'Don't push people to where you want to be; meet them where they are.' – Meghan Keaney Anderson, vice president of marketing, HubSpot.
The frustrating thing about the hundreds of thousands of articles about branding, how to build your brand, that your brand is more than products and services, the need for authentic relationships, etc. is that the primary purpose is to convey knowledge or sell a service. If you are tired of reading them and still walk away with questions about what it all means for your business and brand, you are not the only one.
It’s also easy to be led to believe that your main challenge in developing your brand is how to develop authentic relationships with your customers (it might be - but that is not where you want to start) - versus your biggest concern of “produced authenticity”. In relooking your brand, where should you start?
Brand health and competitive benchmarking
Our advice is to start by assessing your brand health. Although this process can be highly formulated and expensive, it doesn't need to be. By asking yourself, stakeholders, and a few selected customers the following questions, you will be able to get a good sense of how healthy your brand is:
- Differentiation: How unique is your brand compared to competitors? If you feel it stands out, what drives this uniqueness? If not, what improvements can be made?
- Relevance: How important is your brand to consumers? Does it align with customer needs and values, or is it losing relevance? If so, why?
- Esteem: How is your brand viewed in terms of quality and reputation? Are consumers trusting and admiring your brand based on consistency and positive experiences?
- Knowledge: What is the level of awareness and understanding of your brand among stakeholders and consumers? It's not just about recognition but comprehending what your brand represents and offers.
Conduct a health assessment that actively challenges your assumptions and beliefs. Talk to stakeholders, community members, and customers actively and ask for frank feedback and advice.Relook and refine your brand identity
Based on your brand health assessment and competitive benchmarking, relook and refine your brand identity using a brand model of your choice. One of our preferred models is the Brand Prism developed by Kapferer. It offers a holistic approach for relooking and refining your brand identity to resonate with consumers on visual, emotional, and psychological levels. The model consists of 6 elements that can be summarized as below:
- Physique: With the proliferation of digital media, reassess how your brand is visually represented, including logos, design systems, and user interfaces.
- Personality: Ensure your brand's tone and voice remain aligned across all communication channels, whether customer service interactions or social media content.
- Culture: Today, brands are expected to demonstrate more than just business values—they need to align with societal issues and demonstrate cultural awareness.
- Relationship: Digital platforms enable direct communication, making it more accessible and crucial to understand and nurture the relationship between your brand and consumers.
- Reflection: Reflect on how your customers see themselves when they engage with your brand. Are they aspirational? Are they represented in your marketing materials?
- Self-Image: Finally, understand how your consumers perceive their self-image when associated with your brand. This connection is critical for loyalty.
Only then, authentic communication
When reviewing their brand and marketing, most businesses immediately focus on improving their communications. Although our proposed approach can seem lengthy and complicated, it doesn't have to be. You will be surprised by the insights and value that emerge from a structured conversation with your team.Only after completing your brand health assessment, competitor benchmarking, and refining your brand identity should you start developing your customer communication and engagement plan. Not only will this help you feel more comfortable and confident in how you build personal connections with your customers, but it will also establish a foundation for becoming a living brand.
