We asked Brand3 Founder and President, Orsolya Herbein, what she feels are the essentials of a strong brand foundation and why it's necessary.

So, this week it's more like the "Tips of the week." These are the essentials of Brand-First marketing and the strategies we use to make sure our clients are telling the right story to the right people. When these brand foundation essentials are in place, marketing drives business growth.

1. Before You Market, Fix the Brand

Too many businesses struggle with marketing because they dive in without clarity. Marketing without a clear brand that's strategically aligned with your audience is just noise. And in today's world, there's already too much noise. Your brand is the story you tell to convince your ideal clients that you know how to solve the problems they care about most.

Pro tip: You can validate messaging and visual feel with your best customers.

2. Your Brand Should Always Come First

Your brand is far more than its logo and colors. It's the perception your audience has of your business - the sum total of their opinions, feelings, and experiences. When those images and ideas are consistent, your brand's messages can send powerful signals straight to your audience's hearts and minds.

Pro tip: Your brand is not for everyone. Ensure that your brand is perceived as value by your ideal customer!

3. Make a Clear Brand Promise

A brand promise is a short statement that speaks to the value your business delivers in the most concise way possible. It's a promise meant to be kept, and everything gets compared to it. When you actually align your client's experience with the promise you've made to them, the power of a well-defined brand truly kicks in.

Pro tip: Make your brand promise short and retainable and make sure every employee can recite it in their sleep.

4. Be Relentlessly Consistent

Branding and marketing are exercises in memorization. It takes the average consumer at least eight repetitions of a brand message to absorb it. For your business to succeed, your brand must be remembered and trusted. Unless your brand consistently aligns with every marketing tool and tactic you deploy - from your website to your vehicles to how your team answers the phone - confusion will block your path to success at every turn.

Pro tip: Create a brand map and guidelines, then guard that consistency with your life.

5. Align Sales, Marketing, and Experience with Your Brand

Your brand should lead more than just your marketing. It must lead your sales efforts, your hiring, your work culture, and the very experience you deliver to your customers. The story you tell in marketing also empowers your sales team and customer experience. All of this works together to drive consistency and ultimately new revenue and growth for your organization.

Pro tip: Train your employees to speak the same language!

6. Tell Your Customer's Story, Not Yours

Customers don't care about your story. They care about theirs. When you talk about yourself first, people tune out. In every marketing tool and tactic that represents your brand, position yourself as the guide who helps the hero (your customer) overcome a problem and find success.

Pro tip: Pictures say a thousand words! Use images that support the story you are telling and allow your customers to identify with your brand.

7. Design an Exceptional Customer Experience

Customer Experience Design is how you intentionally deliver your brand promise. You want to make sure you not only meet, but exceed expectations. Map your customer journey, starting with the very first interaction, and make sure every touchpoint delivers an experience that aligns with your brand promise.

Pro tip: Aim to wow your customers!

8. Let Your Customers Speak for You

Capturing and utilizing the voice of your clients is critical to help you build trust with potential customers. When someone has no reason to recommend you other than a good experience, it carries enormous weight. Testimonials are one of your most powerful assets and an extremely effective way to help maximize your marketing budget.

Pro tip: Capture customer testimonials in video format!