Helping companies build or redefine a brand has always been my favorite part of marketing. It’s equal parts art and science and requires an honest understanding of your business’s strengths, weaknesses and greatest opportunities.
However, far too often companies attempt to create a brand that’s aspirational, rather than authentic. They look at successful competitors and think, “We want to be like that!” Or their leadership team assembles in a room to brainstorm about branding—without asking questions of the people who deliver and experience the service.
When that’s the case, a brand is based merely on personal opinions instead of being rooted in what research shows will resonate with your target customers. Although there’s no problem with aiming high and dreaming about who you’d like the company to be someday, your brand must reflect who you are today and what your business uniquely delivers to the people it serves. Because brands that are inconsistent with customers’ experience can never build equity, and if you communicate a value that your company can’t fulfill, you’ll find that customers will reshape the narrative for you—and you might not like what they have to say.
Here are three ways to build a brand that has staying power.
Look in the mirror. Building a brand based on reality requires a level of self-awareness that makes many companies uncomfortable. It’s critical that leadership teams be honest about what the business does best, where it needs to improve, its culture and core purpose. However, employees at all levels of the company have valuable insights to share. Conduct an anonymous survey. Have an objective third-party interview team members one-on-one. The goal is to gather an accurate assessment of who the company is, so you can deliver upon what your brand promises to customers.
Look at the marketplace. It’s helpful to assess competitors as part of the branding process, but not so you can emulate them. Rather, you must know what you’re selling against to differentiate yourself from other brands customers might choose. It’s necessary to understand not only what your competitors sell but also how they sell it. Audit their websites and social media platforms. Analyze their marketing campaigns, media coverage and key messages. Summarize their brands into two or three sentences and make sure you aren’t trying to occupy a position they already own.
Ask the people you serve. This is the step so many companies miss. If you want to build a brand that resonates with your target customers, you must understand their wants and needs. Don’t just guess what those are; ask them! Talk with the customers who already use your product or service. Why did they choose to hire you? What benefits do they experience from your product? Have them describe your team, your process and what makes you different from similar companies. External perspective is essential to validate what you think you know.
Brands with staying power are built from an accurate picture of who they are, what they do better than anyone else and what clients experience from working with them. If your brand aspires to be anything, let it aspire to be authentic.