How to create value in your business that your competitors can’t copy

Ask most CEOs and they’ll tell you the number 1 risk to their business’ future is damage to their brand reputation. This is the actual result of a global survey run by risk management specialists, Aon (2017 Global Risk Management Survey).

Why?

Because, a strong brand with a positive reputation means loyal customers, referral business, and a large community of advocates.

And, that’s been proven to mean growing profits year-on-year. Now we’re talking! Yep strong brand = strong business.

You’ve been building your brand reputation since the day you launched, through every action and interaction, and it’s totally, 100%, yours.

It takes time to build (and only a moment to destroy) so it’s well worth protecting.

A brand is not a logo 

Yes, a brand does have a logo and colour scheme; they are important parts of your visual identity so people can associate your external facing communications with your business.

But, a brand is much deeper than that.

A brand is created in the mind – it’s the perception of your business in the minds of your stakeholder audiences. In other words, it’s your business’ reputation.

Your brand is the only thing a competitor can’t copy. They can attempt to copy your service offerings, your pricing, your marketing, maybe even your logo.

But not your brand. It’s unique to your business because a large part of how your brand is delivered and perceived is down to you and your people.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

– Jeff Bezos –

How you can create a strong brand

You can strategically position your brand to create the reputation you wish to have for your business. The main way to do this is by tailoring your brand to attract your ideal customer.

To start off, focus on these 3 key areas:

Know your ideal customer

Get specific with who you are trying to connect with so that you can create a brand that is appealing to them.

This means you select personality traits, values, tone of voice, writing style, image style, colours and fonts to be appealing to your ideal customer.

If you haven’t created a customer avatar yet, now is the time to create one! (You can download a free template right here.)

Be consistent

All your externally-facing elements of your entire business should look, sound and act consistently with your brand.

This includes how you write your emails, what you say on the phone, how your office looks, the design of your website.

And, more importantly, your marketing materials and your customer service communications should be aligned in how your customers are treated.

If you give a white glove treatment while selling to them, that white glove treatment should follow through after sales with an exceptional customer experience.

Consistency is key.

Be authentic

Authenticity builds trust. Trust builds your brand reputation.

Be authentic about what you stand for with your business. Be true to your brand promise. 

For example, if your brand promise is that you deliver on time and your brand values include efficiency; your processes and customer service will be ultra-efficient so your customer experience delivers what your brand stands for.

Share your why, show your passion and purpose for what you do so customers can feel connected to you. 

Ready to give your brand a makeover?

Create a holistic brand that appeals to your ideal customer, be consistent to your brand throughout your entire business, and deliver a customer experience that is authentic to your brand promise.

Download my free brand strategy worksheet to get started right now!