The Four Elements of a Great Brand

Are you a small business owner who feels like your brand just isn’t connecting with people? Or maybe you’re an executive at a major company. But you feel like your brand has gone stale. It just doesn’t excite and engage customers the way it used to. Do you look at behemoths like Amazon, Apple or McDonalds and wonder how their brands have such staying power?

First off, congratulations. Even acknowledging the importance of branding puts you ahead of most of your competitors. When building a brand, most people focus on creating a logo or a tagline and call it a day. The truth is there are four major traits that all memorable brands have in common. These simple, overlooked steps can help you build brand recognition and establish a relationship with potential customers.

1.       Tell a story. Your brand should communicate more than just your products and services. It should tell a story. With your customer centered as the hero. Storytelling is so effective because it is one of the oldest human activities. Stories give our lives context. Stories are how we record our history and situate ourselves within it. If you can position your brand as part of your customer’s story, then you can bet they’ll remember you.

2.       Stay true to yourself. A good brand contains within it the reason for what you do. Hint, it’s not just to make money. Your company’s values and vision should be more than just statements you right down as part of a strategic planning exercise then forget. They should be reflected in everything that you do, including your brand. People can smell a phony, and if your brand isn’t authentic, they’ll disregard you.

3.       Give more than you get. If every interaction a customer has with your brand involves you asking them for something, they’re going to rightly feel like the relationship is one-sided. The internet’s own Gary Vaynerchuck, in his book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, advises marketers to adopt a three-to-one ratio. In other words, provide value (give away something for free) in at least three customer interactions, before you ask for something. Asking for something could be anything from asking them to sign up for a newsletter to making a purchase. Customers are far more likely to take an action if they feel like they’ve already received value from your brand.

4.       Engage your customers where they are. Don’t just assume that you know your audience. A little bit of research beforehand, can save you a lot of headache down the road. After all, if you’re marketing to retirees and it turns our your product is actually more popular with stay-at-home moms, it doesn’t matter how good your branding is. It’s going to miss the target. Get to know your customers and speak to them on their own terms.

Keep these four points in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to a memorable brand that people want to engage with.