Simple Branding Made Simple

This is the moment of truth- reality check brands. Are you over complicating things? I mean are you making things harder than you need to? If you are here’s a large dose of check yourself before you wreck yourself. According to the Siegel+Gale Simplicity Index:

• 63% of customers are willing to pay a bit extra for a simple experience

• 69% are likely to refer a brand that provides a simple experience

So are you now convinced that your brand needs to serve a need or solve a problem with simplicity? Successful brands are those who are extremely focused on simplifying the customer’s experience. Now if you’re wondering how you can streamline your brand and create a leaner business here’s what you need to know:

Be Easy:

The more complicated you make your offerings the less likely it is that customers will think of you first. Customers want to use a product that not only solves a problem for them but makes it as easy as 1-2-3 in the process. For example if your brand is offering multiple promotions at the same time, it will create major confusions. Keep it simple to maximum 2 different types of promotions. You want your brand to be easily understood.

Position From Power:

You always want to position your brand from a power position in order to succeed. In order to do that your brand needs to answer these:

1. Your company is …

2. Your company does …

3. Your company serves …

Study How The Pro’s Do It:

If you’re needing some inspiration, check out how these pro’s do simplicity branding.

• Google (Simple website, yet provides a ton of valuable information)

• Zappos (Allows you to try on and return at ease)

• Warby Parker (No need to go to the optical store to get glasses, they come to you)

• Netflix (A monthly subscription gives you limitless movies without ads)

• Amazon (Buy almost anything on a single platform

Where The Magic of Personal Branding Lives

Personal branding- the other HOT HOT topic next to social influencers. So many times people have asked us, “how can we improve on our personal brand.” There’s actually a simple answer to that, there’s a magical sweet spot you need to tap. The intersection of your passions, your strengths, and what the world needs.

That magical space is going to be your brand’s purpose. You’re probably wondering what’s the roadmap? Or maybe I want to know the quick and dirty ingredients that will boost my personal brand to the next level.

We’re going to break it down for you. And for the purpose of the article we’re going to be using Richard Branson of the Virgin Group as an example.

 Tell Me Your Passion

Yes, get clear on what you’re passionate about. Is it tech? Maybe it’s fashion or reading poetry. Whatever your passion is, it needs to be a passion that’s so big, that’s at your core. Many of you will have many different passions but pick one that can not live without. Here’s Richard’s passion, “taking on big social and business challenges.”

 What’s Your Strengths?

When it comes to your strengths you might find it hard to figure out what they are so don’t be afraid to ask people who know you. This is a great question you want to also ask yourself, “If I was a superhero, what would be my superpower?” This might help get the juices flowing. Richard states that he’s good at bringing people together to solve social and business challenges.

What’s Wrong In The World?

This is a question that will warrant so many different answers but you want to ask yourself these three questions. What’s missing? What’s currently broken? What is the competition failing at? Here Branson believes that businesses should be a force for good.

Brand Purpose

This is that magical space where stars shine and fireworks go off. Your brand purpose is where the three things we mentioned above will intersect. Everyone’s brand purpose will be different, so keep in mind there’s no right or wrong answer. Richard’s personal brand purpose is to change business for good.

Create Your Action Steps

Once you have these mapped out, you want to create next steps as to how you’re going to get your brand out into the world. Whether it’s through podcasts, photographs, blogs, etc. whatever you choose it has to be a medium that will resonate with you personally.

The Serial Strategic Partnership Syndrome

Are you suffering from the serial strategic partnership syndrome? If you exhibit a collection of business cards stacked high on your desk, or you’re one of those who has excuses why you can’t work with another brand then you got the bug. Too many times we tell ourselves these stories from “oh I’m too busy,” to “I’ll reach out to them soon.”Ultimately In the end you never fortify these partnerships. And just like that you’ve fallen prey to the “Serial Strategic Partnership Syndrome.” If you’re wondering what that is, well here’s some the symptoms.

You’re a Business Card Hoarder:

If you have a stack of cards on your desk or in a drawer. That’s the first sign that you’re being a strategic partnership hoarder. I know it’s polite to take people’s cards when they offer it to you but you also have to do something with it. If they’re not the partners that your brand needs then throw away the cards. Just like the good cleaning rule states, if you haven’t touched it in six months give it away or throw it out.

Let’s Collaborate Disease:

Everyone seems to be throwing this line out all the time but is your brand backing these words up with action? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it or you don’t find any value in partnering up with another brand.

The Ignore:

If you’re being approached by people to work together, are you ignoring them? So many times brands ignore other brands and it ends up being a missed opportunity. The least you can do is hear them out.

So you ask, “how can I remedy this syndrome,” well it’s quite easy. Here’s how:

Get Clear:

What are your brand’s core values? Being very clear about what your brand stands for will allow you to align your brand with the right partner. Not every partnership is supposed to be pursued. But by making sure your values are similar to that of your partner brand, it will prevent you from holding onto every partner that you come in contact with. When you work with brands that compliment your brand the partnership can be successful.

Creative Partners:

It’s important that your partner brand is open minded and creative in their approach because it increases the chance of you both creating a unique end product. And not to mention lots of engagements evoking curiosity.

Complementary Products:

Make sure you’re working with a brand that complements yours and vice versa. You both don’t want to be competing against each other in the partnership. It defeats the meaning of strategic partnership.

Do Branding Like The Luxury Brands

Do you ever wonder why luxury brands have die-hard fans willing to pay exorbitant prices for their products? Many say it’s because of the outstanding customer service while others might argue it’s about the quality of their products. What if I told you that it’s about all that and more! Luxury brands exude this sense of belonging to an exclusive club tailored just for you- the customer. This kind of strategy isn’t by accident. These brands are very deliberate and precise in the methodology they present to you.

