Brand Development why your “Why” matters to more than just you

Introduction: The Importance of ‘Why’ in Brand Strategy

 

In the world of business, especially for small and minority-owned businesses at their early stages, understanding the ‘why’ behind your brand isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s crucial. Your ‘why’ is the heart and soul of your business; it’s the reason you wake up every morning and do what you do. But it’s not just important to you–it resonates deeply with your customers too.

Imagine walking down a busy street filled with shops. What draws you into one store over another? Often, it’s not just the products or services. It’s the story behind the business, the passion, and the purpose that set it apart. This is where your ‘why’ comes in. In a crowded marketplace filled with ideas and competition, where at least 20 other businesses might chase the same idea as yours, your ‘why’ is your beacon. It’s what makes your business uniquely yours and helps you stand out.

Your ‘why’ isn’t just about making profits; it’s about the values you stand for, the problems you aim to solve, and the impact you want to have on your customers and community. It’s what gives your brand its identity and its voice. When your customers understand and relate to your ‘why,’ they don’t just buy a product or a service from you–they buy into your vision and your journey.

As we delve into this article, we’ll explore how integrating your ‘why’ into your brand strategy isn’t just a way to tell your story, but a powerful tool to connect with your target audience, build lasting relationships, and create a brand that’s not just seen but felt and remembered.

Your ‘why’ is your story, your mission, and your vision. It’s the powerful narrative that can drive your brand to new heights. So, let’s discover how you can harness it to not just grow your business, but to make a meaningful impact.

 

The Power of Your Personal Journey

 

Your personal journey—the story behind why you started your business–is a powerful tool in shaping your brand’s identity. It’s what sets you apart in a world filled with competition. Your ‘why’ is not just your motivation; it’s the unique perspective that only you bring to your business.

There are typically 4 to 5 reasons an entrepreneur starts a business. This is where your personal journey will help serve as a differentiator between you and your competitors. It will also endear you to your audience and create a bond that is harder for your competitors to disrupt.

1. A great experience that an entrepreneur has had. They want to help others to enjoy themselves.
2. An unpleasant experience that an entrepreneur wants to help people avoid or overcome
3. A solution that an entrepreneur can bring to market but never personally experienced, but they know and understand how to overcome
4. A serial entrepreneur with plenty of ideas that will launch a business and then sell it off
5. A person who likes the sound of being a business owner title but is not truly invested in the business

Embracing Authenticity in Branding:

• Authenticity in branding isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a business imperative. Statistics show that 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support (Stakla)
• Your personal journey, your struggles, your triumphs, and your motivation for starting your business all contribute to this authenticity. They make your brand relatable and genuine.

Your Story, Your Brand:

• Think about the brands you love, and why you love them. Often, it’s the story behind the brand that creates a connection. It’s the human element—the face and the story behind the logo – that people connect with. That connection is the unshakable bond that creates brand champions and loyal customers.
• For instance, a coffee shop owner who started their business to create a community space for artists and thinkers is not just selling coffee; they’re selling an experience, a vision. One that encourages others to pursue their goals and passions.

Building Trust Through Transparency:

• Transparency about your journey builds trust with your audience. When people know your story — the real, unfiltered version—they see your business as more than just a transaction. They see it as a relationship. One that they commit to during the Customer Journey and beyond.
• This level of trust is fundamental to customer loyalty. A study found that 94% of consumers are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete transparency (Forbes)

Final Thought: Your personal journey is a powerful asset. It’s what makes your brand unique, authentic, and memorable. By sharing your ‘why’, you’re not just building a brand; you’re building a community of customers who believe in what you do and why you do it. This community is the foundation of your brand loyalty and the key to distinguishing yourself in a crowded market. Remember, people don’t just buy products or services; they buy into stories and visions they can relate to and believe in.

 

Brand Identity and Positioning: Aligning Your Story with Your Audience

 

Expanding beyond just brand identity, let’s delve into brand positioning—the art of not only telling your story but also aligning it with your audience. It’s about finding that sweet spot where your unique ‘why’ meets the needs and desires of your customers.

Crafting Your Brand’s Narrative:

• Brand positioning is about how you frame your brand’s narrative in the minds of your audience. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it and to whom.
• The key is to communicate your story in a way that resonates with your audience. This involves understanding their needs, desires, and the problems they are looking to solve.

Understanding Your Audience:

• The success of your brand positioning hinges on a deep understanding of your audience. Research shows that personalized marketing can increase sales by 10% and improve marketing-spend efficiency by 10-30% (McKinsey)
• This personalization comes from aligning your ‘why’ with the specific needs of your audience. For instance, if your brand’s ‘why’ is about innovation, target customers who value and seek groundbreaking solutions.

Differentiation Through Positioning: Learn more about positioning by reading my article The Power of Positioning: A Guide for Small Businesses and Solopreneurs

• In a crowded market, positioning helps differentiate your brand from competitors. It’s not just about being different; it’s about being relevant and meaningful to your target audience.
• You can achieve this differentiation through various strategies, such as focusing on unique aspects of your personal journey, highlighting specific values, or tailoring the customer experience.

Sharing Your Story Effectively:

• The way you share your story is as important as the story itself. Use various channels – your website, social media, content marketing – to convey your message in a way that’s accessible and engaging to your audience.
• Storytelling in marketing can lead to a 19% increase in brand perception and a 22% increase in memorability (Forbes)

Final Thought: Your brand’s identity and positioning are about creating a narrative that speaks to your audience. It’s about aligning your ‘why’ with their ‘what’ and ‘how.’ Effective brand positioning ensures that your story is not just heard but also felt and understood, leading to deeper connections and long-lasting customer relationships.

 

It’s Not Just Your Why, But Theirs as Well

 

Understanding your target audience goes beyond demographics and into the realm of emotional connection. It’s about aligning your brand’s ‘why’ with your customers’ reasons for choosing you. This section will explore how deepening this understanding can significantly affect your business’s success.

Understanding the Customer’s ‘Why’: Learn more about target audiences by reading my article Identifying and connecting with your target audience

• Your customers’ ‘why’ is about the emotional or practical reasons they choose your products or services. It could be a desire for quality, a specific need, or a value they align with. When you understand the motivations and the results, the audience is looking for you’re increasing your chances of establishing an emotional connection.
• Statistics show that emotionally connected customers have a 306% higher lifetime value compared to satisfied customers (Forbes).

Aligning Your Brand with Customer Values:

• Successful branding is a two-way street. It’s not just about broadcasting your story; it’s about ensuring that your story resonates with your customers. Take it a step further and think about how your brand speaks to the customers using it. A negative connection can turn a significant investment into something they can no longer use with confidence.
• For example, if your brand focuses on sustainability as its ‘why’, it will naturally attract customers who prioritize eco-friendly practices. It is important to be authentic and not cut corners. A brand claiming sustainability but cutting corners would do more than just hurt their brand. They’d put their customers in a compromising position.

Building a Foundation on Understanding:

• Aligning the products and services of your business with the core values of your target audience is key to building a firm foundation. This alignment leads to consistent sales and recurring revenue. This makes audience research prior to bringing a product or service to the market stand out when it matters the most.
• Customers appreciate when a brand takes their feedback seriously. A study found that 89% of companies see customer experience as a key factor in driving customer loyalty and retention (Harvard Business Review)

Creating Brand Loyalty Through Shared Understanding:

• Brand loyalty emerges when customers feel that a brand truly understands their needs and values. People pay attention to how things change once money exchanges hands. When you continue to add value to it after the purchase, it validates their investment.
• This shared understanding can lead to powerful referrals. Happy customers are likely to share their positive experiences, leading to a stronger customer base. Word-of-mouth referrals not only help to bring in revenue but it can reduce the need for paid advertising.

Final Thought: Understanding both your own ‘why’ and your customers’ ‘why’ is crucial for long-term business success. This deep understanding not only guides product and service development but also fosters a loyal customer base. It’s about creating a brand that not only meets the needs but resonates with the values and aspirations of your customers.

