4 Steps to a Power Brand – get to the C.O.R.E.

We hear it all the time: “I’ve got a logo, so I have my brand.” Well, that depends on what that logo was built on. If you haven’t built a strong foundation below the surface, your logo isn’t going to be able to carry your brand and marketing all by itself. Think of a tree, it can’t sustain itself without a strong root system. You have to get to the C.O.R.E. of your brand.

Connect

Optimize

Revolutionize

Engage/Energize

Connect to your story. If you’re a business owner, it might seem insignificant to share your story. Why was the business founded? There has to be a reason and a passion behind it. What is it? It’s not what you do, or how you do it, it’s WHY you do it that comes through as truth.

There’s science behind why this is important. It’s about making an emotional connection to your ideal clients to their limbic brain – the part of the brain where trust, emotions and decision-making come from. It’s where those “gut feelings” come from when you can’t quite put the words to it. When you connect to people on this level, they are statistically more loyal and will spend on-average, 30% more with you. And they’ll become your “raving fans”!

When you tell an authentic story that your customers can relate to on that deep emotional level they feel like they can relate to you. You then become an anchor, that they will compare everyone else to.

Optimize your audience. In order to Connect, you truly have to understand your target audience. Who are they – really? Start with demographics like gender, age, income bracket, location, etc. Then dive deeper into their “psychographics”. What problems are they facing with what you have to offer? What solutions do you provide – not just rationally but emotionally? How do they feel now, and how do you want them to feel? In order to Connect, you really have to understand how you impact them on a personal level.

Revolutionize your message and imagery. Now you can start to build your messaging around your “why”. Go beyond a mission statement or positioning – create a manifesto (more on this in our next post/email). How do your “why” and their “why” align? Use language that taps into the emotional triggers and pain while leading them toward a solution.

Engage & Energize. The whole purpose of having a message and imagery to draw in your audience is to Engage with them, to create trust, and move them to action. Integrate your brand into all of the pieces of your marketing – website, social media, blog, collateral, email, PR, advertising. Think about the problem you are solving. Support and educate your audience to build trust and make sure your voice and brand is used consistently in everything you do. The more consistent you are, the more likely someone will remember you.

Energize the connection by making sure you deliver on your promises. Make sure your staff/employees are on board with your values, your why, and your brand. Provide them with the tools they need to keep a consistent voice from sales to customer service. The biggest brand killer is failure to deliver on the promise!!