Symbols and Your Branding Strategy
As a knowledge-for-profit professional it is essential to take the abstract and commoditized nature of your value and make it proprietary. This will enable you to “competitor-proof” your clients and create more consistent advocacy.
A proven strategy for differentiating yourself and elevating how you’re perceived and how you’re described is to create a symbol that amplifies your value. For example: as a financial advisor, clients hire you so they can “Sleep Well At Night”. So why not use a swan as a thank-you card to symbolize your value and relevance in their lives.
If you are a lawyer, accountant or professional consultant, your value to your clients is to help navigate through uncertain times, so why not use a sailboat to highlight the fact that it’s not the wind, rather the set of the sails that determines your client’s course. A bridge is another example: you are the bridge to your client’s financial goals and your process helps them build the bridge as they cross it so they can look to the future with anticipation instead of apprehension. So why not use a bridge to symbolize your value?
A lighthouse serves as a beacon to help someone oversee uncertainty or anxiety. A capstone represents how your process is the centerpiece that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together for your clients. A tiffany lamp, with all its many pieces put together beautifully, lights the path for your clients into the future.
You can go beyond greeting cards, wall décor and act like the Nike Swoosh to create an identity and imprint your value for your clients.