 

Building Brand Loyalty Through Shared Values

 

Brand loyalty is more than just repeated purchases; it’s an emotional bond between your brand and your customers. Sharing your ‘why’ – the values and beliefs at the core of your business, strengthens this bond.

Cultivating Deeper Connections:

• When you share your ‘why’, you’re inviting customers into your story. This transparency creates a deeper connection. Studies show that 64% of consumers cite shared values as the primary reason they have a relationship with a brand (Harvard Business Review)
• This connection goes beyond transactions; it’s about being part of a community that shares similar beliefs and values. When an audience can confidently speak to shared values, it’s only natural to for them to speak highly of your business.

Testimonials: The Voice of Your Customers: Learn more about my Reputation Building services

• Testimonials and customer stories are powerful tools for showcasing your shared values. They provide authentic insights into how your products or services impact your customers’ lives. There’s real value in hearing about the process pre and post sales from an actual customer.
• Researchers have found that customer testimonials can increase sales effectiveness by up to 62% (Big Commerce). They act as social proof, validating the claims you make about your brand.

Leveraging Customer Experiences:

• Encourage your customers to share their experiences. This not only provides you with valuable feedback but also allows prospective customers to see the real-life impact of your brand.
• Stories from satisfied customers resonate more with potential buyers than any sales pitch. They paint a picture of what new customers can expect when they choose your brand.

Final Thought: Building brand loyalty is about fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose. By aligning your brand’s ‘why’ with your customers’ values and showcasing these through authentic stories and experiences, you create a loyal community around your brand. In this community, every customer’s story becomes a testament to the values you stand for, transforming customers into brand advocates.

 

Reputation Management: Your Brand’s ‘Why’ in Action

 

Managing your brand’s reputation hinges on how consistently and authentically you act on your ‘why.’ Let’s consider a unique example to illustrate this point, focusing on a business whose ‘why’ centers on exceptional customer service.

Example: A Commitment to Exceptional Customer Service:

• Imagine a business that has built its brand around providing unparalleled customer service. This ‘why’ is at the heart of everything they do, from the first point of contact to after-sales support. Let’s say the ‘why’ is they had terrible experiences as customers and decided they didn’t want other people to have that experience. Valiant cause and something an audience can get behind. Staying committed to exceptional customer service is something at the core of their business. The reputation sets the expectations and brand perception.
• For this business, every interaction is an opportunity to show their commitment to customer satisfaction, whether they’re handling a routine inquiry or resolving a complex issue.

Living the ‘Why’ in Good and Bad Times:

• Upholding this commitment means going the extra mile, especially when things get tough. On a bad day, when challenges arise, this business’s responds with patience, understanding, and a problem-solving attitude becomes a testament to their ‘why. Pressure players that remain solution orientated gain the loyalty and respect of their customers.
• A study shows that 73% of consumers fall in love with a brand because of friendly customer service representatives (Forbes)

Consistency is Key:

• Consistency in delivering on this promise of exceptional customer service solidifies the business’s reputation. It’s not just about being good on a good day; it’s about being consistently great, day in and day out. Remove the guesswork out of the experience by implementing a repeatable, enjoyable experience under normal circumstances and you’ll gain loyal customers who leave room for understanding.
• This approach leads to customer loyalty and referrals. Happy customers share their positive experiences, and these stories become powerful endorsements of the brand’s reputation.

Final Thought: Your brands ‘why’ isn’t just a mission statement; it’s a commitment that needs to be clear in every action, every day. With our example, a business that consistently delivers exceptional customer service, regardless of circumstances, builds a reputation that draws customers in and keeps them coming back. It’s about being authentic and consistent in your ‘why,’ whatever that may be, ensuring that it shines through in every aspect of your business.

 

The Decision to Rethink or Rebrand

 

There comes a time in the life of many businesses when rethinking or rebranding becomes necessary. Grounding this crucial decision in the values of your business and its alignment with your evolving customer base is necessary. There are a variety of factors to take into consideration, but it starts and stops with the customer and stays aligned with your ‘why’. If you stray too far away from the foundational elements of your business, you risk losing the audiences and customers. Drastic changes are more than not the results of extenuating circumstances.

Recognizing the Need for Change:

• The decision to rebrand often stems from a variety of factors: market changes, customer feedback, or a shift in your own business goals and values.
• A study shows that consistent branding across all channels increases revenue by up to 23%, but if your current brand isn’t achieving this, it might be time to reassess (Forbes). It is okay to change your delivery of information on social media and other platforms. Each platform and outlet will have their own top performing methods of sharing information.

Staying True to Your ‘Why’:

• Rebranding doesn’t mean changing your foundational ‘why’; it’s about adapting and realigning it with the current market and your ideal customer profile. A customer’s expectations can change and markets can shift. However, your ‘why’ stays the same as the foundation on which your business is built on’. A complete overhaul is a longer process of reestablishing a brand’s reputation.
• This process involves a deep dive into what your customers now value and how well your current brand resonates with these evolving preferences. Customers and markets supply the information. It is up to the business to decide on the narrative they used to repeat it back to them in their marketing.

Evolving Alongside Your Customers:

• The business landscape is dynamic, and customer preferences can shift. A rebrand can be an opportunity to better align with these changes while maintaining your core identity.
• For example, if technological advancements have changed the way your customers interact with your industry, your rebrand could involve embracing these new technologies while retaining your foundational values.

The Risks and Rewards of Rebranding:

• Rebranding carries risks, such as losing recognition or alienating existing customers, but it can also open doors to new markets and rejuvenate your business.
• Approximately 50% of consumers state they are more inclined to make purchases from a brand that connects with them on a personal level (Forbes) Rebranding can be the catalyst to create this resonance.

Final Thought: You should not take the decision to rethink or rebrand lightly. It requires a careful evaluation of your current brand’s impact and how well it reflects your core ‘why.’ The goal is to ensure that your brand continues to resonate with your target audience and remains relevant in a changing market. A successful rebrand strengthens your connection with your customers and paves the way for future growth and success.

 

Conclusion: Embracing Your ‘Why’ for Lasting Success

 

As we conclude our journey through the importance of your ‘why’ in brand development, let’s revisit the key insights that illuminate the path to lasting success for your business:

Your Unique Story: Your personal journey and ‘why’ set you apart in a competitive market, infusing your brand with authenticity and resonance.

Aligning with Your Audience: Understanding and aligning your ‘why’ with your audience’s values not only attracts the right customers but fosters deep, lasting loyalty.

Building Trust and Reputation: Consistently living your ‘why’ in every aspect of your business shapes a positive reputation and builds trust among your customers.

The Power of Adaptation: Being open to rethinking or rebranding while staying true to your core ‘why’ ensures your brand remains relevant and resonates in an evolving market.

Now, I encourage you to delve deeper into the essence of your brand. Reflect on your ‘why’, embrace it, and let it be the guiding light in all your branding efforts. Remember, a brand with a strong, authentic foundation is not just seen; it’s felt and remembered.

Call to Action

Explore the depth of your brand’s ‘why’ and take the first steps towards building a brand that truly represents you and connects with your audience. If you’re looking for more insights and strategies, delve into our Resource Library. Here, you’ll find articles, eBooks, and other resources that will guide you in refining and expressing your brand’s unique story.

Additional Resources and Next Steps

To support you on your brand development journey, we offer a wealth of resources:

In-depth Articles: Discover articles that delve into various aspects of brand development, from storytelling to customer engagement.

Resource Library Access: Visit our Resource Library for a curated selection of resources, including case studies, templates, and step-by-step guides.

Coaching: Transform obstacles into opportunities with expert coaching designed to unlock your business’s full potential.

Call to Action

Your journey to building a powerful, authentic brand starts now. Visit our Resource Library to access a treasure trove of knowledge and tools that will empower you in your brand development journey. Remember, understanding and embracing your ‘why’ is the first step to creating a brand that not only stands out, but stands the test of time. Start exploring today and build the brand that truly reflects your vision and values.

Update: I recently updated this article (1.29.24) to ensure it includes the latest statistics and strategies for small businesses. Stay tuned for more up-to-date content!