Latest numbers show that 95 million Instagram pictures and videos are being shared every day. That is why, it is definitely no easy feat for a brand – amongst everything – to stand out.
Hence, creating a strong and differentiated brand is critical especially in today’s fragmented and noisy world.
Here are three things to consider as you build your brand:
#1. Know thy customers.
It is critical to know your customers inside-out. What is your customer’s behavior? What is his / her mindset? Why do they buy your brand? What ticks him / her?
Only when you have deep knowledge of who your customers, would you be able to create the right product and churn out the appropriate message using the most relevant channel.
When I was working on Dove, the brand was very clear on who the Dove woman is – someone who is comfortable with herself and wants a product that takes care of her skin. Hence, we would never churn out communication that makes her doubt herself. Instead, every piece of work we created has always been about self-love and empowerment.
And every piece of product is always on-point with what the customer need – a product that nourishes, and does not alter, her skin. Hence, you would never find a whitening or tanning product from Dove.
The brand knows too well that the Dove woman is all about celebrating her own beauty.
#2. Tell a great (brand) story.
If I read someone’s biodata, I may remember certain things right after but ask me again tomorrow and for sure, I would even forget the person’s name. However, if someone engagingly tells me how he survived the most tragic moment of his life, most likely I would remember…and would even share it with others.
That is the power of a great story!
And we always see the world’s favorite brands tell great stories to engage with their audience. Lego, for example, champions stories of kids tapping into their creativity and ultimately, bringing the values they learn from building Lego’s into their adult life. We have also seen through the years happy stories of people sharing bottles of Coke. And how Apple has questioned the status quo by thinking differently – with its Macbook, iPod and iPhone.
Especially with all the noise nowadays, crafting a powerful brand story becomes more essential not only to stand out in the clutter but to, ultimately, engage, connect and win the audience.
#3. Live for a purpose beyond profit.
A lot of times, businesses just focus on selling their product, service or technology. But in a world where anyone can easily copy what you do and even create a better alternative, it becomes more critical to think about and hone your brand’s purpose.
Purpose. This has become some sort of a buzz word today but if we look at some of the world’s most successful brands, they are where they are because they stand for something bigger other than their product or technology – they have a solid brand purpose that they have been focusing on through the years.
Nike, for example, has been all about bringing inspiration to everyone to find their own greatness. Encouraging even the regular guy to embrace the “just do it” spirit, we have seen Nike champion a purpose that goes beyond just selling shoes and apparels. And the customers perceive that. When we buy Nike, we do have this feeling that we are buying more than just a pair of sneakers.
These three points are crucial in your strategic brand-building efforts, which are becoming more important especially in this day and age.
Having been helping build brands for the past 16 years, I always say – if back in the day, the challenge was to reach 1 million people, today’s biggest challenge is how to ensure that a message – and a brand – would stick in customers’ minds.
How are you building your brand?
