A strong brand doesn’t just happen by chance; it requires deliberate strategy and consistent execution. And the execution is not just external – much of the impact is due to internal focus. Here’s how you can enhance your marketing effectiveness by increasing your Brand Strength.
1. Be Distinctive in Your Market and Compared to the Competition
Being good isn’t good enough. Your brand needs to provide your Ideal Target a unique benefit and clearly communicate it so they understand. Here’s how to ensure your brand stands apart:
Define Your Promise and Secret Sauce:
This is what sets you apart from the competition, supporting your purpose, vision, mission, or why you exist.
- Promise (How You are Different): Define and articulate what you promise to do that will make your ideal target’s life better, showcasing how you are unique. This touches the core of how you’re different and why your audience should choose you.
- Secret Sauce (What You Do That Makes You Different): Detail in three sentences the combination of factors that make your brand stand out. Often these are a blend of a quality product, great people, and a unique process.
- Visual Branding: Your logo, color scheme, and typography should be memorable and consistently applied across all channels. This helps people recognize your brand quickly and easily.
- Tone-of-Voice: Develop a distinct brand voice that reflects your business’s personality. Whether it’s playful, professional, or authoritative, maintain consistency in your tone across marketing copy, sales messages, customer service interactions, and internal communications.
2. Ensure Your Brand Promise & Secret Sauce Are Well Known and Understood Throughout Your Organization
A powerful brand starts from within. It’s crucial that everyone in your organization understands and “lives” your brand Promise & Secret Sauce (and values if you have them). Here’s how to achieve internal alignment and engagement:
- Training: Conduct regular training sessions to educate your employees about your Brand Promise & Secret Sauce, history, and company stories that support them. Make sure understanding your brand is part of the onboarding process for new hires.
- Regular Communication: Use the Promise and Secret Sauce during everyday conversations. Add it to communications, digitally and in offices, plants, etc.
- Brand Ambassadors: Encourage employees to live the brand values in their daily roles, transforming them into brand ambassadors. This can be supported by creating recognition programs that reward employees who exemplify brand-aligned behavior.
3. Always Consider Your Brand Promise & Secret Sauce in Decision-Making
Your Promise & Secret Sauce is a commitment you make to your Ideal Target. It is not just what they can expect from your products and services, but the overall experience. It should be a guiding force behind every business decision.
- Leadership Example: Leadership should model the importance of the Promise & Secret Sauce in decision-making. When leaders prioritize the brand, it sets a precedent for the rest of the organization to follow suit.
- Value-Driven Decisions: Ensure that all business strategies and decisions, from product development to sales tactics, are aligned with your Brand Promise & Secret Sauce. This builds trust and loyalty as customers see consistent delivery on your commitment.
- Regular Evaluation: Periodically assess whether your operations and customer experiences are meeting your expectations. Gather feedback from both employees and customers to understand what’s working and what can be improved.
By building a distinctive brand, ensuring internal understanding, and consistently aligning business decisions with your brand promise, your organization fortifies the brand and makes it easier to build it. Embrace these strategies to not only stand out in the market but also to build sustainable growth and loyalty among both employees and customers.
To learn more about marketing effectiveness and its 5 key drivers, read our post linked below.