Why do people buy things?
There are a thousand answers to this question. Perhaps the most fascinating is brand identity.
Investopedia says that it, “is the visible elements of a brand, such as color, design, and logo, that identify and distinguish the brand in consumers’ minds.”
Okay great, so what does that mean?
To me, brand identity is really just the kind of person your brand would be if it could walk and talk and interact with customers the way you do.
So if your brand was a person…
- Who would they hang out with?
- What would they look like?
- Where would they spend their time?
- What kinds of things would they talk about?
These questions can be difficult to answer, especially without a big marketing budget to help with logo design, marketing copy, and customer research. However, you do not really need any money to create a brand identity that your customers will want to hang out with.
People spend time with friends who make them feel comfortable being themselves. People spend time with brands for the exact same reason.
Here are three steps to becoming a brand that is easy to hang out with:
1. Show your customer that you are a brand that understands their problem
This is done through your mission statement, call to action, and marketing message. Regardless of how small the problem may seem, acknowledged that it is painful for your customer.
If your business is a durable chew toy for dogs, your mission statement could start by showing your customer you understand the pain of ruined sandals and furniture. The pain the customer is trying to alleviate often goes deeper than they initially realize, so don’t fear digging deep.
For example, “There is nothing more frustrating than your four-legged friend ruining a new pair of shoes.”
Or,
“Feel like everything you own is covered in chew marks?”
Or,
“Dog owners are suffering when pets decide that the couch is more appealing than their chew toy”.
Regardless of the path you take, put in the work to make sure that your customer knows their pain is actually painful and completely valid. This pain should go at the beginning of your mission statement and is the first step to resonating with a customer.
2. Show your customer they are capable of solving their problem
Have you ever met anyone that always thought they were the savior of the situation? They might have thought they had all the answers and only if you would let them take over the problem, they could fix it for you?
Do you enjoy hanging out with that person? Me neither.
Brands love to position themselves as a solution to the problem. This is not the right approach. Your brand is not the solution, the customer can solve their own problem, they just need the right tool.
People do not want to hang out with a brand that thinks it’s their savior.
Help your customer alleviate their pain by showing them they have what it takes to solve their problem. In terms of building messaging this might look something like this:
“Give your dog the gift of a toy more delicious than the couch”
Or
“Take control of your pet’s chewing”
These statements focus on the customer solving their own problem (using your product). They are fixing the issue, not you. Your brand is merely the means of how they take control and making their life a little better.
3. Show your customers you like what they like
After you have shown your customer that their problem is reasonable and fixable, it’s time to let the rest of your brand identity sink in.
What colors resonate with your customer?
What issue does your customer find important, and what are you doing about it?
What kind of experience does your customer value the most, and how do you deliver that experience gracefully?
The best brands do this well because they are their own ideal customer. They actually care about the problem they are solving and because of that passion, communicate well.
Use questions like these to show your customer they are still in charge, but your brand is on their team.
On a daily basis, I see brands that are consumed with proving to the customer how great they are. The trouble is, no one wants to hang out what the guy who won’t shut up about how awesome he is.
Overall, when creating a brand identity, it is not really about the brand at all. It is about the customer. As a brand, you might be able to give them a shortcut to that solution, but they are always the center.
Customers want to be understood, heard, and helped along their own journey to alleviate their pain. Good listeners and effective empowerers are the people and brands your customer will want to spend time with.
Best of luck out there,
JP
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