 If you study any luxury brand they will have at least 3 if not all of these kinds of strategies implemented. In conjunction to strategy these brands carefully select the words they use in describing their products such as quality, elegance, sophistication etc. An example of this is Rolex watches. They had created ads with the tag lines, “Powered For Precision” and “Live For Greatness.” These are words that point to the wants and desires most coveted by consumers.

 You can easily harness these same strategies to transform your own business.

 Aggrandize the product and the way it was made

Notice how luxury brands speak about how each of their products were made. A great example is Gucci, they passionately speak about the embossing process on their leather handbags.

 Value in history, traditions, and the craft

There’s a deep rooted value in the traditions and history of many luxury brands. It’s always part of their story such as Coco Chanel for Chanel.

 Pay Tribute to the innovator

They honor the person, the creative visionary, the brains behind the product.

 Glorify the obsessive fascination of collectors to a point of sophistication

Luxury watch brands do a great job in this category when they launch exclusive collections and hold private launch parties for their best collectors.

Pay Homage to the place or location where the product was made

If the product can only be found in certain part of the world, it adds to the exclusivity piece of the story and can command an even higher price on the market.

Secrets to Exploding Your Customer Experience

The ever escaping rally cry of what constitutes as “THE” customer experience (CX) in today’s ever changing world boggles brands regularly. In this moment, in any market, customers are demanding for quality experiences. Our consumers today are not just looking for one experience but in fact they’re looking to collect multiple experiences from multiple brands in real time. This poses as a real challenge especially for brand loyalty.

 Consumers are in some ways “experience cheating” on your brand, seeking the next thrill, the next “in” thing, that will level up their social status. So what exactly can your brand do in order to satisfy the experience appetite of today’s consumer? Many haven’t strayed too far from the continuum of social media posts and videos. But there are a few trends in CX that your brand can utilize to take it to the next level. It is through deliberate CX design that your brand will stand apart from the competition.

 Shock & Awe

There’s nothing like breaking out of the status quo box. The more your brand can delight your customers with engaging and creative experiences, the more they will pay attention. If we look at Gary Vee as a brand, what he says at times will surely shock you. He makes comments like, “You’re going to die soon. Do something about it.” Nonetheless it’s that kind of brutal honesty and shock that will garner attention.

Self-Improvement

Your customers want to feel good. They want to know that by consuming your product they will be better. For example Yoga as a collective brand is not only a lifestyle but the biggest attractant to the practice is for the bettering of your well being, both spiritually and physically. Thus yoga exploded as a worldwide phenomenon.

The Experience Venture

As the retail market for free standing stores shrink, many brands have gotten creative. They’ve devised a sort of cohabitation space within their retail stores by offering classes, events, or inviting a few celebrities to share their wisdom. Samsung 837 in NYC embodies this concept well. In their flagship NYC store they open their doors inviting the public to attend special keynote events. Apple has also announced that they will be offering additional courses in select retail stores, teaching photography and more.

The New Definition of Brand

The culmination of share and experience economy may slowly shift to Virtual Experience as a new brand definition. Though virtual is still in it’s infancy we see a rise of tech companies preparing for the next wave of snazzy tech obsession, from the Google Tilt Brush to Alibaba’s VR & AR shopping experience.

 The Virtual Experience economy will shatter the way brands have traditionally defined what it means to be a brand. No longer can they rely on a pretty logo, stunning websites, lavishly cool ads and defined corporate colors. Within the last 20 plus years the definition of brand has shifted so far away from where it started, a simple Norse word that meant to burn.

But are we truly ready to embrace this new virtual experience economy? Will it be a global phenomenon powerful enough to shift the way we conduct business? I mean we just started to understand the sharing economy. The questions will continually arise but it would be a total folly to not consider the fact that, yes your brand in the future may need to consider building a strategy around VR and even allocating dollars in your marketing budget.

 As of now we are not quite there yet. But what can brands do in the meantime? Connection is still the currency of brands. So in part it must be a focal point for brands to create a connection through emotions. That will be the strongest and most magnetic way to consumers’ brand loyalty.

So in order to create emotions it can be done through events, images, or the words you use. It can even be conveyed through the way you interact with customers both online and offline. It needs to be a deliberate, planned out approach that’s finely executed consistently.

In the end you what do you think? Is there any clout when it comes to the virtual experience economy? Will it shape the way brands are brands? Leave a comment with your thoughts would love to hear what you think.

Why Breaking Up With Clients Is Good For Your Brand

It’s hard breaking up with clients. Every business knows that serving clients is the lifeline of the brand. Many of us will take on clients knowing that they probably aren’t going to be the best clients for us. Yet we knowingly spend our time with them in order to hit our numbers.

But these might be clients who are extremely indecisive and 8 months later have still yet to decide on what color to use for their logo. Or what about those clients that only know how to speak down to you even when you’re trying to help their brand. What about clients that refuse to accept that they need to make changes to their brand?

When you come across these types of clients, you need to really assess. It may be painful having that gut wrenching breakup conversation but it can in fact boost your brand. Here’s the top reasons why:

1. Shows That You’re Serious

Your time is as valuable as anyone else’s so when you break up with a client, you’re letting them know that you take their time and yours very seriously. If a client can't appreciate that then you need to simply move on.

2. Spending Time in The Right Places

This will free you up to focus on clients who want to work with your brand. It may even make you happier doing the things that you love.

3. Creates Exclusivity

When you are selective of which clients you take on, it creates an exclusive image. The rarer the opportunity, the more clients are willing to pay. If you think about it, anything that’s limited edition is always priced much higher.

4. You Pick Your Perfect Clients

It’s important that you work with people you like. So now that you know what kind of client you aren’t willing to work with, you get to be picky as to which types of clients you will take on.