Creating successful brands that customers ❤️!

“Imagine having a brand so inviting, that your dream customers are excited to work with you, seeking you out, and when you deliver, they absolutely love you and brag to others about you. This is the promise of branding.”

– Otoabasi Bassey

In a previous post, I mentioned that branding is always happening. Whether you are intentional about it or not, people are always forming an opinion about you. Even when you are intentionally and strategically shaping your brand, it is still an ongoing process – a dynamic dance between your business and its audience.

The point of this dance, the place we are trying to get to is a place I call Brand Resonance.

The reason we need a brand strategy for our business is to organise and frame what we do in such a way that it excites the user, meets their needs, and reinforces their identity, while also fulfilling our brand and business goals.

This is Brand Resonance, where both sides of the equation, your business and your audience are working together harmoniously.

To begin to approach this rarefied state, you have to go deeper than just looking at what you do, but understanding the problems you solve for your customers. This is the core of your brand.

“Do not solve the problem that’s asked of you. It’s almost always the wrong problem. Almost always when somebody comes to you with a problem, they’re really telling you the symptoms and the first and the most difficult part of design is to figure out what is really needed to get to the root of the issue and solve the correct problem.”

– Don Norman

You are not just offering a product or a service, you are solving a problem for your customer. You are helping to take some stress off their minds, you are making it easier to become the people they are trying to be.

For instance, let’s say you are a chef providing delicious meals and packages to your client. Depending on your particular niche or focus, you could be solving any one of the following problems – creating memorable experiences for couples on their special days, helping busy professionals eat healthy and balanced meals during the week, or keeping corporate events high energy and fun with great spreads and platters. Depending on who your customer is, you could be solving different problems.

Understanding what your audience needs, allows you to better connect with them.

For many years, I was a freelance graphic designer, working on all kinds of projects from the hustler on the street, to clubs to international NGOs. Eventually I realised that whenever people came to me asking for a logo, or a piece of design, what they really needed was something to boost their brand and standing within the market place. Understanding this core truth allowed me to transform my business from just graphic design to brand solutions – strategy, design and website services. It allowed me to serve my clients better and dramatically increase my income.

The better you know and understand your customers, their needs, their pain points, and their ambitions, the better you are able to communicate with them in a way that moves them to action, the easier it is to craft offers that they cannot say no to.

If you are able to combine this understanding with a strong core, a strong foundation of self/brand, knowing what you do, what problems you solve, and why, you begin to build a strong brand. We create brands to place ourselves in the best position for success. To run streamlined, efficient, and effective businesses that can grow steadily and unencumbered.

All these elements come together in a flywheel that spins faster and smoother, the more we get each node right.

Once again, branding is iterative.

It is a process that should go through the cycle and repeat again, like a spiral that goes through the same steps over and over while reaching towards something. Reaching towards Brand Resonance.

We know we are reaching Brand Resonance when we are at the point where everything, every touch point works together in harmony towards one purpose – delivering on the brand promise to a grateful and happy audience.

It is the point where your strategy, your offer, your brand identity, your communications, messaging and platforms all work together to capture the attention of your core audience and bring them into a mutually beneficial relationship.

It is the point where all the parts are working as they should, your audience is fully engaged and happy and satisfied with your offer and the experience you provide. And your business is happily churning away and reaping healthy profits.

This is Brand Resonance and this is the reason we engage with brand strategy.

Here are 6 main areas to work on when seeking Brand Resonance:

1. Brand Clarity

It is important to have a strong sense of brand. Thoroughly understand who you are and what you are doing. Know what you want out of your brand and business. Know the mechanics of your service or product offering, but also understand the underlying problems you are solving for your audience. This will give you a strong foundation to build the best kinds of offers to achieve your goal.

2. Understand your Audience

Your customers, users, and followers are the lifeblood of your business. They are the second key half of this equation. You have to intently study them and know who they are, what they need, where they gather, what is important to them, and what would change the game for them. The better you understand them, the better you are able to serve them and create offers they can’t refuse.

3. Business Model

Your business model – the way you create and capture value should support all of the above. With a business model that allows you to produce and distribute value to your audience in a way that makes the best use of your resources and time and creates a healthy profit, you can create a thriving business.

4. Offer Creation and Validation

With a strong understanding of your brand and your audience, you can now start to create offers – products and services that solve your customer’s problems and leverage your strengths. You can design commercial outputs that are profitable and life-changing to both you and your audience.

5. Brand Identity and Messaging

The way you look, sound, and communicate must reinforce all of the above. It must highlight the essence of your brand in a way that connects with your audience. It should clearly let them know who you are, what you do, and why they should care. Your vibe – messaging, personality, and experience should all reinforce the desired identity of your audience. This inspires trust and devotion.

6. Marketing and Sales

You must have channels to deliver your messages and offers to your audience. Online is probably the best way to do this. Develop platforms, cultivate community, and get your brand and offers in front of the people who need it the most. This means a constant stream of content and communication with your audience.

These main nodes will always shift and evolve over time, but as we engage deeply with them and the art of brand strategy, we can create ever-improving businesses and brands that eventually reach Brand Resonance.

Happy Brand Building!

Looking for more insights? Here at Base X Studio, we have been deeply engaging with the concept of branding, and we have partnered with Project StudioZ to create a brand-centred podcast to dig into the intricacies and mechanics of building winning brands. Check out our first few episodes here.