Do you have a favorite lunch spot? Maybe a cafe that once made a great impression on you? If so, that’s the power of branding at work.
Your brand image is often the difference between having a lifelong relationship with loyal customers and never being discovered at all.
But, building an amazing brand doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to figure out how to reach your audience in the most effective way possible. By following these simple (but often ignored) steps, you’ll develop a better understanding of what your customers want and how to exceed their expectations.
1. Focus on storytelling, not product features
Without a good brand story, your product holds no inherent or emotional value for your customers. As author and story coach Lisa Cron tells us, humans are hardwired to respond to stories. When a brand makes a deep impression on us, it impacts our buying behaviour. A 2013 Psychology Today piece showed that, when evaluating multiple brands, “Consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features and facts).”
It’s about building a human connection with your customer, not touting the bells and whistles of your product.
Keep in mind that a good story needs to be backed up by an excellent product. Even the most talented creatives can’t change the perception of a poor product.
2. Don’t try to be something you’re not
In order to last the test of time, your brand message needs to be true to who you are as a company. Don’t get hung up on what’s cool or trending now. Instead, focus on how you solve a real and enduring problem for your customer. Some of the most ‘uncool’ products have the strongest brands. Think about online accounting software Freshbooks, major appliance company General Electric or toilet paper…