Starting a business presents a unique set of problems, but branding that company in a way that appeals to the masses oftentimes presents an even bigger and more challenging proposition.
初期建立一家公司意味著會出現(xiàn)一系列問題，不過推廣公司品牌在某種程度上時常能夠吸引廣大消費者，這也意味著公司將會面臨更大的挑戰(zhàn)。

While branding is often associated with large corporations and pricey advertising agencies, the truth is that companies of all sizes have a brand and can benefit from telling their story.
通常推廣公司品牌都會與大型機構還有費用高昂的廣告公司相聯(lián)系，實際上，任何規(guī)模的公司都具有自己的品牌并且能夠從推廣其理念中獲益。


Businesses of any size can strengthen their relationships with customers by following the six steps listed below:
任何規(guī)模的商業(yè)機構都能夠加強與客戶之間的聯(lián)系，以下的6步就能幫助你：

Step One: Collect the Back Story:
第一步：了解公司背景。

Successful brand stories must start by gathering relevant information, which includes an assessment of the brand's culture and the problems and opportunities it faces with competition in the marketplace.
成功的品牌故事都必須從收集相關信息開始，其中包括該品牌的文化和面臨的挑戰(zhàn)，以及在市場中競爭的機遇。

Step Two: Characterize the Brand:
第二步：品牌個性化。

Once some information is collected about the brand, a more detailed explanation and understanding of the brand's values and beliefs is needed to further shape the brand story. By doing this, it can set up guardrails on a brand that will help it stay focused on strengths and avoid weaknesses.
當所需的信息收集得差不多了，接下來就要把品牌故事再深入擴展，可以通過對其公司價值和信念作詳細的分析和了解。通過這種方法，就能夠建立品牌有效屏障，幫助公司揚長避短。

Step Three: Characterize the Prospect:
第三步：描繪前景。

With background information collected, the next logical step is to identify potential needs that the brand can appeal to with potential customers.
當所需的背景信息都已收集，下一步就要清楚潛在需求，由此滿足潛在客戶的需求。

Step Four: Connect the Characters:
第四步：角色聯(lián)系。

Creating a strong brand story that appeals to potential customers is not of much use unless that story can be connected to prospective customers. The hope with creating a strong brand story is to build a relationship that is based strongly on values and beliefs.
塑造出一個強有力的品牌故事，能夠吸引許多潛在的客戶，但這并不是一件簡單的事情，這個故事必須與目標客戶相聯(lián)系。塑造強有力的品牌故事的希望必須建立在價值觀和信念的基礎上，這樣才能與客戶打好關系。

Step Five: Confront the Obstacles:
第五步：直面困難。

There are four significant challenges that affect the development of the brand story. These challenges include awareness, comprehension, confidence and affinity and need to be addressed in order to fully connect with customers.
對于品牌故事的塑造，有四個主要因素能夠決定其成敗。它們分別是品牌意識，品牌解讀，品牌自信和品牌親和力，并且這些因素需要充分地運用到與客戶的聯(lián)系當中。

Step Six: Complete the Story Brief:
第六步：故事的完整性。

The last step in this process involves connecting the inner layer and outer layers. Outer layers include the function of the brand and what customers desire, while inner layers include what both parties subscribe to.
塑造品牌故事的最后一步包括內部因素和外部因素。外部因素包括品牌的功能和顧客的需求，而內部則需要雙方的支持。

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