Building Your Brand? Beware Of These Traps
b"With\\xa0Julie Cottineau, Author of Twist: How Fresh Perspectives Build Breakthrough Brands,\\xa0Founder and CEO of BrandTwist
Breaking away from the competition in today\\u2019s crowded world is a challenge for any business. How to become the next hot concept or product is the subject of Julie Cottineau\\u2019s new book, Twist: How Fresh Perspectives Build Breakthrough Brands
As a brand consultant and past Vice President of Brands at Richard Branson\\u2019s Virgin Group, Julie experienced that \\u201caha\\u201d moment one day that led her to realize \\u201cthat the way to really break out in any category is to take off your brand blinders, to forget about what your competition is doing, look at brands that you love that are breaking through, that are doing well in other categories, and use or twist those best practices.\\u201d
Some of the key misconceptions with many businesses are:
*Believing that a brand is the same as a business \\xa0model.
*Thinking you must mimic the competition to succeed.
*Not realizing that your logo, website, and name do not in themselves constitute a brand.
In her book and on her website Brandtwist.com, Julie advises her clients to become students of brand. Not only knowing which brands are the most noticeable, but those that pull you in, the ones you tell your friends about, the ones you order from or go to for service\\u2014these are the ones you can borrow from to develop your own brand.
The technique to building your brand effectively can begin as early as high school, says Julie. Since the competition to get into college these days is so fierce, she recommends focusing on some unique quality that sets you apart and grabs the attention of the admissions department. She cites the example of her own daughter who combined her passion for music with community service and work projects as well as incorporating it into the theme of her college essay.
Instead of imitating your competition, the twist within Twist: How Fresh Perspectives Build Breakthrough Brands is removing your \\u201cbrand-blinders\\u201d to find that singular quality that best defines you and sets your business apart from the pack.
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Steve Pomeranz: In a crowded business world where everyone is vying for our short attention spans, being very different from your competition is the key, and branding is one of the most important ways for businesses to break out of the crowd.\\xa0 Not only businesses but also for us, as individuals, personal branding is another important tool to help us get what we want from this crowded world.\\xa0 Julie Cottineau is Founder and CEO of BrandTwist, a brand consultant and creator of brandschoolonline.com.\\xa0 Prior to launching her own business, she was Vice President of Brands at Richard Branson's Virgin Group.\\xa0 Her new book is"