New Business Owners Often Struggle To Understand Exactly What A Brand Is & Why It’s Important. Today, That Struggle Ends For You.
We’ll begin with an example. You may find some eery similarities to your own situation.
When we start a new venture, we imagine things are going to be great. We’ll create an amazing product, people will try it, and they’ll just rave! They’ll tell all their friends about what a spectacular company we are, and then BAM! We’re rich, living by our own rules.
Knowing this, you take the time. You ACTUALLY make a fantastic product. WOW! Well done indeed. You show the product to the bank, they love it & now you have a loan. Next, you make an amazing store, that beautifully illustrates your product.
You prepare a story about your company. The story has where you got the idea. It’s got the moment YOU decided it was going to be your business. You put an ad in the local paper, have your friends post about it on Facebook, you even make a pretty awesome website!
Then… the grand opening is here! You open the doors, expecting the world and… nobody comes. Your beautiful product, store, and story are sitting there with NOBODY to admire them.
What happened?
We’ll tell you, but it’s going to hurt. Nobody cared. Why? You lacked the one thing that matters most. BRANDING. But, you say, what is a brand? I thought I did everything right. I made the product, told my story, I even told people I was opening. They can see it on my website!! What went wrong??
What is this magical element I just can’t seem to get right? Let’s start with an official definition, supported by the American Marketing Association.
“A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”
Here’s the critical part: different from those of other sellers. New business owners are often far too weak in their messaging to their customers. They think the customers will do the work of understanding for them.
Here’s the fact: they won’t. We understand you don’t want to to be the overly pushy salesman who puts everything off. While an admirable goal, you’ve gone too far in the other direction.
In an attempt to lack sleaze, you end up looking weak.
You Need Stronger Messaging
If you don’t tell your customer exactly why they need your product, you end up looking like you don’t have anything unique or interesting to say.
Your customers are busy asking the question “Why would I go to a business that has nothing different to offer than any other place I already go?” The problem is you’re getting lost in a sea of people saying the same thing.
Here are some examples of this messaging. “We’re a personable business who will always pick up the phone when you call.” Yes, everyone and their mother is personable. WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?
It’s time to go to the drawing board and think up some messaging that does the one thing all good branding does: stir up emotion. People don’t buy with their heads. They buy with their hearts. People are 3x more likely to make a purchase when they feel emotionally engaged to the product.
So let’s go back to the original question: what is a brand? A brand is messaging that stirs up emotion. A GOOD brand is messaging that stirs up a feeling that causes people to buy things. That’s the vital element for your business.
A brand can take the form of images, words, or anything else. The important part is that it is concise, clear, and stirs emotion. An example of good branding is not, “We’re a personable business who will always pick up the phone when you call.”
It’s when you say something more like, “When you call our business you will have a fantastic experience unlike anything else you have ever seen in our industry. We promise you’ll have the experience of a lifetime, and memories you and your family won’t EVER forget. Nothing will ever be the same again.”
Which one of these businesses are you calling?
What Can Victory Sign Company Do To Help?
If you’re curious about how to get started developing your brand, you can check out this blog here we did on how to get started with your brand.
We can also help get your message out loud and clear through signage! Please feel free to give us a call or submit a contact form, and we’ll be right there by your side.
We promise it will be the BEST sign buying experience you’ll ever have. Not only that, it will be the most effective sign for the price you can find around Kansas City!
That’s our promise!
Contact us for a quote!
Victory Sign Company
1021 S. Brown Street, Suite K
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 407-7446
www.victorysignco.com
