We’ve been talking about whether or not you had a 360-degree view of your brand and we identified that a brand is like a three-legged stool.
To review, the three legs are:
1. The company’s vision of the brand
2. The consumers’ vision of the brand
3. Where your brand sits in the marketplace
In last week’s post we explored the first leg of the stool – the company’s vision of the brand.
This week, let’s think about your company from your consumer’s point of view.
This is all theirs. What do they know and think they know about your organization? How consistent is that mental picture with their actual experiences with your company?
Remember that in its simplest form – a brand is your promise to the world. To your employees, your vendors and your customers. It is you standing up, hand on heart and pledging something.
And then keeping that pledge.
We all know what happens when someone doesn’t keep their promise. Trust is shaken and eventually broken. Today’s consumers are wary and quick to dismiss a brand or company if they don’t live up to their word. Worse, with today’s technology those disgruntled customers do not just go gently into that good night. But instead, they hop online and tell everyone about your transgression. All because their expectations weren’t met.
The easiest way to meet (and hopefully exceed) a customer’s expectation is to be the one who sets them. But to do that, you need to see your business from their point of view. You have to walk a mile in their shoes. You need to understand what they’re looking for before you can promise them that you can deliver it.
I can hear you now – “I know what my customers think (want, experience, need).” With all due respect – you really don’t. Too often, business people make the fatal mistake of assuming that all customers think/feel the way they do. Be smart and be objective.
So what do you need to discover your brand from your consumer’s point of view? There are three key elements to this. The differences, the need/want and the fear.
The differences:
You don’t have just one consumer. You don’t even have just one type of consumer. Most businesses are complex enough to serve several different audiences. You can’t lump them all together. Make a list of your top three customer “types” and study them carefully. Think about engaging in some market research, so you can trust the results and conclusions of your studies. Find out what attracted each audience type to your business. What were they looking for? What makes them stay? What would make them switch to one of your competitors?
The need/want:
I don’t care how cheap something is, if a consumer does not perceive that they need or want it, they aren’t going to buy. Nor, over time, will they pay you much attention. For each of your key audiences, you need to understand what they need and/or want from you. What do they want to buy? By the way, the answer isn’t the “thing” you sell. It’s what that thing does for them.
The fear:
Here’s a truth most consumers are loathe to tell you. They’re afraid. What they’re afraid of is going to vary based on what you sell. They might be afraid of making a bad choice. Or their fear might be that they’re paying too much. Another fear may be that they are buying the wrong solution or that it won’t work the way you promise that it will. So if they decided to do business with you, something about your company soothed their fear. If you can figure out how you did that – it’s a powerful element of your brand and should be replicated for other consumers.
Don’t shy away from research. In most cases, when done with a reputable company, what you learn is going to far outweigh what you pay. However you decide to learn about your customers’ perspective – don’t make the mistake of thinking that you know best.
Next time…the 3rd leg of the stool. Where your brand sits in the marketplace.