How to grow a brand that stands out in your industry?

Every company is trying to find a strategy or competitive advantage that positions its brand to win. A company can Tilt the Odds so customers choose it first. Powerful Brands are positioned to win by being clear about what they do, who they serve, and what makes them unique.
We live in a cluttered world. We have so many options it’s hard to sort them out. We’ve filled our lives with stuff: smartphones, tablets, email, work, home, kids, projects, vacations …the list goes on. As a result, the average North American is feeling rushed, hurried, and short of time. Customers do not have time to sort out what your service is or what makes it different. They just want to get to the facts and work with a company that makes their lives just a little bit easier.

Customers will beat a path to your door because they get you. They are happy to refer you, and they have the language to explain what makes your company unique.

When your brand is easy to find, easy to remember, and easy to refer to, it becomes more desirable. It demonstrates the brand is credible and propels customers to choose it first.

Exercise: Simple Clarity Objective: In the language of your customers, describe your brand in ten words or less. You Are, You Do You Serve The foundation of a Simple Clarity statement is answering three questions about your business: Who is your company? What does it do? Who does it serve? Try to craft those three answers into a short statement that describes your business.

To compete and win against the large, stalwart brands requires competing on your own terms. The challenge is not size or resources, it’s where you will play and how you will win. When you are competing with companies that are dominant players in your industry, you’ve got to Tilt the Odds by finding new ways to compete and win.

Investing deeply in your sales and marketing efforts: new website, a PR, and media campaign, email newsletters, direct marketing, search engine marketing, and a variety of other tactics that would grow brand awareness. But it takes a time to establish your reputation in a new market, build trust, and fill your sales funnel. Tilting the Odds takes a real commitment of time, cash, and resources.

The weekly team huddles to celebrate the small wins are very effective. They help to keep up the morale. When you have a bigger win, go all out. Throw a party. Make it a celebration. Everyone needs to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know their hard work is valued.

Brands do not avoid the “no“ word. Actually, they are Positioned to Win, because they say “no” frequently. Powerful Brands do not serve all people – they are not one-stop shops. To Tilt the Odds you have to set clear guidelines that explain who you are, what you do, and who you serve.

Can You Defend Your Brand Position? This is the most important question because it requires investing in your brand. You have to commit to winning. What core skills or assets does your firm have to service the niche market? And how will you invest in them, develop them, and build them up to protect your market?

The more you can challenge yourself and your team to go deeper into the questions, the better prepared you will be to Tilt the Odds for your brand.

Don’t Say It, Show It Marketing can be a cynical game.