Fact: Having a strong brand is very important to your business and clientele. Without it, customers won’t feel drawn to your products or even to you. You have to grab their attention, hold that attention, and make them feel important. It’s all about building a good relationship, so think of your brand as the first impression.
When building your brand, there are five questions you want to address:
- What are your goals & core values?
- What makes you unique?
- What are your strengths (and weaknesses)?
- How can you help your clients?
- Do you have what it takes (or even better: Are you ready)?
These questions are crucial in helping you bring your scattered thoughts to one central location. So grab your pen and paper, and start taking notes. Here’s what you need to focus on when addressing the above questions:
Before you even begin building your brand, your goals and core values should be at the front of your mind…
Start mapping them out. Write down your goals and values. What do you hope to achieve, and what are willing to do to reach those goals? You will need to prioritize, so be realistic with your expectations.
Just know, it’s OK to start small. My very first business venture the first goal I set was to sell ONE product. Just one. Gain that first dollar. And I did, and then some. My second goal was to sell FIVE product in one week. Again, I did. Eventually I reached my goal to sell ten products every day, and so on. Set realistic and ACHIEVABLE goals, and then grow from there.
Make yourself standout – your competition should think of you as a threat…
If you keep following the crowd, no one is going to find any advantage going to you over Joe, Jane, or John. Standout! What will you be offering that makes you unique? Does your personality shine when writing content? Is your support top-notch? Are you offering free shipping plus a free gift for $xx?
Don’t be afraid to be YOU! There was one company I recently dealt with who was not afraid to be sarcastic. In fact, their unique humor and sarcastic nature is what I found to be so fun about them! They built an entire business around their personality and sense of humor, and they’ve been pretty successful doing so – you can be too.
Focus on your strengths, but don’t ignore your weaknesses…
Of course you want to highlight your strengths when building a business, it’s a great way to point out what you’re GREAT at so others can find value in your work, but you also don’t want to ignore your weaknesses. Fact is, if you ignore your weaknesses, a potential client may find them instead. Let’s face it, it’s a pretty embarrassing feeling when a client calls you out. Instead of pretending you’re invincible, admit what is your kryptonite.
For example, I’m not a master website designer – and I am the first to admit it. Instead of shying away and saying that “I can’t,” or lying and saying I can do everything, I make sure to let potential clients know “Hey – I can’t build you a website from scratch, but what I can do is customize an existing theme or website so that it suits your needs.” I admit my weakness and highlight my strength – and clients will appreciate the honesty.
You should fill a need or offer a convenient service…
One of the first questions a client asks when considering a new product or service is “What’s in it for me?” Your branding should clearly state how you can help them – if they have to dig for it, you’ll probably lose them. Remember, convenience is key. If your product is to help make life easier, emphasize that, “Let ME help YOU with this amazing thing I have” or “Are you tired of doing THAT? This thing can help!” You can build a very strong brand when you make customers feel like they NEED to have you.
You must be ready and willing…
Both for success and failure. There’s no chance of success without the risk of failure, and you need to face that. You may fail multiple times before you hit it big. You may need to rebuild your brand time and time again until you find just the right balance. Be aware, if you’re terrified of failure, your clients will know. You’ll hold back, you’ll play safe, you’ll ultimately be boring – and no one has time for boring. I want you to ask yourself right now, “Are you prepared for failure?” If you can’t answer yes to that question, you’re not ready for success either, because a successful business comes with risks.
The above post was previously shared on SangerMarketing.com
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