I’ve been known to share sentiments like, “It’s not what we do, it’s how we do it” and “it’s a great privilege to choose the people you work with.” When I say these things, I risk sounding like a broken record, but it’s so true! Despite regularly having discussions about the importance of our culture, our approach, and “who we are,” we lacked a formal set of core values.

We easily agreed on the basic tenets of being honest, communicating transparently, and adhering to a ‘no games’ policy, not only internally but also with our partners and clients.

A differentiating factor at &Marketing is that we pledge to measure ourselves by our client’s success and always use data to drive our decisions. We know that the best path is typically not always the easiest or smoothest. When we really push the envelope and innovate to find the better solution, we appreciate a healthy debate about the tactics and strategies needed to succeed. Sometimes this results in tough conversations, which we approach head on.

Ultimately, and most importantly, is that we wanted to highlight that we are not “yet another marketing agency.” We strive for amazing results for the client, and do not just check boxes. We have a unique and tight knit culture, where we value work-life balance, and we appreciate trustworthiness. Finally, we look for partnerships that embrace this unique culture. We look to partner and win together….thus our name – “&” Marketing. It’s not just our clients out there- it’s us too- taking the new path, having honest conversations, and measuring our success continuously as we go.

After we completed our exercise, I reflected on the old Peter Drucker quote – “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” and realized that it’s playing itself out in our business. It’s our culture that makes us unique- it’s the how we do it that makes the it special. But, best of all, it’s the people who make this my privilege.

About the Author

Rajat “Raj” Kapur is the founder and Managing Director of &Marketing. He strives to provide growing businesses of all sizes unparalleled marketing strategy and execution services. Raj brings two decades of professional experience in marketing, sales, and strategy development experience spanning B2B and B2C Fortune 50, mid-sized, and startups.

About &Marketing

&Marketing provides the robust outsourced marketing department growing companies need without the high overhead costs of big agencies or full-time employees. Our variable model empowers businesses to reach their growth goals through access to the guidance and expertise of senior level strategists and a flexible execution team.

When your brand is battling for a seat at the table your ideal customer or client sits at, the question really comes down to how sharp your sword is. Your brand identity is the essence of who you are as a business, and in turn, how you above all other competitors stand out to connect with your ideal target audience. Here are 6 ways you can sharpen your brand identity and win that seat every single time.

1: Shift Your Focus to Your Customer

We are all the heroes of our own stories. Our failures, successes, villains, and happy endings are the center of our own lives and the focus of our days. That’s true for everyone, including your customer. It’s also a big reason brands fail to connect with customers and clients — they become too self-focused. Maybe your brand identity revolves around a sustainable snack food like no one has ever tasted. Or perhaps your reason for waking up every day is an innovative technology the world hasn’t seen before. You love to talk about it, and you should, but in a way that focuses on how that unparalleled product or services helps your hero (customer) more than it focuses on how awesome your business is.

2: Understand What Problem You’re Solving

Every decision human beings make, and every action they take each day stems from the need to solve a problem. Nothing to wear? Need to buy clothes or do laundry. Hungry? Must buy food or buy the ingredients to cook. Losing money to third party sellers on Amazon? Need a solution to keep them from stealing your listings. Breach at your company? Need stronger cybersecurity.

In order to sharpen your brand identity in a way that cuts through the noise and compels your customer to take action, make the problem you solve for them crystal clear.

3: Appeal to Emotions Through Storytelling

Stats capture attention, so I’ll throw a couple at you. People are 22 times more likely to remember a fact if it’s relayed through the lens of a story. Plus, the average attention span has fallen from 20 seconds to just 8 seconds. In order to be memorable and to capture someone’s attention quickly, you must make your customer part of a compelling story. A chemical response is sparked in our brains when we become enthralled by a good story, so take every chance you can get to tell one.

4: Refine Your Voice

Does your ideal customer laugh when you crack a joke, or do they want someone who is serious and somber to help them solve their problem? Do they respond to sarcasm and wit? Or do they want tenderness and emotion? Do they want to feel safe and secure, or do they want to feel inspired to do something out of the box and courageous? These are all questions that should influence your brand voice — the persona you use when you speak to your audience. Make sure it’s unique, and also make sure it’s a voice your customer will respond to and trust. For example, Snickers can get away with delivering snarky punchlines in their marketing, but your local healthcare provider probably can’t.

5: Be Divisive When it Counts

You know the old saying — if you don’t stand for something, you risk standing for nothing at all. If you want to be memorable, showcase your brand’s personality and voice by having an opinion on something that might divide people. It can be something as big as a social justice issue, but it can also be a more playful hill that you die on, like chocolate versus peanut butter, Apple versus Android, or Prince Harry versus Prince William. Team peanut butter, Apple, and Harry over here!

6: Offer Continuous Value

You’re going to be asking for the sale, prominently and frequently (if you aren’t then you should be). And in order to sell effectively, you need to build that like, trust, and know factor. When a potential customer or client starts to like, trust, and know a brand, it almost always means that business has already delivered some solutions to them that worked. People continue to build trust with those who help them solve their problems and give sound advice. So be generous with your expertise.

Now that your brand identity is sharpened and your sword is ready, you can sit at that table and earn your hero’s trust so you can help them solve their problem and find their happily ever after.

Learn how to tell your most compelling brand story with our Narrative Marketing Outline.

About the Author

About &Marketing

&Marketing provides the robust outsourced marketing department growing companies need without the high overhead costs of big agencies or full-time employees. Our variable model empowers businesses to reach their growth goals through access to the guidance and expertise of senior level strategists and a flexible execution team.