There’s an awful lot of ‘jargon’ or ‘brand speak’ that is uttered by ‘branding’ people these days!
Those who know what I’m talking about have probably approached a branding agency who’ve confused them with terminology such as ‘proposition statements’ and ‘differentiators’. Help is at hand, read on!
As a brander, if your potential client has to ask you what things mean you’ve just wasted time explaining it. You need to keep it simple. If it doesn’t say what it means in an instant – it’s not worth saying!
The same goes for your brand.
Because when you stop and think about it, your brand shouldn’t be over complicated either – simply tell it as it is, in plain speaking English so the message is clear. Imagine you’re in a cafe or pub and someone asks you “so, what do you do then?”, how would you answer, and more importantly get around the real issue of what that person is really thinking “and why should I be listening?” There’s really no time for lengthy terminology in this instance so you need to have your story straight.
And here’s the thing…
It’s not just you but everyone in your business or company must say the same thing, telling the same story (in their own words maybe). Branding agencies call this the ‘elevator statement‘ – and that’s the only terminology that does make sense, as it’s based on what you would say to someone if your were on a short ride in a lift (or a cafe or a pub!). Now this should start you thinking more about your lovely brand statements, the ones your audience see first, and in the allocated 8 seconds (yes that’s how long you have to get their attention according to recent research) does it tell them what it is you do and why they need to get it from you?
Here’s a few on my ‘NO’ list:
- We’re the leading…
- We’ve been doing XYZ since 1990
- We’re the market specialists in…
And the reason anything like this is a huge mistake is because it’s all about you not them. Using ‘we’ in branding statements is a real negative. The most positive word to use is simply ‘you’. The above 3 examples are also ‘so what’ statements. They don’t mean a jot to the person reading them. We could all say we’re the best in our league, but it’s meaningless when you can’t prove it. What are the benefits to me that this company has been around since 1990? Where’s the proof they are the market specialists?
And does any of this matter? No not at all, because it doesn’t give any benefits about what it is you do. Here’s what you should be thinking about instead…
- What’s the benefits to them
- Prove that you feel their need
- Fill their gap
What is it you supply that will make a really tangible difference to that person’s life, be it at work, on the move or at home? If you offer a service or a product – how does that impact on your client? Does it give them more time, save them money or make life simpler, and sweeter?
It really is as easy as that?
And if you think it’s not easy and would like some guidance I’ll be very happy to help you discover a new way to look at your brand – that will attract customers naturally rather than leaving them wondering what it’s all about.
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