Tips in building and marketing a successful brand

Recently I've been taking a lot of inspiration from Seth Godin, marketing legend. He outlines very clearly ways that we should be connecting with customers. It's time to get off the social media merry-go-round that never gets anywhere. Time to stop hustling and interrupting others based on our own selfish desires to simply sell. Time to stop spamming people. Time to stop making average stuff for while hoping you can charge more than a commodity price. Time to stop begging people to become your clients, and time to stop feeling bad about charging for your work. Time to stop looking for shortcuts, and time to start insisting on a long, viable path instead. Time to re-align your perspective, think greater about what you represent and who you help.

‍

Let's stop focusing on tactics to "win" and starting considering the long term strategy. Working backwards from what success looks like, you can create incremental decisions and tactics based on the direction you want to head to. The way you use stories, status and attention to drive tension is apart of your strategy.

‍

According to Seth Godin, the 5 most crucial steps in marketing and branding is:

‍
Step 1: Start with empathy to see a real need. Not an invented one, not “How can I start a business?” but, “What would matter here?” Create a story worth telling, and a contribution worth talking about. This is so crucial as a starting place, as without a story worth telling - you can push ads and pretty landing pages but nothing will resonate long term.

‍

Step 2: Focus on the smallest viable market: “How few people could find this indispensable and still make it worth doing?” Design and build your offering in a way that a few people will particularly benefit from and care about. We aren't focusing on the masses, we are focusing on that minimal viable audience, that group that will be fans, advocates. That will share our products and services with every man and their dog.

‍

Step 3: Tell a story that matches the built-in narrative and dreams of that tiny group of people, the smallest viable market. Tell it in a language they understand and resonate with.

‍

Step 4: Spread the word. Finding ways to connect, the right platforms that will engage the people you want to be talking to. Make the messaging spreadable, make it authentic expression of what you are trying to accomplish.

‍

Step 5: Show up—regularly, consistently, and generously, for years and years—to organize and lead and build confidence in the change you seek to make. To earn permission to follow up and to earn enrolment to teach. This is often overlooked, and often takes a lot of persistence. It's important to remember you can have aligned messaging and visuals, but if you don't give enough time to let people adapt their thought process and understand the value of what you do or offer you will loose potential customers.

‍

Step 6: Offer ways to go deeper. Instead of looking for members for your work, look for ways to do work for your members. At every step along the way, create and relieve tension as people progress in their journeys toward their goals.

‍

The truth is, people don't want what you make they want what it will do for them. They want how it makes them feel, this heavily drives purchasing decisions. Regardless of industry, we are delivering the same sorts of feelings just in different ways for different people. If you can bring someone belonging, connection, peace of mind, status, or one of the other most desired emotions, you’ve done something worthwhile.

‍

Successful branding built around a deep understanding of the ever changing needs and wants of your customers. A shared vocabulary that each of us choose from when expressing our dreams and fears are: Adventure Affection Avoiding new things Belonging Community Control Creativity Delight Freedom of expression Freedom of movement Friendship Good looks Health Learning new things Luxury Nostalgia Obedience Participation Peace of mind Physical activity Power Reassurance Reliability Respect Revenge Romance Safety Security Sex Strength Sympathy Tension.

‍

As an exercise: pick 5 brands you admire, look at their logos. Chances are it's not about the quality or detail of the logo in isolation. Chances are it's about the experience you have had with that brand, the reputation it upholds, the promise it has.

We need to FOCUS on the people that have identified they have a problem. Some people want recognition, others want responsibility. No one wants to feel stupid. Really, we should always be wondering, testing, and be willing to treat people differently.

‍

Really, the best reason someone talks about your brand is that they are talking about themselves. "Look at how good I am at spotting ideas, or look at how good my taste is". We spread the word when it benefits us, our taste, our word, our values, our desire for novelty and change. If the change you seek to make isn't worth talking or sharing, then find something different.

‍

I highly recommend reading this book for a deeper understanding on marketing that benefits, not tarnishes reputations of brands - https://www.amazon.com.au/This-Marketing-Seth-Godin/dp/0525540830.

‍