The Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub is delighted that Robin is sharing his expertise on the key ingredients to successfully build a meaningful and powerful brand narrative that will leave behind a lasting, positive impression. Read on to find out more, and you can register to watch the webinar mini-series outlining how to build your best brand story by clicking on the links in each section.
Building a sense of connection with your audience has never been more important than it is today: people seek relationships with brands where they feel a personal connection and shared values.
Whether you’re big or small, working locally, nationally, or even internationally, your brand should always resonate with its audience on a truly personal level. A brand is not a physical entity; it’s the sentiment and emotion that your audience carries with them. It invokes loyalty and should convey your purpose and social impact to the world.
Your brand should be genuine, unique, and born from within. Your story – and your purpose – lives within you as a business owner: it can’t come from anywhere else. Going back to the start can often be the key to building a clear future vision for your brand and crafting a compelling narrative.
Understanding who you want to reach, how you want to be seen and where you want to fit in the marketplace are the crucial first steps to shaping a brand that genuinely works and meets consumer expectations. Focus on a niche of individuals that will understand and relate to your cause and purpose; put time and investment into this audience and reap the long-term benefits of invested brand ‘ambassadors’ with the power to influence others and share your brand story.
Who is your audience? What will they find of interest? Where do you fit into their lifestyle? These are essential questions to answer in order to build a brand that not only stands out from the crowd, but also stands apart by being different and stands for something: they’re the foundations for future success.
The best brands have a genuine passion for what they do. They care. They have heart. And your ‘heart’ needs to beat loudly within your brand. Know your voice, be distinct and believe in yourself as a brand: your enthusiasm will breed passion and action in others.
To build a memorable brand, your purpose, beliefs, and vision need to be communicated and shared in a compelling and consistent story: launching a striking new brand identity is one thing, but maintaining momentum and staying true to your cause is a far greater challenge.
Good internal housekeeping is essential to all brand communications being consistent, recognisable, and relatable, with clear messaging that makes the right impact to everyone that your brand touches.
A real, personable brand will live and grow within the minds of your audience: to be remembered in the right way, ask: Why are you different? What is your brand promise? How will you deliver it? How can you instill trust in your audience? Understanding your audience and how you can add value to their lives is integral to building an enthralling and relatable brand story – and a distinctive narrative style married with a harmonious creative execution is key to being remembered.
Your authentic brand story should be firmly grounded in your ‘heart’ – your purpose – and should make use of all relevant communications channels to reach the widest possible audience, from social media and events to video and animation: your brand is the vehicle that will carry your story to your audiences in a memorable fashion.
Brands thrive on being talked about. They love being passed from one person to another, gathering momentum as each ambassador shares their personal brand experience.
Take time to get to know and listen to your audience – and engage with them openly and honestly – and offer channels for valuable two-way communications to encourage those that matter most to your brand to share your brand story with others.
Recognise that you will never reach the finish line with your brand: it’s simply not possible. Every brand is on a journey of evolution as the world changes – you must grow to meet your audience’s shifting needs and expectations. Embracing evolution is a big part of the brand journey. Your audience deserves change and will appreciate the steps that you take to keep your brand and messaging exciting, relevant and valuable to them. Never be afraid to go back to the start, to your roots – but also be realistic about what you can achieve with available resources and recognise when professional expertise is the best route to push your brand forward to reach your goals.
Some may criticise your brand while others embrace it. Some may loathe it while others love it. Your brand can’t be everything to everybody. It’s much better to saturate a niche market and do everything within your power to be valuable to one core audience; it will be these individuals that could, potentially, become your ambassadors and most influential ‘voices’ in the long run.
A great brand is just a great story well told. Whatever stage you are at in your brand journey, now may well be the perfect time to adapt the way that you speak with, engage, and approach your audiences, to reinvent your brand, embrace change and do things differently – telling your brand story in a way that relates, so that it can be remembered and easily retold.
ABOUT REDNINE
Robin Worrall is the Creative Director of Rednine, a Wiltshire-based design and brand consultancy creating brands that relate, building brands to remember and shaping brands to be retold.
Rednine’s creativity has powered the success of startups, international brands and charities alike, always taking the same approach regardless of size, scale, or location: building and growing honest and respectful relationships with those who care about making a difference.
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