Unique, Quirky, Unusual: Building Brand Personality That Sticks

Two interns are giving an important presentation: each is trying to sell a product to the other. They have the attention of all the executives and senior managers in the room. The outcome will determine whether they will work in the company or not.

The first intern outlines the facts and injects his confident opinion about the item. “He’s moving minds but not hearts,” one of the team leaders tells his seatmate. The second intern does the same. But then, he connects the item to the daily office experience of employees. In this case, he is also trying to move hearts.

Move hearts, not just minds

This applies to you whether you are peddling products or selling services. You need to create an emotional connection with your customers. How do you ensure this happens for your business? Weave it into your brand personality. In a consumer survey done around 2012, Entrepreneur and The Values Institute at DGWB found something about the most trustworthy brands in the United States.

Entrepreneur reported that “though they may not have the biggest sales or market share in their categories, today’s most trustworthy brands have created relationships with consumers through experiences that trigger a visceral response.” To inspire trust and loyalty, you need to know what makes your customers tick.

And before you even begin marketing, you must establish the kind of brand you want to world to see. Unique, quirky, or unusual? How about compassionate and caring as well? There are many ways to build a brand personality that will stick. Here are just a few steps to help get you there:

Get a good name

Does your name ring a bell? You need to kick things off with a remarkable name. It can be short, catchy, straightforward, stylish, or serious (it means business). Just think of the best examples like Amazon, Apple, Ford, and Target. But keep in mind: being sticky does not end with having a cool name.

As Luke Summerfield said in his contributed article to Moz, you do not want to be the John Doe in the party. After telling everyone your name, you need to talk to and connect with people.

Design your brand

Next, decide on your logo, colors, standard images, site layout, typography, and such details. You need to look put together. People are now more discerning regarding a store that just popped up in an ad on their Facebook sidebar. How can you prove you’re trustworthy if you do not even try to look the part?

Understand user behavior

There are many approaches to this goal depending on user types. It is imperative that you determine your target market first. Then, you can start getting to know them through existing research. When you know where to find them online, you can start creating accounts in their most frequented places. According to Statista, 78% of the US population had a social networking profile as of 2016. So, commit to launching your company’s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. And tell your intended audience to connect with you there!

When your social following starts to grow, you will rely less on universal research and more on the data accumulated on these platforms. Some of them, like Facebook and Instagram, provide in-app analytics. There are also free and paid tools that will supply you with, say, stats for Instagram (e.g. for knowing the most popular hashtags and filters) or Facebook (e.g. for analyzing contest performance or top competitors).

Most importantly, use your digital profiles to engage people. Answer questions, share fast facts about topics they care about, and put a lot of heart in creating your own content.

Craft viral content

Commit to publishing content consistently. The set your cadence from there. For instance, your data will show you that sharing an informative video and an evergreen article twice a week is better than posting three articles in a row. The key is to find which elements work for your strategy as a whole. That is, never lose sight of your ultimate goal: to get traffic leads and convert them into paying customers.

One tried-and-tested method of achieving the abovementioned results is creating and selling an online course. It online course will present you as an expert in something to your audience. It will also provide another profit stream for your business, especially if you are starting lean.  It is advised that you offer a free trial of the online course first to build up interest. If you are not sure which specialization to cover, determine which one will reinforce your brand personality.

Always follow through

This may be the last part of the loop, but it does not end here. Following through is not just about an online retail store sending a message to valued customers about their abandoned carts. It is also about providing them with a space to rate and review your products/services or course their issues and complaints.

Email remains a preferred place for receiving promo alerts and product updates. In fact, you may be surprised how many individuals blend their personal and work easily by using one email for both purposes. For instance, nearly 4 in 10 people Avatier surveyed use personal accounts for work-related emails. Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 4 people use their work email to log into their personal accounts. These details can inform you when to send that abandoned cart reminder to a user. If you know they’re signed in with their work email, you’ll theorize when they can browse your site in the office (probably during lunch break). See the infographic below to help you devise a solid email marketing strategy: