The sole objective of all branding efforts boils down to one simple equation. Get people to think…
When purchasing [product or service], I would prefer to buy [brand].
That’s it.
As branding and marketing professionals, we can get caught up in complicated brand models, frameworks and hierarchies. But when it comes down to it, we’re just trying to simplify the decision making process in our favor. When people think about buying something, we want them to think our brand is the best overall option.
How we do that is, of course, the challenge.
Step 1: Get people to think about buying the particular type of product/service you sell.
At this stage, they just need to be aware that our category exists and is worth their attention. There are difficulties at both ends of the spectrum for this. If you’re in a new category, you need to work extra hard to get people to even begin to think about you. If you’re in an established category, you need to get people to think about it more and make them open to broadening their perceptions, so that they’ll be open to your brand. The key to this stage is focusing on attention and value. You’re competing against everything else they can spend their money on, so you need to find a way to significantly break through the clutter.
Step 2: Get them to readily associate your category with your brand.
When they think about X-category, they’ll think of you. At this stage, you don’t necessarily need to convince them that your product is the best yet. You just need to make the thought process automatic. When I think of Kombucha, I think of the Synergy brand because that’s the one I always see. I don’t really have an interest in Kombucha right now. But that’s the brand I associate with the category. If I ever decide to buy it, I’ll probably buy Synergy. You can do this in any number of ways. Advertising, event sponsorship, SEM/SEO, product packaging, PR… The goal is to be ubiquitous with the category.
Step 3: Get them to think that your brand will best satisfy their needs out of everyone else in your category.
This is straight Unique Selling Proposition territory right here. How do you stand out? What are the benefits you can provide that no one else can? This is the logical phase of the process. They know about your brand. Hopefully they have some unreasoned affinity to it. But they just need a reason to justify to themselves why they should actually choose to buy you. Help them out by giving them as many reasons as possible.
Step 4: Consistently remind and reward them for choosing you.
If you’ve actually gotten them to buy your brand, you’re still not done yet. Your goal is to make it an automatic response. If you go running one time, it’s not a habit. You have to nurture the behavior. Some setup schedules and workout plans. Others indulge in tiny rewards after a run. Joining a running group is also effective in keeping up the motivation. Can you do similar things with your brand? Are there ways you can remind them to buy your product at specific intervals? Can you provide incentives to encourage repeat buying? How can you create a community of loyal fans to support the love of your brand?
Make buying your product a natural behavior for your customer – that’s the goal.