In the last blog post, we talked about the difference between Branding and Marketing. You should have answered the questions listed in that post, remember? You do. Awesome! We’ll be going more in-depth in this blog about the fundamentals of your brand. If you don’t know the difference between branding and marketing, be sure to check it out. It’ll warm you up to what’s included in this post. Just click here to read the blog on Branding vs Marketing. It’s a 5-minute read.
Anyway, today I’ll be helping you find and discover your brand as well as your audience. If you’re lost and have no idea where the heck to begin, stick around! And of course, if you already have a brand you’ve been working on, you’ll still find this golden as you can polish what you’re all about and who you stand for if your vision is a bit blurry.
Before anything, you need to take the time to write down and know these concepts. So be sure to have a pen and paper by your side (digital notes will do too.)
Don’t leave it to chance! Let’s discover your brand together. Read on.
Now’s your time to shine with your brand story! Make sure you tell it well and don’t leave any details out. You must build a foundation of communication.
Think of your brand as a person. Write down who they are by describing them. We’ll be diving deeper into how to create your brand’s identity and personality in the next blog post. The purpose now is to get the fundamentals of your brand established and build its skeleton. You must create a crystal clear message about who you are. Pin-point your message on what you do and how you do it.
Ask yourself these questions (and answer them):
Moving on, let’s dig a little deeper.
What’s your brand’s purpose? If you want your brand to attract the right people, you need to know why your brand exists in the first place.
Ask yourself these questions (and answer them):
Once you answer these questions, you can better write why you exist.
Look at Nike’s purpose as an example to help you get the juices flowing:
Nike exists to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Our purpose is to move the world forward through the power of sport – breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all.
Short, sweet, and unique! There’s no doubt in my mind you can create something similar for your brand. Let’s keep going.
If you want your brand to make sense to people, you need to make it crystal clear to them how your product/service can benefit them.
Ask yourself these questions (and answer them):
You must give people a reason to stay. Don’t make it about you, make it about them. Show and tell your customers why they should do business with you. How you will make their life easier, make them feel good about themself, grow or add value to their life?
A heroic brand screams exactly what they do with laser focus. Villainous brands are confusing, vague, and offer no true value.
Ask yourself these questions (and answer them):
The what may sound obvious but often companies can overcomplicate this and make the brand appear confusing. Don’t be one of them. Let’s move on.
Who needs to know? Be very specific about who exactly needs to know your brand exists. Knowing who you’re selling to is the genesis of every brand. It’ll be the paintbrush that’ll color how your brand feels.
Ask yourself these questions (and answer them):
Knowing who you’re selling to is crucial. It’s important to not exclude anyone by accident and speak to them in their language.
The most dangerous thing a brand can do is to be average. If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. Most new brands try to appeal to as many new customers as possible for initial market success. Mass appeal sounds safe but the danger is you’ll blend into a noisy marketplace. If you appear similar to a larger and better-established competitor, your brand will get crushed.
Strong brands have a laser focussed target audience who they specifically drive their marketing and branding towards. Disrupt the marketplace with a fresh and strong message that makes you dramatically different and stand out visually, verbally, and culturally. Bolder and more specific messaging in your branding will attract a specific customer who represents your brand’s ideology. This furthers the reach and influence of your brand.
Stop mimicking what your competition is doing and create your own unique brand that gives the market something new to look at. Don’t be a me-too brand. Build a legitimate brand. Copying another brand will yield very poor results. Let me explain.
Now, naturally, just because a brand works for someone, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. A brand is a large reflection of the people who drive its culture. Blindly copying a brand will place you in danger of having a poor strategy, you may copy what you see but how can you copy what they don’t show you? Keep this in mind.
To summarize, you must know your why, what, who, and how in order to build a heroic brand with laser focus.
Again, here’s what you need to do. Make sure you answer:
Why your brand exists
What you do for people
Who you are and who you do it for
How you do it
By the end of it, you should have statements that answer these questions:
Why do we exist?
Who needs to know?
Why should they care?
What makes us unique?
These statements will serve you as your brand guide. This will be your map. It’ll keep you on track and point you in the right direction on your journey.
Now we’re getting somewhere! Keep your eyes open for the next blog. You’re not gonna want to miss it. Until then...take care, take action,and get to writing!
Remember, BE YOUR OWN BRAND. Don’t settle for average. Be bold.
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