Building an extraordinary brand presence is no easy feat. It takes work - and it also takes a lot of guts. There isn't a company worth mentioning that hasn't gotten to where they are without massive hard work, perseverance, and consistency.
In order to get there, you have to create a cohesive brand experience for your customers and everyone involved in your company. Trust is built off familiarity, likeability and trust.
While there is no perfect roadmap to get you there, this list will help define the areas you need to pay attention to in your quest to building an amazing business.
Be Different Than The Competition
Your business should be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about your product or service. If you're not laser targeting your marketing efforts, you will fall short. Make your business stand out from the competition and strive to develop a unique offering found nowhere else.
"Many clients think their logo is their brand. But it's much more than a graphic image. It's the way people feel when they interact with your marketing. It's the promise your company makes to your prospects and your customers. It's your brand's personality. It's their experience of your company." - Carmen Yazejian, Network9
Example #1 - Tesla
Never fail to stand out and never refuse to differentiate when change is what's needed. Tesla founder Elon Musk is the perfect example of a visionary who demanded excellence and did something wildly different, which was met with great success.
Think about how the automotive industry operates. It's much like an oligarchy, made up of a few global players. Not one of the big names in auto saw the potential of an electric car. They looked at Tesla as a company that stood no chance and didn't have the resources to compete. Tesla set out to create a true electric car, while the major players chose to try and turn gasoline cars into electric cars.
And it worked.
Consumer Reports gave the Tesla Model S the highest rating ever. This Model S became the highest rated car ever reviewed!
The key takeaway is to recognize that even in an industry where outsiders are not welcome, the right branding and vision can succeed.
Example #2 - Kodak
Kodak is a name you know. The company is well known for their camera film, which was the mainstay of their business. At one time they were the pinnacle of their industry because they had perfected a product that everyone used.
But as technology shifted and digital cameras became available, they stuck fast to an old model that was doomed to give way to technology. Just as the cassette became the CD and CDs were lost to mp3s, Kodak had to close up shop.
They failed to differentiate and in the process had to file bankruptcy in 2012.
Never hold fast to a way of doing things just because they worked at one time. You have to be nimble and recognize the changes that can make or break your company. A brand is not a product or service. It's the promise you make your customers. Kodak didn't produce film. They captured memories. If they would have kept that as their compass they could have lead the charge in digital cameras. Instead, they went bankrupt.
Earn Your Legitimacy As A Business
People want to see other people using your product or service. The value of a testimonial can go a long way in building trust. Of course, not all testimonials are created equal. Your business will immediately convey more credibility if you have testimonials from people or brands that your customers already know about.
Take for example Chargify's customer page. They strategically put the logos of their biggest customers above the fold so it's the first thing you notice. The logic being that if it's your first time hearing about Charify, you've probably heard of some of the companies they do business with.
You can apply this same strategy to your business, no matter what industry you are in or what product or service you offer.
The goal is to target someone in your niche that is respected and well-known. They should be an established and recognized brand in their own right. This works even if you are a local business owner. All you need to do is think about "who's who" in your community and reach out to them.
Step #1 - Find your target.
Come up with a short list of people who will meet the criteria from above. They should be recognizable in your space and be considered an "authority". Create a spreadsheet and add their names and contact information (including links to social media).
Step #2 - Define how you can help them.
Uncover a problem they are having or a way you can take some things off their to-do list. How you make contact is up to you, but there is a formula you should follow:
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Compliment them. Everyone loves a little flattery. Mention one of their accomplishments and talk about how they have inspired or influenced you. The key here is to be genuine.
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Point out a problem they are facing. If you've done your homework you should have an idea of how you can help them. Successful people have a ton of things to do, but if you are not specific you make them have to think. Don't ask them how you can help them. Tell them specifically what you can do for them.
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Talk about how you will solve this problem. List the steps you will take to fix their problem and give them an idea of how long it will take and what you would need to get started. This is where you can show off your expertise, so they gain confidence in working with you.
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Be upfront. Explain that you are trying to break into the industry and a testimonial from them would mean the world to you.
Do not make this email long-winded. Have a healthy respect for their time and keep it no more than 3-4 small paragraphs.
Step #3 - Do your best work.
It goes without saying that you should be prepared to deliver your best quality and within a reasonable time frame. Under promise, over deliver.
Step #4 - Show off that testimonial.
According to Adweek, 90% of consumers trust earned media over any other form of advertising. Incorporate this testimonial into all of your marketing materials. You should feature it on your website, social media channels and on any materials you pass out to prospective clients.
Wishpond wrote a great guide on how to find influencers. If you're having trouble on knowing where to look, their guide will point you in the right direction.
Create Your Own Impression
What comes to mind when you think about your business?
