Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to build a brand?
You’re not the only one. It’s a challenge for most business owners. But it’s incredibly important.
Why? Because it’s almost impossible to grow an influential business without building and maintaining a strong brand.
Some people will tell you that having a successful brand is all about having a unique selling proposition — something you can offer that nobody else can. I’m not sure I agree. Yes, having a unique selling proposition is important, but there’s more to it.
When you look at anyone who has a magnetic brand, there are a few things that stand out. It’s not just about what they offer, it’s who they are. It’s what they stand for.
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably spent tons of time reading blog posts, watching videos, listening to marketing podcasts and praying for a larger audience. You’re doing everything you can to learn how to build a brand.
Look, I totally get it. I’m with you.
Of course, having a successful brand is easier said than done, isn’t it? But it can be done. There are tons of entrepreneurs who have learned how to build a brand. You can do the same!
In this article, I’m going to outline seven different traits that your brand needs to have. Any major brand has at least most of the traits listed in this article. If you start adopting these traits you will discover how much your influence will grow over time.
Let’s take a look…
How to Build a Brand
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” - Simon Sinek
1. It’s About Purpose
What do people look for when they want to connect with a company’s story? They’re looking for purpose. On a deeper, subconscious level, people want to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. They may not be aware of it, but prospects are looking for something more than just buying a product or service. They want to feel as if they are a part of something more.
This is arguably the most important component of a successful brand.
Think about it.
Why do people get coffee at Starbucks? They can get coffee anywhere, right? They go to Starbucks because it offers an experience and an atmosphere that is unique to them. No other coffee shop can offer an experience like Starbucks can.
What about Chipotle? Yes, they make great burritos, but they are more than just a restaurant. They believe in a cause. Check out their “Food with Integrity” movement. They get their food from local farms in order to provide a healthier, more humane way to feed their customers.
Or what about Dove soap? They don’t just sell soap. They help women feel better about themselves. They have created a movement designed to improve the self esteem of women around the world.
It’s your purpose that will help you stand out from your competition. While the others are just focused on turning a profit, you’re trying to make an impact beyond just making money. People love this.
Your brand’s purpose needs to be expressed whenever and wherever you can express it. For example, if you are a coffee shop that focuses on using only sustainable ingredients, you might use social media to share content that educates readers on the importance of sustainable ingredients. You might print facts about the rainforest on your cups. This way, they can connect with you and become more passionate about buying from you. Your brand can, in a small way, become part of their identity.
The best way to build a brand that attracts an engaged audience is to communicate a purpose that transcends your product or service.
2. Become More Agile
A strong brand is agile. You need to build a brand that is able to adapt to the ever-changing world.
Your brand needs to be able to change with the times. Your brand needs to be able to keep up with the evolution of the culture. When people’s tastes change, you need to be able to change with them. There are many companies that have successfully rebranded.
Of course, rebranding is something that you must do carefully. Don’t rebrand in a way that hurts your business. This is a mistake that Coca Cola made. Don’t repeat it!
3. Dare to be Different
Again, in most fields, you won’t be the only one offering your products or services. You need to be able to stand out from the crowd. Take Apple, for example. Apple consistently makes big money in the saturated electronics field simply because they are able to brand their company in a way that makes them unique.
Just like Apple, you want to identify your ideal customer and build the brand around them. You want to pursue a mission that they can get behind and even create a community that they can feel like they’re a part of.
However, it’s important to remember that you can’t be everything to everyone; sometimes you will have to carve out a micro-niche and serve a very specific sector of the customer-base. Yes, you will have a smaller pool of prospects this way, but your customers will be unusually loyal, and they will seek you out without your having to draw them in, since they will know that you’re the only one who can provide what they’re looking for.
4. Don’t be a Flip-Flopper
What’s one of the most common criticisms of politicians? Other than being unscrupulous liars, of course!
