With social media on the rise, and increased transparency on the web, brands can no longer hide out, manipulate or dictate the message. Actions speak louder than tweets. This requires a new level of authenticity and commitment to a company’s core values.
Most companies, in an attempt to simply get by and “make it,” lose focus and promise too many things to too many people. It’s a we-can-do-it-all mentality that fears than any “no” will lead to a loss of business, when in fact, it’s just the opposite. Saying no to non-corresponding clients and projects creates time and opportunity to say yes to the right ones. Common tag lines such as “No job is too big or small,” communicate little to nothing about your benefits or expertise. Much like people, companies that over promise ultimately under-deliver and disappoint, losing trust and credibility.
How can you avoid this trap?
Make your message clear
In other words, what drives your organization? What are you doing when you are at your best with your best customer? Write down the ingredients to your success and then distill it and prioritize it until you have the recipe for your success.
Make it consistent
Once you know your secret recipe, make it repeatable. Consistency of experience is the hallmark of a great brand. The good news is that you don’t have to be the best to be credible; you simply have to be consistent. Are you providing your customers with a consistent experience? If not, identify the break points, and address them. Repeat your successes until they become automatic.
Make it compelling
It’s not enough to have a unique selling point if it’s not compelling. How do your core competencies benefit your clients? Take your clarity and consistency, combine it with something compelling and you’ll have brand magic, brand chemistry, and the power of attraction all rolled up into one. This type of focus and conviction is what drives all great brands, so put them to use to gain real traction.
Make it believable by keeping it real
Now that your message is clear, consistent and compelling, take a check to make sure that it is also attainable. Your values may be rooted in social justice, but just be careful not to promise world peace. Stay with a promise that you can deliver on, one that you can build and expand upon. Answer these three questions and you’ll have true brand believers.
Make a “right sized” brand image for your company
Craft a message that you can really take hold of and own. Create the perfect brand name for a new business. In an attempt to do what’s right, and meet the client’s needs, set up an unrealistic expectation. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, brilliant is more believable and achievable than perfection.
Say and do
Contrived slogans simply don’t work anymore. It’s vital to know the difference between where you want to go as a company, and what the actual user experience is at that moment. If you state what your company provides, but don’t deliver, you break your brand promise. If you are the social media experts, with 98 Twitter followers and no recent tweets, your message will be hard to believe, no matter what you say.
Have you been able to make your brand message credible, believable and social? If so, share what strategies have helped to make your company shine.
