Why Brand?

Imagine you just bought tickets to your favorite sports event. Any event.

When the day for the game arrives you show up to the arena to find a flat empty space. No lines are painted on the field of play. There are a couple rows of benches, but definitely not enough to accommodate everyone. You realize you would have been better off bringing your own chair or a blanket.

You see players warming up on different areas the field, but they’re all just wearing their own clothes. You can’t tell who’s on which team or where they even plan on playing the actual game, but you’re guessing the older guy with the whistle is the ref.

One thing is for sure: there are no concessions and the only bathroom is co-ed and a bit shady.

In this scenario:

• How excited are you about the game?
• How confident are you that staying for the game is worth it?
• How likely are you to buy tickets to the next game?
• How comfortable are you inviting friends to the next game?

True, if the game is fantastic, you may be willing to overlook the disorganization. But you are also likely to start wondering why the teams are charging admission when you can pay the same amount to go somewhere else and watch uniformed teams play in an arena that’s designed around creating a great spectator experience.

THE ROLE OF BRAND 

This metaphor breaks down as follows:

• Your industry is the game. 
• Your employees are your team.  
• Your brand is the field you play on, the equipment you use, and the plays you  run.
• Your marketing is how you fill the seats at each game.
• You customers are the fans in the stands who are supporting the team they think is best.

Subconsciously, we all know this.

Just like our exposure to sports has taught us all to expect certain things at our favorite sporting events, we live in a culture with a standard experience for dealing with legitimate brands. We’ve been raised with it. We interact with brands every day. We know how to navigate competing businesses just as easily as we can watch our favorite sport.

For example, a sports fan knows that it's not their job to make the big play—as a matter of fact, that’s prohibited. Every sport has its rules and etiquette all the fans know. Within that space, it’s the team’s/brand’s job to give the fan the space and knowledge to support the team.

STRONG BRANDS ATTRACT FANS

People deal with companies every day. Just like a fan at a sporting event, customers are used to seeing and interacting with certain brand elements throughout each day that orient them and tell them where they are and what to expect.

• What kind of company are they looking at?
• What benefit do they provide?
• What level of quality do they bring to the market?
• What is unique about the brand?
• How does choosing one brand over another improve your life?

From birth, rising generations have been trained to see the difference between Microsoft and Apple as quickly as the difference between a cat and a dog. They’ve also been trained to pair personal identity with brand identity. They care if they have an iPhone or a Droid. It matters.

The relevance and strength of brands that have been figuring out how to connect with customers for a century or more are the exact reason why any competitive company—large or small, old or new—must brand in the digital age.

Metaphorically speaking, you must build your team and provide a stadium so people what game your playing and what level you're playing at. 

• People who show up at your doors must be able to see what you’re about in a glance. 
• Fans must comprehend the organization and see where their seats are in the game against the competition. 

Just like nearly every person can tell the difference between a soccer field and a basketball court whether they’ve played either sport or not, people need to show up at your door and know what your game is.

• What do you do?
• Why do you it?
• How do you do it better than anyone else?
• How can you be spotted in a crowd?
• Why do you deserve fans?
• Why is your price tag worth it?

These are all parts of branding. And if you’re not doing it, you’re the equivalent to a sports team playing on an empty field while expecting fans to show up and pay market price to sit on the grass and watch a bunch of randomly dressed players play a game on a field with imaginary lines.

Maybe you’ll get away with it. Maybe. But in this day and age, it’s not likely. In this day and age, you need to be worthy of fans to thrive.

Remember this: Companies have customers. Brands have fans, and branding is the process of showing people who you are, the game you play, how you play it, and why you are fan-worthy.

You need to be a brand. Wicked Sassy can help.

ONE BOOK EXPLAINS ALL THE BASICS

Start building your brand today by clicking on the book cover to order your copy of Build Your Brand.



Build Your Brand is hands down the best $18 you will spend on your business this year.

The book walks you through the basics of branding in a way that empowers you to identify and tackle any branding issues you may have.

CONSULTS AVAILABLE

Remotely or on site, Wicked Sassy is available for a hands-on consultation. Whether you're just starting out, or you're looking to shake things up, Wicked Sassy will help you develop a brand worthy of loyalty.

To learn more, send us a message using the "Contact Wicked Sassy" feature in the sidebar. We look forward to working with  you!