Business magnate, Richard Branson once said, “Your brand name is only as good as your reputation.”

Let’s consider that for a moment. You can tell potential and existing customers that you offer a specific service, stand for something, and treat your customers and employees with respect and dignity. However, if you don’t actually do these things, your brand will stand for nothing more than dishonesty.

Sound harsh?

A Different Point of View

Put on your consumer hat for a moment and consider the brands you’ve interacted with. Have any epically failed to live up to their “brand” promises?

Chances are, you’ve got a list of companies you’ll never do business with for that very reason. Putting your business owner hat back on… don’t end up on someone else’s list.

Thankfully, there’s a solution that will give you guidelines on how to operate. Those guidelines are called Brand Boundaries, and if you haven’t already determined your business’s brand boundaries, there’s no time like the present!

The Importance of Brand Boundaries

Why do you need to establish brand boundaries in your business? After all, you know who you are… shouldn’t everyone else?

Yes and No. Let’s look at your employees. If you’ve got a team working for you (or you’re about to hire one), these individuals need to know what you stand for, what you do, what you allow, etc. Having a clear set of brand boundaries allows your employees to:

• Interact with coworkers and customers within the rules you have set
• Make decisions quickly and without coming to you each and every time
• Protect your brand’s integrity

Looking to your customers, establishing and maintaining brand boundaries will allow customers to:

• Clearly understand what it is you do
• Keep you top of mind for when they need your product/service
• Trust that you are who you say you are and will do what you say you will do
• Stay loyal because they know the quality of your product and the ethics behind it

Brand boundaries establish who you are and then consistently reiterate that information through every behavior, communication, interaction, etc. Viewing your business this way will also attract higher-quality employees, customers, and investors.

7 Steps to Set Your Brand Boundaries

Now that you understand why brand boundaries are so important for your business, it’s time to establish them. Whether you are just starting out, growing your business, or even readying it for sale, this exercise will help guide you.

Review the seven steps and identify where your boundaries fall within these categories. If you have difficulty identifying a boundary, look at your past business dealings. If anything stands out as making you uncomfortable, or you wish it had gone a different way, there’s probably a boundary just waiting to be identified.

1. Identify Your Core Values and Mission

Who are you as a company? Why do you exist? What problem do you fix, and how do you fix it differently from others? What values do you hold personally, and what values would you like to transfer to the company? What is non-negotiable for your business?

Your mission may shift slightly as you understand your customers’ needs more. That’s just part of growing.

2. Understand Your Target Audience

Who do you serve? What do those individuals need, and what can they expect out of your brand? Equally important, who do you NOT serve? Not everyone is your ideal client. In fact, you’d probably prefer not to work with a specific type of clientele. And that’s okay!

3. Create Your Product and Service Scope

What do you do? Are there specific products you make? What service do you provide? Consider some of your favorite brands. When prompted, you could probably sum up precisely what they make in less than three words. If these businesses got distracted by every shiny squirrel and kept adding products or dabbling in other industries, their brands would be diluted, and you’d find it much more difficult to explain what they do and keep them top of mind.

4. Establish a Brand Voice

How do you want the world to see you? Are you humorous? Highly professional? Serious to the point of graveness? Do you use scare tactics to engage your audience?

Consider the insurance industry. For decades, Geico has entertained and attracted audiences with brilliant and hilarious ad campaigns. Consumers expect light-heartedness from this company, and Geico doesn’t disappoint. Imagine how consumers would react if the company posted an incredibly serious and frightening commercial. Their brand would be turned upside down.

This is especially important when it comes to social media.

5. Define Your Ethics

What do you stand for? Is your company environmentally friendly, cruelty-free, supportive of LGBTQIA+, involved in your local community, empowering small business owners in developing countries, focused on employee rights and well-being, committed to quality, etc.

There are thousands of ways you could define your company’s ethics. This will attract your target audience as they will often feel the same way.

“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”

– Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO

Of course, you may also turn off some customers with whatever stand you choose to take. This is okay. Remember, not everyone is your ideal client.

6. Craft Guidelines Around Customer Service

What commitments do you make to your customers? Do you offer refunds or satisfaction guarantees? Do you promise to respond (or deliver a pizza) within a specific time frame? Do you limit email communications, safeguard their private information, etc.?

When I was in college, I worked at a high-end housewares, furniture, and jewelry store in New York called Fortunoff’s. They believed that wedding registry customers deserved top-notch service. Because of this expectation they set, they once “refunded” a giant (expensive) set of China that had been purchased from another store. The customer had a very big wedding registry, and management believed they were upholding the boundaries set for them. (The company praised them for this decision).

7. Consistently Check In

As your business evolves, some of your boundaries may shift. This is to be expected. Review your business regularly and see what boundaries should be upheld, what needs to be adjusted, and what boundaries need to be set or removed for the future.

Conclusion

Remember that in business, your reputation is everything. By establishing and maintaining clear brand boundaries, you can strengthen relationships with customers, attract and retain top talent, and create a company that people want to do business with.  Aligned behaviors are the building blocks of a good reputation, and healthy boundaries will help you get there.

About Sheryl Green

Sheryl Green is a Mental Health speaker, author, and the “How to Say No” Expert. She works with individuals and organizations to establish healthy boundaries to improve relationships, communication, and well-being. Her mission is to make the world a better place… one boundary at a time. Learn more about her entertaining and illuminating programs or contact her at 702.885.4309.

Get her How to Say No cheat sheet.