If a brand is the promise of value that you will receive when you interact with that brand – you need to look for ways to turn your business into a brand.
This means focusing on ‘why’ you’re in business and not on what you do or how you do it. Here’s the thing, people don’t buy brands based on logical reasons. It has been clinically proven that the decision to buy happens in the part of the brain that’s governed by the emotional state, not the rational one. This means that in order to appeal to your customers, you need to appeal to their emotions first.
But as business owners, how often do we say this:
- This is my product, a lovely pesto that comes in 6 different variants/flavours. Would you like some?
If the customer doesn’t budge, we could go on to say:
- My pesto is really delicious because it’s made with the freshest basil and pine nuts and only the best olive oil and the tastiest pecorino cheese. It’s nutritious and delicious and has no nasty preservatives. Would you like some?
You might make a sale, you might not. You’ve told the customer what you do and how you do it. You’ve given them the features and the benefits. What you haven’t told them is why you do it.
Now if the same pesto maker were to say:
- I believe in soul business. I believe in creating a business where everything is respected on the journey from the farm to the fork; the people, the environment and the income it generates. But most of all I believe in nourishing and comforting and delighting people through food. I happen to make pesto. Would you like some?
What you’re doing is telling the story rather than selling the product. What you’re doing is creating a brand.
Creating a true brand requires constant, thoughtful work. True branding is a blend of art and science. Branding should always be approached first from the science perspective. If you fundamentally understand your business, your marketplace, your competitors and your goals, you can create or refresh a brand in a way that’s relevant and beneficial. Time invested in this will pay back in spades.
And only then can the art begin; the naming, design and personality of the business.
Ask yourself:
- What is your promise to your customer?
- What pain do you remove?
- What pleasure do you create?
- What do you do that adds remarkable, distinctive value?
- What is the soul of your brand?
- Who is most likely to buy from you?
- Where else could they be spending their money?
Answering these questions will help your customers recognise your brand as the one most appropriate to meet their needs, and help you understand why you’re in business.
Image: theevolutionofeducation.blogspot.com
