Having a well-defined brand is key to getting customers and keeping them. But sometimes your brand?s message can get lost. Then, it?s time to have a brand clarity session. These sessions can be done with branding and marketing experts.
You need to have clarity in your banding because branding gets customers to pick you over your competitors. Also, people connect emotionally with well-defined brands. And they become brand loyal.
You can start your own brand clarity session yourself before calling in a profession. Ask yourself these questions: How would you describe your brand? What emotions do you connect with your brand? What is the purpose of your brand? What is the voice of your brand?
?Brand clarity is simply understanding the ?magic/heart? confidence of your business to be competitive and succeed. Mastering the who, what, where, when, why of your brand. Importantly, what are the core values ?(what do you stand for, what makes your biz standout/unique); understanding your purpose/goals (why should someone hire or retain your services); identifying/sharing the magic (your personal story/challenges) to cement you/team as the best person for the job/client; and, positioning and mastering the needs of your target audience for lasting/repeat success,? explains branding expert Karen Taylor Bass, who will be hosting a ?Certified VIP Masterclass Workshop: Brand Clarity? on June 23 at Harlem Business Alliance in NYC. Tickets are available through event brite’s website.
Adds Bass, ?A brand clarity session will reintroduce you to your brand; teach the fundamentals of mission/core values, purpose/positioning, target audience, media communications/interaction, creating and telling a compelling narrative to stand out from the crowd and succeed.?
A brand clarity session lets you step back and look at your brand with new eyes–through the eyes of a potential client. ?It gives you the time, space and structure to assess your current brand and to make strategic decisions about how to position your company moving forward. ?You will uncover what your company stands for, what problem you are solving and for whom, why your clients/customers and prospects will care about your company, what your points of difference are, your overarching brand message, and how you will communicate your message so that your market can hear it,? Meredith Liepelt of Rich Life Marketing points out.
Clarity sessions help bring to the forefront what truly makes your company different and special. ??You learn how to create/master magic for your business. Most entrepreneurs (80% will fail in the first year of business). A brand clarity session will help the entrepreneur to understand their mission/core value, purpose/positioning, target audience, media communications/interaction, creating and telling a compelling narrative to stand out from the crowd,? says Bass. ?When clients work with me, I also provide a plan for them to implement to increase their profit margin/bottom-line. Always remember, communication and professional relationships are key ingredients to building a brand.?
Clarity sessions should be done regularly. ?I would recommend this happening before launching a business and twice a year to reevaluate goals and profit/loss for an existing business,? notes Bass.
Such sessions allow you to dig deeper into your brand and the message and meaning of your brand. ?You will uncover important psychographics and demographics of your target market. Some companies create what is called an ?avatar,? meaning that they name their ideal client and define what he/she does during the day and what?s important to them,? says Liepelt. ?This works well because then all future marketing decisions can be approved if your team agrees that it is relevant and speaks directly to your avatar. It gives your team language they can go back to time and time again. ?For example, if your avatar is Stephanie, you can ask, ?Would Stephanie tweet about this new service or product???
Brand clarity sessions are necessary to continue building your brand. ?Your brand is a living thing and as such, it changes over time. You can?t fully control your brand because your brand is what others say it is, so it?s a good idea to revisit it once a year to assess how well your efforts are paying off and resonating with your audience,? offers Liepelt.
Remember clients/customers have a lot of options. You want to make sure your brand is their first choice. Consumers are subjected to hundreds of brand interactions daily. Liepelt points out, ?Consumers are subjected to hundreds of brand interactions daily. The messaging they remember is always that which is most relevant to them, delivers most value and is the simplest to understand. Brand clarity is a brand’s guidebook to creating relevant, valuable, succinct messaging…Clarity is paramount.?
