If you want to stand out from your competition, you need to find your brand’s purpose.
The advent of social media and content marketing has made it easy to disseminate your company’s message to the masses. Whether you’re an established organization or a fledgling entrepreneurial enterprise, the internet has given you a platform that you can use to build your brand and attract more followers.
Because of this, certain challenges have presented themselves. Since anyone can create and distribute a message, how do you make your product or service stand out amidst all the other companies that are vying for your audience’s attention? How do you build a brand that connects with the people you want to reach?
That’s what this post is about.
How to Find your Brand’s Purpose
According to Mark Di Somma, in his article for Branding Strategy Insider, it’s no longer enough to focus solely on selling a better product or providing a better service. Before, brands relied primarily on their Unique Selling Proposition to attract a larger audience. Having a Unique Selling Proposition is great, but if you’re going to be successful in your branding efforts, you need something more.
Your Beliefs Are Your Brand
Di Somma argues that in order to stand out, your company needs to stand for something. You must embrace a position that your audience can get behind. Nowadays, consumers want to see that the companies they do business with have values that they are able to agree with.
Di Somma also writes:
“Brands need to fashion their products around their viewpoints rather than trying to drive preference around their features.”
This is what he calls a Unique Brand Perspective. A great example of this is Chipotle Mexican Grill. We all know that Chipotle makes great food, but there’s more to them than burritos. They have defined their brand by taking a distinct stance on a specific issue. If you want to find your brand’s purpose, you need to do the same.
Anyone who knows anything about Chipotle knows that their main focus is serving the healthiest food possible. Their “Food with Integrity” slogan expresses their commitment to using only the very best ingredients in their food.
On their website, they offer a whole section dedicated to providing content that educates the reader on the importance of using food that has not been tainted with antibiotics and other potentially harmful chemicals. Not only is this information helpful to the reader, it also gives Chipotle a chance to show consumers what they believe about this issue.
See? They’re not just serving great food, they are also expressing a clear position on an important subject. It’s won them tremendous loyalty from their customers. Instead of focusing mainly on your Unique Selling Proposition, focus on your Unique Brand Perspective.
Personality: Who Are You?
In order to find your brand’s purpose, you need to determine what your brand’s personality is. If your brand is going to attract more followers, it needs to have a personality that is distinct from others. It must be a personality that people can truly relate to and engage with.
In his article for Firepole Marketing, Peter Sandeen suggests that entrepreneurs need to be willing to let their personality show; at least the parts of their personality that are the most attractive. Your personality is absolutely critical to your branding efforts.
In the article, Sandeen writes:
If you don’t choose what people think about you, they’ll draw their own conclusions, which might be less than favorable for you.
It’s better for you to define yourself rather than letting others define you. Allowing your audience to see who you really are is great for your brand.
Sandeen suggests that you use only a few personality traits to define yourself. These should be only traits that are most important to your brand. If your personality is too complicated, people will have trouble understanding exactly who your company is and what it’s about.
Tell Your Story
Your story is essential to the success of your branding efforts. If you don’t have a compelling story, there’s no reason for people to buy into your brand.
Brand storytelling is an important tool that your organization should use to connect with your audience on an emotional level. It’s not enough to appeal to your audience’s logical, rational minds. You must appeal to their emotional, sentimental sensibilities. Your story is the part of your message that gives your audience goose bumps instead of making them come to a logical conclusion.
Create a connection with your audience
Storytelling helps you connect with your audience because it allows them to see your “human” side. It gives your company an actual face. People can’t connect with a corporate entity, but they can connect to an open and honest brand with a rich and emotional story.
It may not be easy at first to come up with a compelling story, but the work that you put into it will pay off. In his book “All Marketers Are Liars,” Seth Godin puts forth the idea that the story you are telling needs to agree with the worldview your audience has.
It’s unlikely that you will be able to tell stories that convert people to your own worldview. Instead, embrace the existing worldview the members of your audience already embrace.
I believe this is why Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Unique Brand Perspective is so effective. In a culture that is growing increasingly health conscious, a story that involves using the healthiest ingredients in their food is perfect.
Conclusion
Your brand is a critical component to the growth of your business. As an entrepreneur, your brand must inform every decision that you make. When you find your brand’s perspective, you will be able to distinguish your company from all others in your industry. If you want to build a strong brand, you must identify your unique brand perspective, inject your personality, and tell a compelling story.
Keep moving forward.
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