Questions To Ask When Developing Your Brand
We’ve focused lately on the importance of establishing a strong brand that customers can recognize and depend upon. But if you’re still left a little confused and asking yourself how you’re supposed to come up with a good brand, don’t worry — we’re ready to help you do a brainstorming session so you can come up with a solid idea of your brand identity. Let’s jump right in…
1. Who is your target or ideal customer?
Before you answer any other questions about your brand, you need to have a solid idea of what type of person gets the most out of your product or service. Get creative and figure out a well-rounded customer avatar — think about their age, their gender, their hobbies or interests, their education level, their income, and so on. You might have several target or ideal customers, and that’s okay! If you need to make several customer avatars to serve you in developing your brand, go for it!
2. What problems do you solve?
Every business is out to solve some kind of problem. In the world of marketing, these problems are often referred to as “pain points.” Some brands solve major problems — they help people achieve better health or get financially stable. On the other hand, some luxury brands just make people feel less stressed or more sophisticated. Don’t dismiss your brand by saying it doesn’t solve any problems…you know it definitely does! If you’re having trouble figuring out your pain points, ask yourself what fears your target or ideal customer has and/or what big, audacious dreams they have. If you are still struggling, schedule time with the ASMM Team. We can help.
3. What’s your personality type?
Nope, we’re not talking about your personality as a business owner. We’re talking about the personality of your brand. If your brand became a person, what would they be like? Would they be laid-back and chill? Or would they be excited and childlike? Maybe they would be sophisticated and posh? Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your brand’s personality has to match up with your target customer’s personality — in all likelihood, your brand’s personality is what your ideal customer wants to be like but isn’t.
4. If your business were a person, what would their speech sound like?
Now that you have your brand’s personality chosen, think about their speech. What expressions or slang terms do they use? Do they speak in full sentences, or are they inclined to bust out a few clipped phrases? Do they use a lot of contractions? When you imagine your brand’s speech, this will help you establish voice for your ad copy, blogs, and social media posts.
5. How do you make clients feel?
Ever notice how some brands just make you feel a certain way? You feel hip and cool when you drink a Starbucks latte, or you feel very bourgeois if you wear a Rolex watch. When your customers patronize your business, how do you expect them to feel?
6. How are you different from your competition?
Sometimes your brand isn’t simply what you are. It can sometimes be what you’re not! Take a look at your competition and ask yourself how you’re distinct from them. You’ll likely want to own your differences and play them up in your branding. (And if you don’t want to do that, you should ask yourself why.)
7. What’s the story behind your business?
When you opened your business, it was likely because you saw a need that only you could fill. Spend some time thinking about why that need, and the vacancy of businesses meeting it, was such a problem in society. Even though you knew you were somebody who could fill it, did you have any reservations about pursuing business ownership? What convinced you to go for it and gave you the stamina to go after it?
8. What values do you embrace?
People are loyal to brands not just because of the great product they sell but also because of the causes they represent. These values might be related to your business (high-quality product, affordable prices, well-treated employees) or they might be charitable causes you support (environmentalism, mental health, education access). If you want charitable causes to be a part of your business model (and you should) think about what specific charities you want to support.
9. What are three words that describe your business?
This one is actually way tougher than it sounds. Come up with three specific, descriptive adjectives that somebody would use to describe your brand. Calm? Rustic? Edgy? Hilarious? Everyone can use basic adjectives like “elegant” or “casual,” but getting creative with your three words will help you zero in on a strong aesthetic for your brand.
10. What brands are YOU loyal to — and why?
Finally, ask yourself what brands you are loyal to. And ask yourself why you like those brands so much. Why do you keep going back to those businesses over and over again to spend your money? Is it because you like the product? Is it because you feel a certain way when you’re there? Would you ever go to patronize the competition, and if not, why wouldn’t you?