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by Debra
S. Valle
Fuel for your business
Everybody seems to be on the
“Brand YOU” bandwagon these days — and with good reason. Many convincing
arguments have been made to support personal branding as both a pragmatic and commercial idea.
Business guru Tom Peters says, “Survivors (in the marketplace) will market themselves
like a product…and think like a brand, exhibiting a clear-cut distinction at…something.”
Branding is more than a one-way conversation
In an attempt to create distinction, many solo-prenuers have jumped on the
“Brand YOU” bandwagon in full regalia, taking the “live your passion, be your values” to the extreme.
They have allowed their personal brand to become a cacophony of personal passions, idiosyncrasies, lifestyle choices
and cause-related issues cast alongside a laundry list of services, credentials and business associations. My experience
of these brand efforts is like watching “floats” passing by in the Rose Bowl parade: big, colorful attractions that are
fun to watch, a marvel to behold, but with no point of access for a customer to participate. The result is a monologue of
sorts, a one-way conversation.
Scott Bedbury, who helped brand Nike and Starbucks says, “A great brand taps into emotions…A brand creates a
powerful connecting experience. It's an emotional connection-point that transcends the product…A great brand tells
a story and creates the emotional context people need to locate themselves in a larger experience.”
What is “brand?”
Your brand is no more than the tapestry of feelings, words, associations and images that your customers hold in their
“minds-eye” when they think of you. Because the most obvious goal of your brand is to attract your customers'
attention, it is imperative that you understand the words, thoughts and images that most capture their minds,
their hearts and their imaginations. If your brand efforts don't touch people at an emotional level, your power
to attract is diminished.
Branding is an emotional bridge
The first job of branding is to craft an emotional bridge between your company and the customers you serve. Let's face it,
at the end of the day your customers care less about what associations you belong to; they care more about what's in it
for them. They want to be assured that your company “gets it,” that you understand their pain, their fears, their
aspirations and their longing — and that you have the experience and
the ability to meet their needs. When you craft
your brand story you must hold both sides of the equation and speak from that special place of overlap between
your
“gifts, passions and values” and their “desires.”
Everything your company does contributes to the brand-building process and the long-term success of your brand.
Marketing doesn't sit outside of, or in isolation from, your company's products, service, passions and values, nor
should it sit far from your customers’ dreams. By including your customers as an integral part of your brand story
you create a more complete and compelling message for your business. Think of your brand as the bridge to your
customers’ hearts, and as the glue that holds all of your marketing efforts together.
For more on how to put these ideas to work for you, check out
Fuel cells.
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Fuel cells
Create a portrait of your ideal client
This exercise is designed to help you the find the
spirit of your target audience by identifying common characteristics shared by
a broader audience for your brand. When completed, you will have a singular portrait that reveals a natural grouping of consumers bound by a common
set of values, singular outlook, attitude, and aspirations.
Step 1
Identify six to eight “raving fans.” These people should be clients/colleagues with whom you love to work.
Step 2
Create a simple table, placing the name of each of your favorite clients across the top as column
headings, with the following 11 questions to the left on the vertical axis as row labels. This
approach will make it easier for you to identify common themes.
Thinking of your business or brand…
- What did/do they say they want (what words did they use when they first purchased your product or
service)?
- What is their ultimate objective?
- What are the obstacles standing in the way of their success?
- How would you describe their attitudes about life or business?
- How would you describe their personality or temperament? What color best describes them?
- What two or three things do they most fear could happen?
- What do they “mutter” under their breath relative to
the situation?
- If you could see through their eyes, what is their point of view
(calm, peaceful, chaotic)?
- If you could feel through their heart, what would be their
greatest desire?
- They trust and have entrusted you. Name how you fulfill that trust.
- What role does your business play in their lives?
Step 3
Now answer each of these questions for each of your raving fans as best as you can.
If you don’t feel you can easily answer a particular question, then skip it.
Step 4
Review your responses and name at least three key themes that seem to weave
among your favorite clients.
Step 5
In 10 words or less create a portrait of your favorite client. Ideally your
brand story should speak to this person — your ideal client!
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Fuel for your soul
Consider these words of wisdom:
“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please
everybody.”
— Bill Cosby
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
— Albert Einstein
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you
are doing, you will be successful.”
— Herman Cain
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the
eye.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“The consumer is not an idiot, she's your wife.”
— David Ogilvy
“I heard another one: She' not an idiot, she's your boss!”
— David Lubars, BBDO West
“If you say it with a degee of sincerity and honesty and with great love of the
craft, it will come through.”
— John McNeil, Art Director at Ogilvy and Mather
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