Branding is been on my mind. Why? Because as entrepreneurs, we need branding just as much as we need
If you read my last blog post, you’d see that I believe branding is the key to success in a world where it seems like businesses are everywhere and markets are becoming saturated.
Yes, branding is something that we certainly cannot live without. But there’s something that’s even more important than branding and that is BRAND CLARITY.
I’ve seen entrepreneurs rush to create logos and graphics and spend hundreds of dollars on advertising, yet they see very little actual returns. Because no one truly knows what their business is all about. They probably don’t really know what their business is about. I don’t want you to be that person. I want you to have clarity about your business and your brand.
THE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS TO ACHIEVE BRAND CLARITY
Why?
Think long and hard about why you’re even in business in the first place. What do you want out of life? What does success look like to you? What do you value most about being an entrepreneur? Is it the money, the freedom, the visibility? How should your business contribute to your overall wellbeing? One of my favourite business writers, Michael E Gerber, referred to this as Your Primary Aim. I call it
There are two ways to build a career or a business. We can go through life hunting and pecking, looking for opportunities or customers, hoping that something connects. Or we can go through life with intention, knowing what our piece looks like, knowing our WHY, and going straight to the places we fit.- Simon Sinek
What?
Now that you’re clear about what role you want your business to play in your life, you can then begin to develop its framework. What exactly are you going to build to help you achieve your ‘why’? Think about the things you like to do. What don’t you like to do? What are you passionate about? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What services will you offer? What areas will you outsource? What makes you different? What structure will your business take? These are all important questions that will help you develop and brand your business.
When you do it, you are not another dreamer- Hockson Floin
Who?
This is the human element of your business. You need to be clear about your customers, your role, and your team (if any).
No business can exist without customers. You need to have an intimate understanding of exactly who you’re going to serve. Think about your perfect customer. What exactly do you know about this person? The more aware you are of his/her wants, likes, and needs, the better you will be able to communicate with him/her. You need to be able to tailor your branding to speak directly to this person.
Your ’who’ also refers to the human resource function in your business. Are you going to take up every single position in your business? Or are you going to build a team? Will you be open to outsourcing freelancers? Or would you be doing everything alone? (SIDEBAR: you NEEEEEEEED to think about a team if you want to scale your business!!!).
The first step in exceeding your customer’s expectations is to know those expectations. – Roy H. Williams
How?
So, you’re crystal clear about why you even want to be in business, you know what you want to build, and you know who you’re going to serve. So, how is it all going to go down? You need something to tie everything together. Ideally, you should create a business plan. As an entrepreneur, you need to structure your marketing and finances. You must have an idea of how your operations will work.
Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.- Larry Bossidy.
By now you’d understand why brand clarity is the cornerstone of
These questions give you crystal clear clarity on what your business is all about. Therefore, this will help you to develop the messages that you would want to convey to your ideal customers. You should be clear on how you want people to feel when they interact with your business.
Brand clarity is all about knowing what you want and assessing what is needed to create the business of your dreams. It’s about introspection mixed with research and analysis that will allow you to craft a solid strategy on which you can build an elevated brand.
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