The Biggest Secret to Building A Small Business Brand That Attracts
photo credit: Sara Weir | creative direction & styling by us
I celebrated one of my dearest friend’s promotion on Saturday night.
We went to a new and very stylish, well-decorated restaurant in the neighborhood. I was wowed by the logo, interior and menu design. It was very refreshing to see a restaurant that is modern, hip but also warm and fun with vibrant color accents.
With a glass of wine in one hand, all excited, I started going down the menu. Just like most first timers, I wanted to try their star dishes and was ready to be swooned over!
And then I got confused.
I wasn’t exactly sure what the restaurant is known for. There were lots of fusion dishes, that I know. But even the fusion wasn’t clear. Was it Asian fusion? French-Japanese? Italian influenced?
We spent the next 15 minutes yelping, trying to see what the dishes actually look like cause they were just hard to understand.
Sounds similar?
You stepped into a store, landed on a website, picked up a product, and you’re just confused about what they sell, what your next action step should be, or what the product even is… So you left the store, clicked X and close the browser, put the item back onto the shelf…
As small businesses, we tend to get a little too creative sometimes, and get carried away. We want to jam pack all the pretty long adjectives into describing what we do. We also assume that people will spend 5 minutes going through every page of our website.
When we confuse people, they turn away, their excitement dies, and the desire to purchase dies with it...
This the same for all types of business.
So, what’s the biggest secret to build a brand that attract and multiply?
A clear and simple brand message.
A clear and simple brand message…
1. Makes people take the next step to engage
With all types of marketing material, business card, website, Instagram, or landing page, if you can’t make people interested in 15 seconds, they leave. This is the 15 Second Rule.
Our attention span is short. That’s just how humans are wired. People need to know exactly what you do and what problem you solve, with the least brain power and effort possible. So you need a clear and simple message to make they take action and find out more.
People buy what you do. So have a brand message that tell them exactly that, clearly in simple words, so they want to find out more about what you can give them.
2. Attracts the perfect customers
If people know they are the perfect audience you serve, they know that they came to the right place. They would think that you probably know them well and that you understand their needs. They would also feel more confident investing in your service or product.
A clear brand message spells out exactly who you serve, so when the perfect potential customers land on your website or social media, they would start trusting your brand already because you’ve been serving their tribe, the people they identify themselves with. These perfect clients would know you’re there, looking for them and have been helping people like them.
3. Tells the world why it has to be you
Your brand message is how you make a strong first impression. Tell people why it has to be you, and what makes you unique and different from everyone else.
Have a clear brand message tells people what is it about your brand that is special. People will see your differentiation, and that it has to be you, and no one else, and that you have the solution / product they’ve been looking for.
Once you got a clear brand message, in one simple sentence, here are all the places you should place it to optimize its effect and make the most of it:
homepage of your website
⇒ About page of your website
⇒ Bio of your Instagram account
⇒ About section of your Facebook business account
⇒ Business stationery, such as business cards and thank you cards
⇒ Digital and print marketing collateral
⇒ Promotional products and banners for industry events and trade shows
⇒ Bio or About section of all of your press feature
It’s time to remove all confusion and start growing!
Don’t forget to grab your seat at our FREE training, so you know how to grow your profitable brand people love AND a loyal customer community who keep buying from you!