Rethinking your brand? 7 Questions to get you started

Have you outgrown your brand?

If you’re determined to put your best business foot forward in 2021, now is the time to make sure you’ve got your metaphorical ducks in a row.

Whether you’ll be seeing in the new year with a big marketing splash, a product launch or a new website, take a moment first to check in with the beating heart of your business: the thing that makes all the rest tick.

That is, your brand.

““Like a human character, a business’s brand is the sum of many parts, moulded together to form something that is credible, recognisable and memorable.””

The definition above, taken from our earlier post, ‘Has Your Business got a Brand Gap?’, describes the role that your brand ought to play within your business. But is your brand still a good fit for your future plans and ambitions?

There are many reasons why a business may outgrow its brand.

• Your business may have evolved organically around you, so the things you used to say or do to describe it are no longer quite such a perfect fit.

• Your vision of the future may have expanded, and your brand is holding you back.

• Your customers may have moved on, so the ideas that once used to resonate perfectly with them are now feeling a little dated and left behind.

• Or perhaps there has always been a Brand Gap in your business … and it’s only now, as you get ready to pick up the reins and really take control of your growth & direction, that the problem has come to light.

Any of these things can happen quite naturally over time.

And with the New Year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to invest a moment in reviewing and, if necessary, updating your brand.

Seven Questions to Reveal Your Unique Brand

Whatever you’re planning for 2021, these 7 questions will help you identify or review the unique features that define your brand.

1: What are the guiding values of your business?

List three to five values that you believe your business stands for … then challenge yourself to prove them.

For instance, if you’ve listed ‘education’ as a value that guides your business, what do you do that will allow your customers to see and believe that? If you’ve listed ‘quality’, how do you express ‘quality’ to your customers at every point of contact? If you can’t prove it, you can’t claim it …

2: What are the character traits of your business?

Friendly? Formal? Funny? Expert? Insightful? There’s no right and wrong here; the important thing is to be consistent.

3: … and what character traits does your business never show?

Stuffy? Over-familiar? Serious? Humorous? Defining what your business is not, can be just as revealing as defining what it is …

4: What do your customers most often praise about your business?

Your smart uniforms? Your lovely packaging? Your free coffee? Your friendly phone manner …?

Sense check these against your values: do they stack up? Are there any other values you should add?

5: What part does your business play, in the lives of your customers?

What kind of relationship do your customers have with you? Do they think of you as their expert adviser? Trusted friend? Jokey mate? Confidante?

6: Why does your business exist?

This is a bigger question than simply ‘what does your business do’. Think back to the very beginning: did you launch this business to follow your passion? To solve a problem? To do something in a different way? To make use of a particular skill? Enthusiasm and energy are attractive, so tune into the va-va-voom that got you here in the first place.  

7: What makes your business different from the rest?

Let’s be honest: you’re almost certainly not the only one doing what you do, and objectively, the chances are that you’re neither the best nor the worst; the cheapest nor the most expensive. So why should your customers choose you? You should be able to find the answer to this one amongst your answers so far.

Remember, it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it … 

What next?

If you have answered the seven questions above, then the raw material of your unique brand is here at your fingertips. Use your answers to inform your 2021 plans, and make sure that you hit all the right notes with the people who matter most: your future customers.  

Want to learn more about developing your brand and business strategy? Take a look at our events programme to see our upcoming Live Masterclasses for business owners ready to build a stronger, more unique brand to attract more customers and stand out from the crowd.