DEFINE YOUR BRANDS PURPOSE
There are so many steps when it comes to creating a strong brand. Some elements are visual, like your logo, colors, and fonts. There is also your brand's voice, and brand persona. And still, there are deeper components when creating your brands, like your brand’s purpose, vision, and values.
Today let's focus on how to define your brand’s purpose.
A lot of people believe that building your brand means the design aspect of creating your logo, and tagline and choosing brand colors.
But honestly, before you address any of that, you have to be clear on what your brand is, what it is not, whom it serves, why, and how will this be achieved.
Your purpose is the thing you're passionate about - the thing that you love doing all day, every day for other people through your product, service, content - whatever the main focus of your brand is. You could have started any business; why this one?
Simon Sinek, the author of Start With Why, created the “Golden Circle” methodology to help people find this answer. This model explains how world-famous people like Oprah and Martin Luther King Jr. were able to motivate people through inspiration, rather than manipulation, and it can be applied to brands of all types and sizes.
This model will help you to understand the “Why” behind your brand, and create a shared belief between you and your customers that ultimately inspires them to choose your business over others.
The Golden Circle consists of three rings, symbolizing three fundamental questions for every business owner to ask:
The outermost ring - What: This should be the easiest part for you to answer. Every business owner should know what it is they do (what products do you sell, what type of service do you offer, what content do you create). Ex. I sell jewelry.
The middle ring - How: Which methods, procedures, suppliers, etc. do you use in order to make that “what” happen? Ex. I create affordable, high-end designs, hand-made, fine jewelry designed to be worn daily.
The inner ring - Why: What’s the reason you chose to be in your specific market? What are the core values that led you there? Ex. I believe everyone deserves to feel good about themselves at any price. Feeling beautiful and empowered is important to me, and I believe everyone should have access to affordable quality jewelry that won't break the bank.
You’ll find that the “what” is the easiest part to answer, but the “why” is actually the most important. If you can answer these questions straight away, that’s great! But, if you’re finding you need some help, we’ve attached another template with a short exercise to guide you through defining your "why", "how," and "what".
This template has 5 sections. For each section, jot down just a sentence or two:
Who are you? Write down your name and give yourself an appropriate title.
Who is your target audience? Whom do you want to serve or sell to?
What do they need? What are they looking for help with?
How do you offer it? How can your audience access this product/service?
Why do you offer it? Here, mention some core values that you hold.
Once you do this, you should be able to easily fill out your Golden Circle template.
Remember this : “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” - Simon Sinek
Finding your “why” is key to creating a brand that your customers can connect to - and want to do business with.
