Finding Your Brand’s Sweet Spot

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to transform a hobby into something profitable. Maybe you want to build an empire. Or maybe you want to help the world by creating a meaningful impact in society. Whatever your brand’s start is, the way you’re perceived by the public can make all the difference.

Now, what’s a brand?

To put it simply, it’s your company’s identifier. It’s the way you want to be remembered. It’s your company’s face, voice, and personality. Let’s take Jimmy John’s, for example. What comes to mind when you think of their company? Freaky fast delivery is an integral part of their messaging. Simple ingredients. Maybe even the black and red coloring of their logo. These are all pieces to their brand and are strategic ways they built their company so that they stand apart from the hundreds of other national sandwich franchises.

You know your brand better than anyone, so spend some time thinking about who you are and the impact you want your company to have, and then craft a brand positioning statement. This is the place to start putting your idea to paper. A brand positioning statement marries together a mission statement (what your company does and how it does it) with a vision statement (why you do what you do) and a target market (who are your customers?) Here’s Apple’s:

“Apple provides cutting edge technology for tech-savvy consumers who want the top of the line laptops, computers, and mobile devices. Apple promotes inclusion and accessibility for all and takes responsibility for its employees in addition to committing itself to sourcing the highest quality materials and products.”

Don’t worry about sounding “business-like” or formal. Sound like you.

What are your differentiators?

The key to a strong brand is understanding what makes you, you. How are you different than your competitors? If your business differentiators are pretty common (“we offer quality products”; “we are experts in our trade,” etc.) then consider unique ways to say the same thing. This is when a marketing expert can help.

Finding your unique voice and then using that tone in all of your marketing collateral will create brand consistency so that you don’t have to backtrack in the future. When you know who your audience is, it makes it easier to pinpoint how you want to speak to them. One of my favorite questions to ask clients is, “What is your preferred tone for your audience?” And then I give them some examples. Do you want your company communicating to your audience in a playful, punny tone? Or perhaps formal but conversational? Or friendly and assertive?

It’s also important to perform some competitor analysis during this time to be educated on who is operating in your space. Some questions to ask yourself are: who are my biggest local and national competitors? What do I like about their brands? What don’t I like? How is my brand different than theirs? If someone came up to you and asked you, “Can you tell me in 15 seconds what your company is all about?” and you answer efficiently and confidently? Well, mission accomplished.

Once you find the sweet spot.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “OK, Agatha. I’m there. I understand my brand, I have a brand positioning statement, I’ve been following my competitors for years, but none of that is bringing me in business”… well, I hear you loud and clear. An understanding of your brand doesn’t necessarily translate into ROI. But may I congratulate you on taking care of the hard part and building a strong foundation for your business? Now comes the fun part… what methodology do you want to use in order to get your messaging out there?

As a seasoned marketer who has seen my fair share of successes, mishaps, and all of the in-betweens, my biggest recommendation is this: build a strong marketing strategy and then find a way to leverage several different marketing tactics so that your marketing pie, so to speak, is complete. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Select at least three different marketing activities (for example: social media, PPC, and radio ads), and do them well.

Now, get out there and do the damn thing. If you’re not ready to do the damn thing and need someone like me to help you, I’m here to brainstorm, strategize, execute, and eventually ignite that ROI flame.