1 Word That Links Every Successful Brand
Small business owners and freelancers know the deal. You’re doing everything in your power to give consumers the best you can offer, yet no one’s even batting an eye at your business.
The effort you’re putting in seems to make no difference.
It seems the most loyal ones in your community are family or longtime friends, and the new impressions you make seem to quickly fade.
Even with all this work, it seems that nothing seems to stick. It’s like throwing wet paper towels on the ceiling; no matter how hard you try, they eventually lose their grip and disappear.
After careful observation and years of studying successful brands, I’ve found what makes a brand great.
One of the most important things about branding is building familiarity with your customers. It’s the reason why companies like Pepsi, CitiBank, and BBC spent millions on just their logo.
But what about brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, or Microsoft? They didn’t spend a dime on their logos?
They’re successful for the same reason — branding — but their budgets went elsewhere instead of on their logos. They focused on building a community.
Branding is about the perception and mood all of the associated elements create when combined. These marketing managers and brand builders are focusing on one value to build a link between the company and its target audience.
The one value your business needs to prioritize is…
TRUST
This is the key to all successful businesses. The one thing that will solidify that link between you and your customers and turn suit-and-tie ‘sales’ into much warmer and mutually-beneficial ‘interactions’.
How does trust tie into a better brand? It gives your business that much-needed connection with your product or service.
Do you trust your hairdresser?
Think about the barber or hairstylist you visit. I would be shocked if there weren’t alternatives available that were cheaper, closer, or better — yet you’re still sticking with your one favorite hairdresser.
Switching to a new hairdresser might be risky. What if they’re really bad at cutting hair? What if they’re cheaper because they focus on speed?
These are all considerations you make when deciding where to get your next haircut, and the haircut after that. It’s much easier for you to stick with the hairdresser you trust than to constantly be looking for the best option.
Implement Trust into Your Brand
So how do you actually build trust with your customers?
There are a handful of ways to strengthen trust and build customer loyalty within your brand. They all require a focus on one thing — building long-term relationships and forgetting about each additional sale.
Be Patient
There are times when you have to turn down a new client in favor of a more established one, even if the profits are higher. The chances of that new client turning away after that next transaction are much higher than that of the established client. In the long run, you’re going to have burnt the bridge to both the established client and the new one and be down in the gutter.
The focus on building long-term relationships is beneficial for your longevity and the value of your brand to others. Trust grows exponentially over time and you need to be patient when trying to build out your brand.
Be Human
Stop focusing on the metrics and analytics and start focusing on the intangible strengths that empathy has to offer.
Being a human with your customers, being open about your weaknesses, and treating your customers like people will make your brand much more than just a business. Your customers can spend their money on any business they want, so give them a reason to love giving their money to you.
Treat your customers the same way you would treat a friend, and trust will come naturally.
Show Love!
Not only to people you don’t know, but the people you have established deeper relationships with. Leaving reviews, engaging, and asking questions are great ways to build a link with the community as both a business and a customer.
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