Telling a powerful story that sets your brand and products or services apart from the competition is paramount to your business success. Most of us know the often frustrating question from children: ‘why’? Yet, ‘why’ is the best question to ask no matter how old you are, even more so in business and in development of your brand marketing.
“The ‘why’ behind a brand is what customers and investors pay attention to. When you can define and articulate your brand’s purpose – the why – you have the potential to reach more people who will respond more authentically and connect emotionally their needs with what you have to offer,” says Nadia Hearn, Founder of Get Published and marketing communications creative.
No one wants to be sold to, but everyone wants to buy. People don’t buy into what you do, they buy why you are doing it. Purpose is often the reason why you started your business journey and how you got to explore solving a problem, finding a solution, and even relieving a pain of someone you cared for. Your business purpose goes beyond making money and at the same time it does right by humanity. When a brand can dovetail its business needs with the public’s emotional needs, people respond.
Author and expert Simon Sinek really explained it best: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Sinek has built a whole theory around this idea, called The Golden Circle, that gives brand marketing the framework to differentiate its value propositions, starting with its purpose. Many highly successful brands have seen the wisdom in defining and articulating the brand’s purpose: Nike wants to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world,” no matter who that athlete might be. Starbucks strives to “inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time.” These aren’t just slogans. They’re words meant to embody a desire to make a difference while making a living, and people are paying attention on several levels.
A recent analysis found that while 75% of consumers are more likely to trust a purpose-driven businesses, nearly 80% agreed that they would be more inclined to want to work for and with organisations who have a more clearly defined purpose. Evidently, purpose matters, and in numerous ways, it matters uniquely to potential customers and to people who may be trying to realise their own purpose, needs and their own why.
Hearn believes that by asking yourself these key questions you will be able to figure out your own brand purpose:
- What was the reason and story of how you started your business or developed your product or business?
- What was the key problem/need/solution you wanted to solve by creating your product/service or starting your business?
- What difference does your business make to its community/society/the world, or think about how it betters the lives/business of others?
- If you, your business, or organisation didn’t exist would there be a gap? Who would be losing out and what loss would there be to others, society, and this world?
Once you really get behind the service you are doing for others and humanity, you can create an authentic story for your brand marketing, about how you are truly working to meet others’ needs, and to make a difference in their lives or business.
