In 2005, my wife & I went to China to adopt our daughter, Iris. During our two weeks in country we ate some pretty unusual cuisine. Honestly, I was tired of the ‘food adventure’ and was almost brought to tears when we turned a corner and I saw the Golden Arches. I knew that at the very least I would be able to eat something that I was relatively familiar with! What caused me to react with joy? I was familiar with McDonald’s and I knew I could trust them even though we were thousands of miles away.1. You have not defined your ‘who’
You need to know who you are and what you stand for AND the type of client that is the ideal fit for your company. All messages going out from the company should be crafted with the goal of speaking to this ideal client. Blogs, cards, billboards, vehicles, 30 second commercials (elevator pitches), direct mail, etc…should all be telling the same story.
2. You don’t have a competitive advantage.
When the Chicago Bulls were winning championships they had Michael Jordan. No matter how many good players the other team had they didn’t have MJ. In your business, what is your competitive advantage? What do you have that no one else can have? Your name? A promise? A system? Here’s a great example of a company that stands out in a world of all too common marketing! TWO DUDES. They have done a great job in their community of building a brand…telling a story…communicating trust.
3. You’re too lazy to create content
If you have a hot stick in your eye, what are you more likely to search for in Google,
“Award-winning eye doctors” OR “How to remove a hot stick from your eye”?
Content solves problems. It lifts you up above all the other guys who are bragging about how many awards they have or the history of their company. Awards are good. Your history is important…mostly to you. What concerns do your ideal clients have? How can you help them with THEIR concerns? If you speak their language they will understand you. They will then see you as the expert in your field. By producing great blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, etc…you will be the source of amazing information which builds your brand in a positive way. It makes you stand above the others. David Chism, of A David Creation has done a great job addressing many of the concerns and issues contractors have with technology & their businesses. He helps them by providing great information. In turn, he is the expert who gets invited to speak and coach all around the country. As a result, what kind of reputation (BRAND) has David built? He is a technology expert who genuinely is in this to make business easier and more profitable for contractors.
What about you? What stories are you telling? Are you purposefully building your reputation or are you walking blindly through the brand building journey? What’s one thing you can change today that will help your brand?
