trustworthy online platform connecting patients directly to doctors for health advice."

"We want our customers to say our workouts are the most invigorating part of their day."

"We want our customers to tell their friends our food is innovative and is the best Italian food they have ever tasted."

This is like stating the goal for your business - and will drive the entire package elements for your product and/or service offering.

NOW LET'S PRACTICE

So if you decide that you want to be perceived as the most trustworthy online platform connecting patients to doctors for health advice, how will this filter into your entire brand and service offering package?

1. Brand - what colours evoke trust? Corporate brands usually stick to navy blue to build trust. What font makes a brand feel trustworthy? Once you know your brand value (ie. trust) then your design team should follow this direction.
   

2. Tagline - What do patients worry about when they go to see a doctor? They want to know that they are okay and are healthy and the diagnosis is correct. So your tag line should emphasize this value proposition and tie in your trust brand value. Perhaps something such as: "Health Problems. Solved." OR "Offering You Peace of Mind."
   

3. Product / Service - In the realm of trust between patients and doctors, patients still value the face-to-face, so is online video chats a component you can work into your platform? How about the credentials of the doctors on your platform? How will they be screened? You need to ensure the doctors on your platform have the necessary experience, credentials and tech savvy to communicate with patients online. You will also want to register with groups such as Better Business Bureau to build your brand reputation and trustworthiness.

There are definitely many more components to branding but the above is a starting point and illustrates why you should ask the question 'what do you want our customers to say' to start your branding process. Why don't you go through this exercise with your brand to test its strength and consistency?