1. No Focus
Many brands companies are like cars without steering wheels, guided by laziness. What’s at the heart of your brand? Who is its primary target audience? What is its personality? How will it encourage great customer experiences? Ok, these are pretty simple questions, but do you know what, many brands struggle at this important level to really define these basic questions and establish these essential brand principles.
2. No Differentiation
If your brand vanished, would anyone miss it? What distinguishes your brand from its competitors? What makes it different? How will your customers remember you? Figure out that uniqueness before you vanish…
3. No Relevance
Having something unique to offer is great…provided that your differentiation is rooted in something that people really want. So have a think about what your target audience actually wants, needs or craves. How does your brand deliver that experience in a meaningful way? There are so many brands out there trying sell products or services that people are just not interested in.
4. No Consistency
Today, brand building is more challenging; there are more channels, less control, and higher expectations – there is no where to hide. Smart brands consistently communicate across every touch point from online advertising, social media to events and customer service. It’s not about volume of messages, just consistency.
5. No Values
Brand equity used to be based primarily on an equation of differentiation, relevance, and price. Today, it’s not just about what you provide, it’s what you stand for. Nowadays every brand must ensure that they have clearly defined values. They can’t just ‘talk the talk’, they need to ‘walk the walk’ and they must do this consistently everytime. If not, they risk confusing customers, potential customers, and damaging the customer experience.
So, what’s standing between your brand and deeper insights with your customers and potential customers…? No time? Is it hiding on your task list somewhere or you don’t know where to start?
Never fear! The Captain is here to lend a hand!