Can you tell me about your brand?
Drew McLellan is the owner of McLellan Marketing Group
At McLellan Marketing Group, we often get to help new companies create their brand and existing companies discover their brand. That may sound ridiculous -- surely a company should understand it's own brand, right?
Many companies can't articulate how their company is different from their competitors. They talk about product features or unique service offerings but they never dig down deep enough to truly identify how or why they are different in a way that matters to their customers.
Your brand isn't about what you do or sell. It's about why your company exists and how the world would be a different place if it didn't.
Let's say you sell a widget that helps me use a GPS locator to find my pet if he/she ever got lost. You don't sell the widget. You sell peace of mind. You sell furry families. You sell protection of one of the most coveted bonds on this planet -- a person and their beloved pet.
Why do you make that widget? Maybe you're a huge dog lover and you've experienced the heartbreak of having a dog get loose and never knowing what happened to him. You don't want some other kid to ever go to bed crying like you did.
That's your why.
That's the essence of your brand… and it has nothing to do with GPS technology or the fact that I can buy your widget in pink, blue or chartreuse. And before you say it -- yes, this applies as much (if not more) to B2B companies.
Wondering what your brand is all about? Try answering these questions - but the answer can never be the product or service you sell.
- Beyond profitability, what is the mission of your company?
- If your company were to leave a legacy, what would it be?
- How does your organization make the world a better place?
- If firm disappeared tomorrow, what would be missed most of all?
- What is the single most-important aspect of your company?
- With regard to your organization, what do you feel passionate about?
- What business is your company in?
- What business is your company not in?
- Which three adjectives best describe your organization?
- Who (customer) would love your company the most?
- How do you prioritize your customers? If you had to allocate 100 points between the different customers segments or types (in terms of importance), how would you do so?
- What customer need does your product/service fulfill? Why does your target customer need or want you sell?
- What emotion(s) do you most closely associate with your product or service?
- How will your organization change your industry?
- How will your company change the world?
And some fun ones to really get you thinking differently:
- If your company was a shape, what would it be?
- If your organization was a texture, what would it be?
- If your firm was a mood or feeling, what would it be?
- If company was something from nature, what would it be?
Don't be one of those companies that doesn't have any idea how to answer these questions, or worse -- doesn't understand why you should bother. In a world where everyone has competition and it's so easy to become a commodity -- don't underestimate the power of understanding your brand and beginning to explore how you can bring that brand to life for your customers.