If you’re going to grow your brand and increase your business (and let’s face it—who doesn’t want that?), then you need to have a serious conversation with yourself right from the start. You have to decide exactly what your brand stands for and what you most want to communicate to your clients and customers. When building a brand, many small businesses start with colors and logos and fonts. Those are all important but that’s not where brand building begins. It begins at figuring out and putting words to your purpose.
Why does your brand exist in the first place? It’s the most important question for any business. In order to appeal to your ideal client, you have to stand for more than just making money. Your brand is more than a mission statement. It is the backbone of your organization, the building blocks of your corporate goals, and the number one reason for any person or company to do business with you.
Exactly how do you figure out what your brand stands for? Well, here are some places to start when it comes to discovering the ‘why’ of your brand.
What Makes a Good Brand Story
Your company’s brand story is what’s going to connect you directly to your customers. A compelling brand story will help you engage with your audience. Through brand storytelling, you can leave a lasting influence on your customers. Use brand story writing to connect with your customer’s emotions. Here are a few tips:
- Consider why you started your business in the first place. What was the challenge or circumstance that pushed you to get started?
- Summarize why the company exists. How does your offerings change the lives of your customers? What makes your offerings and your business meaningful to yourself – and your customer?
- Write an emotionally compelling story. Review what you’ve written down and find your storyline that speaks to why you are in business and the transformation you provide to your customers.
Purpose
Right now, we live in a time of amazing social consciousness. More and more people are becoming actively involved in social causes and politics. You don’t necessarily have to take a stand on some of the more controversial, polarizing issues of the day. However, people like to see a business that has a vision and a desire to contribute in some way locally or on a larger scale. This makes them more apt to support your brand if they share some of same goals and beliefs. Find a cause that aligns with your business values and make that part of your business mission.
Direction
There are different ways to define your brand. Who is this definition for? Are you trying to define your brand so your employees know what you are all collectively working towards? Or is the definition more for your customer base so that they know exactly what you stand for? What about your vendors – do you have a brand positioning statement for them as well? Every single touchpoint where a person comes into contact with your brand sends a message. Have you spent time molding that message for the appropriate audience?
Research
The other thing you can do to define your brand is to talk to those who may know you best—your loyal customers. If you survey your regular customers and ask them point blank what they think your strengths and weaknesses are, then you should be prepared for some honest answers. But what better way to define your brand than by asking those you are serving why they choose you and how you can strengthen and expand that bond? That way, you can objectively decide what separates you from your strongest competitors and how you can make your brand’s stance an authentic one that will appeal to your customers more.
Development
Finally, you want to take this information to craft your message to your customers. Exactly what is the core message that you want your brand to convey? When your customers say your name, what image do you want your customers to conjure up in their mind? That’s the image of the company that you want to promote. And the best way to position your company as superior to that of your competitors is with personal service.
Making a Statement
Can I let you in on a secret? It’s not about your prices. By crafting a compelling brand story, you are proving the value your business offers. Value is not bound by price. The value you offer moves your customers from a challenge to a transformed life. Capturing that essence is the reason your brand story exists.
Giving your brand a purpose and a goal will make you stand out when compared to your competition, regardless of price. It will draw your ideal clients to your programs or offerings because it speaks to them in a language they both understand and appreciate. This is what a great brand does for business.
Our goal at Blue Zenith is to create branded web experiences that align our client’s business and branding with their online digital brand persona. Find out more about how we will support your branding efforts by visiting our website: Bluezenith.com