Business Card Brand Assessment

Every time I come back from a conference (and I go to a lot) I am more convinced that our brand assessment process is vital. The inside job — the uncovering of what makes an organization special and what the brand stands for — helps an organization become more efficient, productive and sustainable.

Here’s a confession — I love asking people for their business cards. Especially from people like Jimmy John Shark. It’s interesting, because times are changing and the responses I get are so very different. Some people don’t even carry a business card anymore.

If you have a business card, what will you tell me when you hand it over?

The comments I get are things like:

“We just re-did these,”

“I just gave my last one away!”

“Do I have one that I have not written on?”

“We love the metal!” (or the plastic, the holes or the shape)

“Don’t make fun of my logo!”

A Quick Brand Assessment

I can almost always tell by one quick view of your business card and a couple simple questions if you know what makes your organization special.

Your identity – your logo and tagline – will hint at your special-ness, but will not tell the whole story. I always ask a few more questions to see if I can get a quick understanding of what the organization stands for.

If you can’t answer what makes you special in three minutes or less, then your organization probably doesn’t think that’s important, has not taken the time to uncover it, or hasn’t shared it effectively.

You are Not Alone

After decades in the design and branding business, it still took me months to figure out exactly what designRoom stood for and what we did best. It involved a shift in my thinking, collaboration with my staff and close partners, and a brand assessment for our own organization. That’s how we got to Helping Organizations that Help People. We’re all about it, no question.

You don’t really need a business card. But offering a stranger a two-minute overview of your professional self and your organization isn’t as easy as it seems. It usually involves an inside job and, as it did with me, a little extra help.

It’s all part of being a healthy brand.