5 Reasons Why You Must Have a Brand Persona
There are three main pieces that every company must put together in order to put forth their best marketing effort, and one of the most crucial is your brand persona. Most companies know the importance of the role marketing plays in their business.
After all, Mcdonald’s didn’t get to where it is today without those Golden Arches! Companies who, therefore, put more time, money, and overall effort into their brand persona, will have an easier time measuring their success compared to those who don’t.
A brand persona is what’s used to define who you are and to single you out from the competition. If you don’t have a brand, then you can’t move forward with your marketing strategy.
1) A Brand Persona Defines Who You Are
If you want people to be interested in engaging with you as well as buying your products or services, then people need to know who you are. Just like no two personalities are the same, no two brand personas should be the same, either. In order to establish your brand, think of what personality it would have if it were a human being. What would its traits be; its character? What are its values? Think of these questions when you try to formulate your brand persona, and you’ll have no issue coming up with all the other aspects that often coincide with a brand — your story, your logo, your mission, etc.
2) It Tells Your Audience What You Can Provide
If you’ve ever used a brand name to refer to a general product — for instance, calling a tissue a “Kleenex” — then you already have an understanding of how much your brand persona has the ability to influence your audience. Of course, your company may provide more than one product or service, but there’s something about what you’re offering that people should crave and that they can’t go without. For some companies, this might just be one item, and for others, it may be a whole list of items. And, even though people can likely find those items elsewhere, your brand persona tells them why they need to get it from you.
3) It Sets the Tone or Voice for Your Company
We’ve mentioned that one way to create your brand persona is by giving it human characteristics. But, behind all that, are the actual human beings who have helped to create and build the company. A brand persona not only tells your audience what you can provide, but it tells them who you are based on your company’s tone or voice. Sometimes when these two things don’t match up well, people can choose to boycott your products (Chick-fil-a can speak to this), especially if they don’t feel that what you’re providing agrees with what your values are.
The tone or voice your possess, therefore, demonstrates to the world what you stand for. Perhaps you have an interesting backstory that inspired the business, or you donate a percentage of your profits to charity. This is all part of your brand persona, and why having this particular piece of your marketing strategy matters. People are much more likely to buy from your company when they feel they can relate to you as a person.
4) It Makes Your Company Unique
Having a brand persona as part of your marketing effort means that you’ve worked to create something that makes you stand out, even if there are many other companies doing something similar.
Think of ice cream companies in the United States. Ben & Jerry’s is known for its unique, yet familiar, flavors, Baskin Robbins is known for traditionally having 31 flavors, Friendly’s is known for creating an atmosphere for friends and family, and newcomers — like Salt & Straw — are known for using local ingredients to create flavors that no one else has ever tried before. These companies are all more or less doing the same thing, but there’s a reason that a customer would gravitate to one more than another. For them, it’s all about your brand.
5) You’ll Become a True Competitor in Your Industry
Despite the fact that your company isn’t the first one out there selling ice cream, travel backpacks, or business consulting (if you are, more power to you for getting there first!), one of the main reasons you must have a brand persona is because it will lead you to become a true competitor in your industry. We know what you’re thinking — “Who wants competition?” In case you haven’t realized this yet (and, if you haven’t, you’ve probably got some more experience to gain), competition is a GOOD thing. It means you’re playing in the big leagues, and people will notice that.
Developing a strong brand persona as a part of your marketing effort isn’t always easy to do. However, by hiring an expert to help (aka we’d love that to be us), you can be sure that you’re starting off on the right foot so your business can be successful long-term.
** This post was originally published on Adlabs.social here**
