Brand purpose is a crucial part of your business because it defines who you are and what you do. Anyone can talk about what they want to do, and many have even thought about how they want to do it. But when it comes to the why, they flounder. To build a successful business, you need to think about branding with purpose.
Why do brands need a purpose?
Being able to define their brand purpose quickly and easily is part of what makes businesses so successful. This is because all companies are built on three aspects:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Why you do it
These questions are central to keeping your company grounded and focused on a single vision. They allow you to understand how to reach your customers better, especially if you focus the who, what and why answers on their needs.
Effective branding strategies rely on having a clear purpose and set goals – otherwise, you may find it hard to measure the success of your brand development strategies.
Building your brand purpose
So, how do you build a brand purpose? Start by answering these questions…
What do you believe in?
Go back to the basics of why you started your company in the first place. Write down what your brand stands for and everything you believe in. This could include factors about innovation, charity, the culture you want to create and more. This will give you a clearer picture of what your company stands for. Make sure you write down everything that comes to mind – you’ll narrow down the list afterwards.
Next, read through your notes. Search for patterns and cut out anything you’ve replicated in different words. For example, if you’ve written ‘innovation’ and ‘new ideas’, pick the one that best resonates with you.
Make a shortlist of the phrases that:
- fit best with your core beliefs
- align with what you think your customers want
This shortlist defines your brand messaging – the message you want to get out to your customers.
It’s worth noting the difference between brand purpose and brand values. Both are crucial elements of effective branding strategies, but brand values are guiding principles whereas brand purpose is your reason for being.
What problems are you solving?
The second question you should answer is what problem your company is solving for your customers. It’s very important to know who your buyers are and their needs.
If you haven’t worked this out yet, write some buyer personas. The problem you’re solving should be one your customers face. Successful brand development strategies centre around solving a problem for their customers. Note down what this problem is for your customers and how you’re solving it.
What makes you different?
Lots of companies are probably targeting the same customers as you and offering to solve similar problems. You need to work out what makes you different from them and why customers should buy from you. The key factor that makes your brand different is your brand purpose.
Don’t get caught up with trying to think of something that makes you different and that pleases everyone. Chances are, if you find something that pleases most people, you won’t have come up with anything different at all. You’ll either be very similar to your competitors or have wishy-washy brand messaging that loses sight of its purpose. Instead, focus on the needs of your core customer group – the smallest viable market.
The next step to achieving your brand purpose
Finding the thing that makes you different from your competitors, along with the problem you’re solving and what you believe in, should give you enough information to write your brand purpose. This works best as a simple sentence, enabling your marketing team to put out clear, concise brand messaging.
If you need support with branding with purpose, get in touch to see how we can help you build effective branding strategies.
