Many businesses today are still banking on the ‘field of dreams’ business strategy. They hear the words ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Sorry, folks that old adage is gone like Shoeless Joe Jackson into the cornfield and while you may be standing their having a catch with Dad, the guy down the street is stealing home. He’s figured out something you haven’t yet. He’s moved on to the only method that works in our culture: ‘If you BRAND it, they will come.’
We are living in a day that there are many choices; too many choices. While some may wish that you can set up shop, put out your shingle and go to work, you’ve have to think through it a bit more than that. There are hundreds if not thousands of others in the world doing the same thing you’re doing. Providing quality service, a great product, or a ‘helpful smile in every aisle.’ So, I ask,
What do you have to offer me that the others can’t?
What makes you different?
Why should I choose you?
Can you answer that question? Many businesses can’t.
The whole goal of branding is to own a ‘category’ in the mind of the customer; so when they think about your business category, they think about you. Do you know your business category? What sets you apart in that category? What makes people want to choose you over the other guys?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you don’t have a brand. You may have a business that has great products, quality service and good people on staff, but without a brand, no one will know that. You must work to create a connection with the customer, to own your category in their mind. You must create consistent, memorable experiences that are all driven by your brand values. To establish brand values, you have to know who you are and why people should care.
It takes a lot of guts to mow down your cornfield and build a baseball stadium. It takes even more guts to start your own business. But, don’t take a cue from Kevin Costner and sit on the bleachers hoping everything works out. Take the time to build your brand and watch your business grow. So, hear that voice (in the classic field of dreams whisper) ‘If you build it, and brand it, they will come.’
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Great post Jake, it’s something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit of late. I recently read Jason VanLue’s book on the subject, Branding Matters, and I really enjoyed it. Would highly recommend it to anyone else wanting to better-understand branding.
Thanks for the great insight Jake. I have learned this first hand while developing DonorElf.com for the past 2 years.
I would add one more condition to the saying though: “If you build it, brand it and market it, they will come.” If you don’t market, then people don’t know how great your brand is.
I have to disagree 100%. Nobody is going to buy that 50p coin for a32.99 beucase of the branding or the logo. They’re going to buy it beucase they’re fanatical about football, or beucase they’re fanatical about coins. You could put the same coin in a clear plastic bag and as long as they could find it those same people would buy it for the same a32.99 price tag.And that’s why businesses waste thousands on a logo, tagline or other aspects of their brand identity. They believe a strong logo will convince people to buy from them.Put it like this. People buy BMWs. BMW has an instantly recognisable logo. If I create a virtually identical logo for my widget-making business, will I instantly sell lots of widgets? Nope. It’s not the logo it’s the product quality, the kudos of ownership, the customer journey that goes on behind the logo.
Christopher, Perhaps the confusion is in the definition of what a brand (or brand-building) is. A brand does not just consist of your logo, tagline, etc. It’s the whole experience that a customer has with your company. So, your ‘widget-maker’ has to start with a good product and then build a great experience around that product. To do that, they must consider who they are and communicate that via words and imagery (logos, taglines, marketing, packaging, etc.) to build their brand appropriately. It’s all in the definition, Not just a logo, a brand.