Charlie Creative Blog

As a crazy-busy entrepreneur you run the risk of seeing nothing but your business for days on end. But consider this: There’s a rich conversation perking just outside your office door. It’s the pulse and chatter that shapes your market’s current views on everything from dog food to caviar. Part of keeping your business solvent is keeping up a lively conversation with your ideal clients. That means reading what they read and going where they go. So for your brand’s sake and for your sanity get out of the office and go knock on the minds of your market. Ask them what they’re reading; what are their resolutions for the New Year, what keeps them up at night and what makes them smile? Who knows, you might learn more about your business by leaving the office.

Actually, no. You do what’s right for yourself and your business based on the needs of a strong market. You don’t have to specialize, but there are compelling advantages to it.

The definition of an expert is someone who specializes in an aspect of a specific field. In transportation a bus driver is an expert: she specializes in driving a bus. Hiring an expert makes people feel good about working with you. They’ll even expect to pay more for your services.

After all, you’re doing work you love and doing it well. So, if you want to make more money doing work you love, specialization is a practical choice. It’s true that when you specialize you turn off some people. It turns out that’s not so bad. It strengthens the connection to your ideal market. The more specific your brand message, the more you appeal to the people you wish to serve.

I read a webpage today that said: Amateurs do what they enjoy; professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work. That’s a popular view. If your business doesn’t bring in profits you have no business, right? You see this in start-ups all the time. Someone has a great idea but they fail to connect it to a market. It’s heart breaking to see and frustrating to experience.

But here’s the thing. When you’re fully engaged in your business your company thrives because you bring forth your best efforts. It’s not an either/or question. Making your business work is a given. Among other things, you’ve got to connect your idea to an eager market. But a business that’s driven by personal interests thrives.

Branding is a relationship between the personal interests of a company and the personal interests of a niche market. Without personal interests on both sides there’s miscommunication and profits fall. Professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work… they also share personal interests with their market.

Good branding means tending to the market, your customers, your identity and the media. These elements shift from time to time for various reasons. You need to know how they shift and when to shift with them. Think of it this way. You’re standing behind your four-year-old daughter pushing her on a swing. You send her out and watch as she swings back to you. You send her out again. You measure the strength of your push by her reaction. Is she smiling and having fun? Next time you push a little harder. That one is better. Now she’s laughing. That’s where you want her: excited, having fun, feeling adventuresome and safe in your care. Do that with all aspects of your brand and it will feel well tended. Your brand will feel fresh, strong and loved.

If you’re going to communicate effectively you’re going to have to listen to your audience more often. You’re going to have to keep up with how they see your brand. Not last quarter. How do they see your brand today? When you know what your customers think you know what to say, how to say it, and where and when to say it so they hear you. Ask them what your brand means. Act on facts. Otherwise you’re throwing your money away on a one-sided conversation, hoping they’ll respond while you yell at a wall. That’s a tough way to make friends. Reach out and research. It’s fun. You’ll make friends, woo clients and your brand message will speak to real people. Not bad for a little friendly conversation.

You wouldn’t express your brand message the same way on a billboard as you would on the screen of a digital kiosk. Different media have different functions and effects. But that doesn’t mean you change your brand message. It means you apply it to various media in appropriate ways. You can’t see radio and you can’t hear a print ad—unless you rip it. Figure out the most effective way to express your brand message in the media you use. But first, choose media that your audience will experience. If your audience lives in Minnesota and 89% of them get their style advice from obscure Japanese websites do you really want to invest in a sponsorship at a shop in the local mall? Market where your market is. Choose the media they use. Apply your brand message in an appropriate way for the media. Thank you!

Your brand is driven by your vision and your values. Your values emerge from who you are and how you express yourself through your business. That’s what makes you different from your competition. Loads of small businesses struggle when they search for a brand message, but if you consistently express your values to your ideal market through your business you already have a unique brand. If your brand appeals to the people you choose to serve you have a good brand. A good brand is inherently authentic. That’s what makes it unique. The best brands send a consistent message in every context. They’re satisfying because they meet unique expectations.

When you order chocolate, you don’t want vanilla. You want chocolate. Same thing with brands. If you make your chocolate brand taste like vanilla you confuse everyone. And you make them angry. There’s no benefit to changing your brand flavor. Instead, be consistent. If you think consistency is boring consider this: Boring is what people buy. How bored are you when you crave chocolate? Not very. You’re excited. When you want chocolate chocolate is thrilling. And it better not taste like vanilla.

In a healthy relationship, each person is unique and whole. They don’t need each other. They choose each other. They come together because together they’re getting a little fun out of life. Good brands work that way, too. Every product and service stimulates a unique feeling or perception in a consumer’s mind. And that’s a good thing. People make their best choices when they can tell the difference between offers. They buy right the first time, their expectations are met, and they feel good. Take a look at each of your products or services. How can you emphasize the differences between them so people buy smart and feel good about you?

How much would you expect to pay for a pillow—the kind you sleep on—if it was stacked along with others like a bag of rice or beans? What if the same pillow was packaged in a shiny box with an interesting story about the history of pillows and how this one was made and why it’s superior? And how about if the same pillow was wrapped in fine cotton, tied with a silk ribbon and had a phone number you could call before you buy to talk to people who own this style of pillow? Crazy, right? But would you expect to pay more or less for the same pillow? When you price your product or service it tells a story. That story needs to match your brand message. Avoid confusing messages—like selling lipstick at a garden center. People don’t buy when they’re confused. But your offer will feel right when your product, promotion and price match your brand story.