Building a brand is not as simple as one might believe anymore, nowadays brands come with a promise. Though many people believe that a brand is a pretty logo and some nice graphics the truth is that a brand is way more than that. A brand is defined by the message it wants to pass on to it’s customers and the strategy it follows in order to achieve that. Although there are many factors that have a role when it comes to what makes a company successful a brand promise is the most important and solid aspect of a business leading entrepreneurs and business owners to focus more on it.
The best brands in the world have a hidden message and that justifies that they stand for something. Only when your brand stands for something you can persuade your customers that you are different and convince them to buy from you instead of one of your competitors adding value to your business. Standing for something in other words means that you have made a promise to your customers and you are willing to fulfil it. In order to do that you must make clear and solid decisions about what you deliver and what not. The best way to achieve that is by creating the right strategy.
Once you have created the right strategy and you have all your priorities in order you are ready to communicate to your customers why they should choose your product or service over your competitors and when that happens then is when you will be ready to truly stand behind your promise. So how can a brand create such a strategy? And what does it take for a company to develop a brand promise? Here are a few tips that can help you answer these questions and set your brand on the path to success.
Identify your Ideal Customer
The first thing you have to do in order to start developing your brand promise is to identify your ideal customer. Once you have figured out the profile of the ideal customer for your company you have a solid understanding of who you should ideally be targeting and where you should be heading. In order to do that you should try analysing the data of your existing customers and find the optimal solution or even start testing target groups that you believe could be interested in your brand one by one.
Focus on What Makes You Stand Out
As we previously said, what differentiates brands and adds value to their products and services is that brands know what they can do and what the cannot do. Start by focusing on what you want your company to be known for and what you want your products and services to be remembered for. Once you have done that you are ready to define your choices and your limits and you will have a more clear image of your brand.
Eliminate the Barriers
Try to understand why customers hesitate to buy from your brand. There are always multiple barriers between customers and brands and once you have defined your ideal customer and the elements of your brand that make it stand out, it is time to identify and eliminate those barriers too. This will help you see your brand from a customer perspective while also knowing your limits, and if put to work in the right way can lead to growth.
Make the Promise
Finally once you have completed all three previous steps it is time to develop your brand promise. A brand promise is about making clear to your ideal customers what you can guarantee to them in comparison with other brands and why it is in their best interest to buy from you instead of someone else.
