To grow a thriving business, we need to be seen, heard and trusted by the right customers. If you have been in business for more than a minute you know what a challenge this can be.
As small business owners with tight budgets organic marketing efforts are our best option, but how do we cut through the noise and build a strategic brand experience that is seen, heard, and trusted?
That is what we are talking about in our Brand Boost Challenge today! Let’s dive in.
Clarify Your Foundation
Building a strategic brand experience requires a shift from simply marketing your products and services to clarifying your foundation.
Your brand foundation is all about the “why” behind your business and the audience you serve. Beyond making money, what are the core values that guide your business behaviors? Are you all about sustainability, innovation, or healthy lifestyles?
Another building block of your foundation is the customer you serve. Understanding who they are, what their needs and pain points are, you are able to speak directly to them. When you speak to them, they inevitably will listen.
Brand Boost Challenge:
Get clarity on your foundation. Define why your brand exists. Consider what inspired you to start your business. Then identify 3 to 6 beliefs or principles that guide your decisions. Make sure that they are authentic and true. There is nothing that causes mistrust faster than saying you do something that you don’t.
These will become the connectors for your customers. And, they will be a big part of your customer overall strategic customer experience.
Understand Your Fit
Knowing where you fit in your market is key to speaking to your audience and the growth of your business. Positioning is how people perceive your product in comparison to the same or similar products. Product positioning isn’t just about the physical differences of one product verses another. It is about highlighting the unique features or benefits of your product or services from others in the market.
To do this, you need to understand who and what your product(s) are competing against. Then, you can make some comparisons and differentiate.
Brand Boost Challenge:
Understand your fit in the market. One paper make a list of competitors. You are going to want to think of your direct competitors, the category you are in, substitutions, and indirect competitors. This will give you a complete picture of your market. For instance, while other brand identity designers are direct competitors to Jami Thornsberry Designs, sites like Fivver and Upwork are also in the logo category. Sites like Etsy and Canva are also substitutes while Free logo makers are indirect competitors.
As you can see, that broadens the market for my business and helps me to see the full picture of where my clients could turn for the brand needs.
Build Your Frame
Your brand frame is the way you need to show up so that your customers will recognize you, trust you, and eventually become loyal advocates for you. It is a strategic and long-term plan that goes beyond just your logo.
The brand frame is your identity. It includes your visual elements, your voice, messaging, your website content, digital presence, packaging, and any other touchpoint your customers will encounter. When you build the frame for how you want to show up, you have a system that keeps your content cohesive creating a strategic and effective customer experience.
Brand Boost Challenge:
Now it is time to put it all together. From your foundation to your fit, work out a message that speaks directly to your audience and is authentic to your business. Write it to match the tone you want to convey to your audience. That could be friendly and helpful or authoritative and informative.
Then, get some ideas on visuals including logo inspiration, typography, colors, photos, icons, illustrations that match your tone, audience, and the perception you want to build. Having a document or Pinterest inspiration board is very helpful when you go to work with a brand identity designer.
So, there you have it. Focusing on clarifying your foundation, understanding your fit, and defining your frame helps you build a strategic customer experience. Give it a go, and let me know how you fair. I would love to hear from you.
If you aren’t sure where to start or just want a guide through the strategy process, begin with my Business to Brand Workbook. The workbook will walk you through three foundational steps to a strategic brand experience. It includes an AI prompt to help you define your competitive market. You can grab the freebie
