Is your brand music or fading into the noise?
My wife loves to sing. I can't tell you how many times we've been driving somewhere and a song comes on the radio that she just has to belt out. Whether it's jamming to a Carrie Underwood song or a throwback from the 90's, there's just something about a great song that draws her in.
Have you ever noticed that a song can grab your attention and get you to sing along, but the birds chirping out your window or a car beeping down the street just fade into the background? It's just the difference between music and noise. Music allows people to engage on a completely different level. In fact, that's the whole point of music – to invite people to engage and be a part of the song.
Is your brand music or noise? The more that I've learned about branding the more I've seen how, when contrasted with noise, a great brand is like music. Here are a few similarities:
GETS NOTICED: Rather than fading into the surrounding noise, music stands out and demands attention.
EASILY REMEMBERED: You probably don't remember what that police siren you heard last week sounded like, but the latest Bieber song won't get out of your head. Music sticks with us and pops back into our minds.
INVITES ENGAGEMENT: Even if you tried to sing along with the birds or other noises, you couldn't. They are just too random and unpredictable. Music invites people to sing along and engage.
Today, we're going to look at the two biggest things you can do to make your brand music for your customer's ears.
Be intentional
I tell my clients all the time that every business has a brand, but not all brands are on purpose. This means that people are going to develop some kind of opinion about your company (its quality, dependability, etc.). Shouldn't you have a hand in the picture their forming?
The best place to begin is by developing a core brand message. Think of this as the melody to your song. This message in its most simple form is all about communicating what makes you unique and why that improves peoples' lives. Take time to think through what makes you truly different and the benefit you bring to your customers. This core message should be the driving factor for everything you do in your branding and marketing. The more intentional you are with this foundational piece the stronger a brand you can build.
Keep it consistent
Consistency in your branding is like the rhythm of a song. Without a consistent beat a song would be confusing and, at its worst, even annoying. When it comes to your brand, consistency is all about building momentum.
Everything that represents your company, from your logo to your social media posts to the way you dress in meetings, needs to be consistently painting the same picture. If your brand needs to be serious and professional, tweeting jokes can keep people from building a clear sense of your brand in their minds.
Take time to make sure every element of your branding and marketing intentionally reflects the unique company your building. And, whatever it is you decide to build your brand on, keep it consistent every step of the way.