What do you want to come to mind?
It has been found that it's the small interactions that occur over time that build brand relationships with customers. Whatever you want your business to represent, you need to instill that idea in everything that is your business.
This means your website, logo, business cards, apparel - and everything else you use to brand your business, should have a common theme that is easy to recognize. This is why brands like Coca Cola or Nike are so well-known: they use consistent branding with everything they do.
The short version: be consistent.
"You achieve consistency by doing the same thing in the same way so it produces exactly the same result each and every time you do it. For your customers to be able to expect consistency of service or product, you must be able to clearly identify the elements that make up consistency in your business." - Kim Morris, Entrepreneur Systems
We all welcome the familiar and shun the unknown - we tend not to trust it. Do your customers a favor and give them something to count on.
Offer Clarity To Customers
People get frustrated when they do not have the answer. When you have the right answers, you immediately become the source of information.
Sure, you can spend all day thinking about what questions people are asking - or you can just let your customers tell you.
Here's where a little SEO knowledge comes in handy.
Google search operators help you dig into Google when you need to search for very specific information. If you do content marketing, you already know how much of a pain it is coming up with things to write about. At the same time, you know that you need to publish content on a regular basis to get more traffic and higher rankings.
This is how you kill two birds with one stone:
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Use the following search operator: site:quora.com {{your keyword}}
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Use the Simple Google Results bookmarklet to extract the urls from the search results page and add to a spreadsheet.
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Publish blog posts using these questions as titles and respond to the questions you find with a personalized answer and a link to your post.
You now have a list of topics to write about based on the questions people are actually asking. You can use different keywords or search other communities (like Reddit) to get more topic ideas.
Develop And Maintain Your Own Culture
There are some companies that stand out beyond comparison. These companies develop a unique position and culture for both employees and customers that fuel brand loyalty.
Here's why this is importan
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Brand loyalty creates brand ambassadors
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Brand ambassadors help drive growth
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Growth changes everything
The more revenue you build, the more people you can employ. At that point you're not just making money - you're changing lives.
The best company culture centers around growth. Morgan Brown, who knows a lot about growth, shared his insight and an excerpt from Elon Musk's biography by Ashlee Vance.
"Tesla spent most of its early life on the brink of bankruptcy, and they were teetering there again with the launch of the S. They had received a ton of reservations, but people were worried about the resale value of the car, the quality of the cars coming off the line, and more.
"Telsa had a conversion problem. People weren't converting from reservation-holders to car owners. If the company didn't convert more, they were sunk.
Here's a snippet from the book:
"'The severity of this problem had been hidden from Musk, but once he learned about it, he acted in his signature all-or-nothing fashion. Musk pulled people from recruiting, the design studio, engineering, finance, and wherever else he could find them and ordered them to get on the phone, call people with reservations, and close deals. "If we don't deliver these cars, we are fucked," Musk told employees. "So, I don't care what job you were doing. Your new job is delivering cars.'"
"There are times at your company - no matter the size - when everyone needs to deliver the cars.
"When you have a big growth opportunity or a big challenge (and you have both at the same time the earlier stage you are) you need to cultivate this all hands on deck approach.
"In software development they call it dogpiling. Putting max resources against a problem.
"While you can't always have everyone doing growth, the urgency and prioritization to constantly be thinking about growth across the organization is essential. And when you hit a crunch, you need to turn everyone loose on the problem or opportunity to help you make the most of it.
"So how do you do it?
"First, you need to encourage growth participation from everyone in the company. Solicit ideas, recognize contributions and champion growth everywhere. When people are onboard, they'll be more likely to double-down on their efforts when you really need them.
"Second, give them opportunities. So many teams protect their turf or don't want to put others out, that they shut willing teammates out of the growth process. Don't do that.
"Third, understand your team's strengths so you can leverage them accordingly when the time comes.
"Make sure your team is aligned and contributing to the cause of growth and don't be afraid to re-deploy resources toward your biggest opportunities to find even more growth.
"Don't leave opportunity on the table because you were short manpower. Make sure your team is always thinking about growth."
The Big Takeaway
Here's everything you need to know summed up in a few sentences.
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Be different. Middle of the road is mediocre. If you want to create massive success you need to do something massively different.
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Get credibility. Don't waste no time getting a testimonial from an authority. You can build trust by leveraging the credibility of others.
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Put your best foot forward. Never leave first impressions to chance. Understand and analyze the interactions you have with people in your business. Turn these into processes and map out customer interactions.
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Have the answer. If you want people to choose you as their solution they need to trust that they can solve the problem. Your content marketing efforts should focus on doing this.
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Live the company culture. Focus on building a culture into your business that sets the expectations for everyone involved.
How are you using branding to define your company?