Think about the last political rant you heard on TV against a specific politician. Chances are, much of the criticism aimed their way was about how they were “wishy-washy.” When a politician isn’t consistent in their stated positions, people lose their confidence in them.
Nobody likes a flip-flopper, right?
People hate it when other people are inconsistent and unpredictable, when they say one thing, then change their minds and say another. It causes them to lose trust.
The same is true with your brand. If you don’t stick to one main idea, people will lose the feeling of trust and consistency that they associate with your brand very quickly. You want to stand for something, and keep that image without faltering.
In addition, be sure that your company “walks the talk” and that your actions are in line with your stated goals. Don’t pay lip service to environmental causes, and then have your CEO fly around in a private jet, for example — that sort of hypocrisy goes viral very quickly.
A good example of a company who manages a very consistent image is Zappos. Their core mission is to produce happiness, and this reflects very clearly in the way they treat their customers and employees. Their customer service is known to be some of the best in the business, and this is why they have so many repeat customers.
Earlier in this post, I talked about how important it is to be agile. However, being agile doesn’t just mean changing whenever you feel you need to.
If you’re going to change, make sure it’s a calculated change that will benefit your organization. If you don’t need to change, then don’t! Instead, find new ways to make your current brand more attractive.
5. Once Upon a Time…
Everyone loves a good story, right? Stories grab our attention and capture our imaginations. They give concrete ways to visualize the message that is being communicated.
In order to make your brand more human, you need to embrace storytelling. Storytelling will make you more relatable to your audience. Your prospective customers want to feel an emotional connection to a brand. When you tell stories, you are able to appeal to emotion in a way that makes you irresistible.
Check out this video that Google created:
See what I mean? It’s okay to admit that you cried a little bit after watching it. I won’t tell anyone, I promise!
It’s stories like these that make brands memorable. The more you use stories like these, the more you will stand out from your competition.
Here’s some other great examples of brand storytelling if you want to check them out!
6. Keep It Simple
When you’re crafting your brand message, you want to make it as simple as possible. Sometimes, simplicity can be quite powerful.
Take Nike, for example. The entire meaning of their brand — the idea of pushing beyond one’s limits and breaking through despite the odds — is summarized easily in three words: Just do it.
This is simplicity at its finest. And it’s insanely effective.
Now, I’m not saying that you have to use a three-word slogan to brand your business. What I’m saying is that when it comes to communicating a message, you need to keep it as simple as possible. You don’t want your audience to have to work hard to understand what you’re trying to say, do you?
When people see your logo, or the name of your business, you want them to be able to easily understand what you’re about. If your brand is too hard to figure out, your potential customers will move on without wanting to learn more. Of course, that’s that opposite of what you want, right?
Take a look at your brand. Are there ways you can communicate your message more simply? Can you sum up what your business does in one sentence?
I can, but it took me awhile to really discover what I wanted my blog to stand for. The purpose of my blog and my business is simple: I want to help entrepreneurs grow their business by helping them become better influencers. Pretty easy, right?
7. Engage!
“To build a long-term, successful enterprise, when you don’t close a sale, open a relationship.” - Patricia Fripp
Part of getting the attention of your customers these days is to make your marketing strategies engaging and interactive. People want to connect and influence the evolution of your brand; they don’t want to be talked at and overtly sold to. This means you need to take the time to form a relationship with your audience.
There are several ways you can do this. Here’s some tips:
- Use social media to interact with your audience online.
- Create surveys that will allow your audience to give you feedback.
- Write high-quality content that teaches your audience how to achieve their goals.
- Call your current customers just to “check in.”
- Use email marketing to interact with people who have signed up for your email list.
Doing these things will help your company seem more “real,” and less like some robotic corporation.
Conclusion
These are just a few traits of some of the more successful brands, and the main overall idea to keep in mind is that people just want to be able to relate to a company before they buy. They want to see a bit of themselves in your brand, so make sure to show them that. Allow your brand to become part of their routine and their identity, and you may just have a customer for life.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it!
Leave A Response