It’s happened to us. We’ve lost something. We look around and we realize someone else has it in their hands.
We approach them, “Excuse me, but I think that’s mine”. They look up and say “I just found it, and I was thinking it looked just like something of yours”.
What do they mean by that?!?
They mean that the very way you live and present yourself; screams a story of consistency that says… you!
As a business you need to start owning “who you are”. And controlling that message: What exactly do you want people to think of when they hear your name. Or touch your product. Or use your services.
You need to OWN certain things. May I suggest starting here:
- Own a “Story”. When someone asks about your company, do you have a compelling short story that incorporates people’s pain and why (or how) you solve it.
- Own a color palette. Limit the amount of colors you use so people recognize you for the colors. Think Steve Jobs: Black mock tees.
- Own a font palette. Choose a couple of fonts and stick with them. Make sure they can be used easily in your applications.
- Own a design style.Add some personality; make sure it’s modern if your product is perceived that way. Or traditional. Or funky, etc.Then start being wild and crazy and think WAY outside of the box. Perhaps you need to:
- Own a Smell. Abercrombie stores always smell the same way. Disney parks smell like fresh baking.
- Own a Sound. Think the 3 chimes of NBC. Or the Surround Sound musical moan.
- Own a Taste. This is a hard one. But what if you supplied a butterscotch candy with every product. Each time someone tastes that flavor, they’ll think of you.
Be Simple. Be Consistent. Be Known. The 3 easy steps to “owning” a brand.
