Your Brand, Your Child.

Businesses are like children. Founders conceive them and nurture them through infancy with the best resources and protection. But, like actual children, brands and businesses can take on lives of their own. They have their own thoughts and ideas, develop their own set of morals, and eventually have to stand on their own. Even after businesses reach “adulthood,” the brand’s personality is still malleable.

One of the most important aspects of business ownership is maintaining a consistent relationship. Businesses must still be seen for what they are and could be, and not what they were. Accepting a business’s personality will help reveal the brand voice, which is paramount in taking a brand into inevitable, new social media platforms.

Here are some questions owners should answer when trying to find their brand’s voice:

What niche does the brand fill?

Identify what it is about the brand that makes it important to the market. If the product is thin crust pizza, why do people want this specific pizza and not something from a competitor? A productive conclusion would be “this pizza is made with local organic ingredients” or “this pizza is made with authentic, imported Italian ingredients.” Owners should always capitalize on what sets their brand apart.

How does the consumer base view the brand?

Knowing that “people love it” is not enough of an answer. Find specifics. “Customers see the product as a daily necessity and identify with it,” or “Guests view the product as a delicacy to be enjoyed for celebrations and special occasions.” If specifics cannot be identified, the brand should be re-evaluated.

What emotions do the products/services inspire in consumers? 

Think about what the consumer base feels as they approach this product. Are potential buyers nervous and unsure like a car purchase? Does it bring them joy and a sensation of indulgence like ice cream? Once the vibe given off by a product is identified, owners should shape the brand’s voice to put at ease, excite, or encourage potential consumers appropriately.

The social media behavior of a brand should go hand-in-hand with how the consumer perceives the product and what makes the product special. New business owners will know how to market a product successfully when they know “who” their product is. When all of the above questions are answered, owners will find themselves as parents of the kid voted “most likely to succeed.”