Founders like Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Bill Gates have all received their much-deserved props for their extraordinary business acumen and the success of their startups turned mega-corporations—despite none of them having ever completed college. But what often goes unrecognized is just how extraordinary each of those founders were when it came to branding their respective businesses.
Since its inception, consumers know exactly what kind of experience they should expect whenever they interact with the Virgin brand. The same could also be said whenever they purchase a Dell or Microsoft product or come across their marketing materials.
Regardless, even if all of the above-mentioned founders had graduated from the most prestigious business schools in the world, their sublime branding skills could never be learned through traditional institutions. But rather so by having a clear vision, great instincts, and a whole lot of luck.
To launch a successful startup that could also go on to also become a mega-corporation of your own, you’re going to need all three as well. And that begins by avoiding making these seven crucial blunders when launching your brand.
1. Not aiming for the heart
It was author, entrepreneur, and film producer, Peter Guber, who once said that, “The heart is always the first target in storytelling.” Through years of working as a brand manager, I’ve discovered that had more brands taken heed to Guber’s wise words—they’d have a much higher success rate when it comes to touching the determining factor that most influences consumers’ buying decisions—the heart.
Here’s what they probably won’t teach you in the fancy business schools; the vast majority of people don't make purchasing decisions based on logic—but rather, based on emotion.
What impelled Laura to buy 4 tickets at $119 each to enter Walt Disney World knowing that she’d have to spend the day waiting in excessively long lines to get on the rides? The reason is because as she did as a child, her kids love all things Disney. And she wanted to make them happy by taking them to the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
The heart is what leads people to love people and things... including your brand. So allow your competitors to attempt to appeal to the consumer's logical side of the brain with their marketing messaging. While your brand continuously stacks wins by aiming for what ultimately influences consumers to open up their wallets—their heart.
2. Failing to showcase distinction
“What’s the difference between me and you? You talk a good one, but you don’t do what you supposed to do.” If you’re a fan of classic hip-hop music, especially classic west coast hip-hop, you’ve probably heard that quote featured in the chorus on Dr. Dre’s song, What’s The Difference, from his classic album, 2001.
As funky as that song is, that portion of the song’s hook could easily serve as a topic for a lecture in a marketing course.
Brands often talk a good one about how great their offerings are. However, if your brand cannot convey a clear contrast between what makes itself different from all of its competitors—most of the customers your brand hopes to attract simply will not care about any of your offerings.
3. Not making a pertinent promise
Seth Godin may have put it best when he expressed that, “Your brand is a promise. And your work is delivering on it. What have you promised us lately?” Seth is right, your brand is a promise. A promise to your audience that should not only be met—but also exceeded.
Unfortunately for far too many brands, the promise made to their audience is one that simply isn’t of enough significance or importance to their target customers.
Show your target audience that your brand totally understands their aspirations, needs, and problems by establishing a set of expectations within your brand strategy that addresses what matters most to them.
4. Not establishing core values
As the old adage goes, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” That adage applies to brands the same as it does with individuals. When launching, where startups often make their biggest mistakes is by focusing on the traditional aspects of branding like: core colors, logos, and obviously—a cool slogan or tagline.
But what often goes neglected by startups (but not by their target audience), is what the brand actually stands for at its core.
Analyze any brand that is truly beloved by their customers, and what you’ll discover is that what makes their audience adore them ultimately boils down to the fact that they emotionally identify with something that the brand stands for. In other words, they identify with the brand’s core values.
What is it that you want your target customers to feel emotionally whenever they think about or encounter your brand? What wrong in the world is your brand determined to make right? What is something that your brand is willing to die on a hill for regardless of how others may feel about it?
Whatever the answers to those questions are, be sure to not only express it—but also exude it with every action your brand takes.
5. Choosing the wrong brand identity
The objective of a brand identity is to assist companies when communicating with their audience; primarily for the purpose of earning their business. Your brand’s identity should be carefully crafted based on the outlook of its target audience; as it is the most important part of the concept of branding.
Whether you have a perfect product or not, selecting the wrong brand identity for your company could lead to an enormous discord between your brand and the ideal audience that it aims to appeal to. Which obviously, would lead to your brand failing to reach its full potential.
This is why it is a must that you create a brand identity that is congruent with the ideals of its target audience. One that your target audience could easily relate to. Which you can find out how to do here.
6. Rely too heavily on what you sell
If you’ve been fortunate enough to attend a startup pitch event here in Silicon Valley recently, you’ve been fortunate enough to witness some of the most innovative, disruptive, and remarkable products one could imagine.
Yet when you look beneath the surface, what you’ll often discover is that when pitching their startups to potential investors, most startup founders mainly focus on the products or services their company offer. As opposed to the brand strategy that will marry what they sell to an audience that will adore it.
Branding is the combination of everything that your brand presents to the public. Sure, your products or services are a huge part of that. But it isn’t the be-all and end-all when launching a brand. So be sure not to approach it as such.
7. Not clearly conveying your unique selling proposition
One of the absolute worst things that you could do when launching your brand is to not clearly convey its unique selling proposition to the public. Which consists of:
Who is your brand’s target audience?
Are there any potential competitors with similar offerings?
What is the biggest benefit that your brand offers that others do not?
These are all questions that should be observed and clearly expressed to your brand’s audience in order for your brand to have the most successful launch possible.
A successful launch for your brand is paramount
What they say is true, you really do only get one chance to make a first impression. That is why it is of the utmost importance that the first impression your brand makes on its target audience—is one that is both impressive and intentional.
You don’t have to create and orchestrate your brand’s launch alone. At Decryption, we specialize in providing brand strategies and marketing services to ensure that brands like yours succeed out the gate.
Contact us to schedule a complimentary client consultation today, and we’ll discuss how we can launch your brand straight to the top!
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