In today’s competitive business landscape, it’s not enough to simply have a great product or service. To truly stand out in the modern global marketplace, you need to create a consistent, authentic, and customer-centric brand experience across all channels. Unfortunately, many audiences are confused in their content experiences, resulting in a fractured experience of your brand.
But the question remains: why is the content experience so crucial? The answer – because it is the activation piece that helps to make your brand shine in a crowded marketplace. As a small business owner, you know all too well how tough it is to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape. To reference a personal interest of mine, it’s like playing Gaelic Games – unpredictable, with twists and turns, and weather, that can turn the game either way.
There is a difference between brand, marketing, and content creation. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that marketing and content creation is the only path to success. If marketing is the engine, then, to reference Donald Millar, the plane is falling apart, and the pilot (aka your leadership) is not paying attention, leading you off course. To build an efficient and effective business, you need to think long-term and future-oriented, which is where brand comes into its own, and is not the same as marketing or content creation.
Running a successful business requires time and commitment, and it can be very hard work. If you rely solely on marketing as the magic bullet, you will find yourself continually fighting fires and veering off course. Your brand must be built on a bedrock of core actionable purpose, beyond mere profitability. It is about finding your true and authentic differentiation, standing out from your opposition, your brand character and tone of voice, values you can live and die by, telling your brand story, and an unwavering, truthful, purpose.
A purpose is something that guides your every decision and action, it is not a mission or a vision, and not something you would find in marketing activities. Your brand should inform your marketing activities, not the other way around. When you build your business with brand first, you will have customers will wholly trust you and become your brand advocates.
Building a successful business takes time and commitment. It is a long-term future proofing activity. It’s easy to be lured by the temptation of instant gratification, but the quick and easy solutions of short-term thinking often lead to the longest and hardest routes to success.
Instead of focusing solely on making money, and the short-term solutions of marketing and content creation, focus on brand which will solve one problem for your ideal customer. Make your customer experiences consistent and meaningful for them. Ask yourself, ‘what is the problem I solve, beyond making money, and who do I do it for?’ This visionary thinking is what sets successful businesses apart from the rest. Visionary thinkers see the unknown as adventurous, while many others see it as scary or dangerous. But ask yourself this, if you stick to safety, how will you stand out from your opposition?
In conclusion, Strategic Brand Development will feed into all aspects of your business, including your marketing, your PR, and your content creation. It will help you to be consistent, which saves you time and energy, it will give your customer experiences that are consistent and meaningful, and gives you real clarity with purposeful direction. The result is a dedicated audience who wholly trust you and are your brand advocates. You’ll reap the rewards in the long run.
What are your next steps?
