Successful brands are different brands
“We’re different!”
It’s a claim that most brands make.
But are they really?
Hint: Most aren’t.
There’s a problem
1. Copying competitors
“If something already works, why reinvent the wheel?”
This is an easy trap to fall into. And a lot of the time, it happens without even really meaning to.
It’s tempting to look at successful competitors and model your brand off of their success. But doing so inadvertently leads to having a brand that looks and sounds the same.
So the concept of not reinventing the wheel doesn’t really apply to branding. You want to reinvent the wheel, to make a better wheel.
2. Playing it safe
Be it from fear of failure or to avoid criticism, too many brands choose to play it safe and make choices that are on the conservative side.
And sure, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but if you really want to push the dial and stand out, there are some risks worth taking. Especially for those in saturated markets.
It’s how you stand out.
3. Trying to appeal to everyone
The most successful brands are the ones who know exactly who their audience is. Their entire brand is built specifically to resonate with, and appeal to that audience.
In most cases, that ultimately makes them different.
Trying to appeal to everyone leads to relatively generic messaging and throws you into the mix with “average” brands.
Embrace your difference
This might sound counterintuitive, but choosing to embrace your differences is what sets brands apart.
But the problem is, many brands consider their differences to be flaws, and so they get ignored. I think a lot of this comes from the fact that other, more successful brands don’t have that difference, and so it scares smaller brands into thinking that it’s not a positive. Or that maybe it might not work.
I’ve been in this situation, or helped clients in this situation, multiple times throughout my career.
To give an example.
While working as the CMO at Elite Supplements, one of my largest projects during my tenure was to reimagine their brand. Like the majority of supplement retailers, they were intimidating, bodybuilding centric and male focused.
Yet, they had differences.
They had a thriving female community and significant internal knowledge and skills across various sports and fitness activities, beyond just bodybuilding.
But there was always second guessing about embracing those differences because other retailers weren’t doing it.
The shift wasn’t easy, but we rebuilt the brand and embraced those differences.
This included everything from softening the language we used, changing the fit out, lighting and features of the retail stores to make them more friendly and inviting, through to aligning with more partners that sat outside of the typical supplement and bodybuilding space.
The results were almost instant and led to:
- Increased retail performance – the average person actually wanted to enter the stores.
- Being recognised as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Australia.
- Customers became fiercely loyal and advocates of the brand.
- Professional non bodybuilding athletes actually wanted to work with the brand.
- Not to mention the financial and growth increases.
The point is, embracing the differences you have as a brand is what makes you stand out.
The key to standing out
To stand out, you actually have to know why, and how, you’re different.
Which is generally something you’ll discover and explore during the brand strategy process.
At a high level, here are 3 steps to help you understand where you difference lies.
1. Know who you are as a brand.
- Your values.
- Your story.
- Your personality.
2. Know your audience.
Understanding exactly who your audience is perhaps the most important aspect of a brand strategy. This knowledge can guide how you sound, what you do, and what you look like.
So, who is it that you’re trying to reach?
What are their needs and pain points?
What do they do?
Where do they hang out and get their information from?
Why should they choose you over a competitor?
3. Know what you’re doing differently.
A competitor analysis is a powerful part of the strategy process. This helps you to understand what your competitors are doing, what their strengths are, and most importantly, where you do things differently.
Being uncomfortable is comforting
Every brand goes through it, you’re not alone.
And if not now, you will feel uncomfortable at some point.
You’ll have to:
- Make some bold statements.
- Take some risks.
- Launch some assets or messaging that you may otherwise have avoided.
- Potentially even fire existing clients/customers.
It’s all part of creating brand differentiation.
And afterwards, you’ll:
- Build stronger authentic relationships with your audience.
- Attract the right customers.
- Improve brand loyalty and advocacy.
- Compete on benefit, not price.
The results are rewarding.
Incredible words to
grow your brand.
Join the Dreambound newsletter to access actionable branding advice to help transform your business into an incredible brand that excites your customers.
