How to connect with your ideal customer
As a growing small business, you know that having a strong ideal customer base is one of the most important factors in building a sustainable business. And chances are, you already know exactly who those customers are. You’ve done the research and put in the hard work to identify what they struggle with, what they want, and how you can help them. But attracting them in the first place, and retaining them over time, is a totally different story.
The secret to identifying with and retaining your dream customers all comes down to establishing an emotional connection. Once you have that, you have the makings of a loyal and enthusiastic fanbase. But how do you spark that emotional connection? The answer, my friends, lies in brand strategy.
What is brand strategy, and why is it so important?
Brand strategy is a holistic approach to achieving long-term success and favorability with your ideal customers. It is the foundation of any strong brand experience, mapping the connection between who you are, what you do, and how you serve your ideal customer. With a brand strategy in place, your visual identity will be stronger and last longer, setting you up for long-term growth as you scale.
At More Ours, we always start with brand strategy. It comes before any other visual identity work because we know how important it is to start with a solid foundation. We examine every brand inside and out. But ultimately, it all comes down to the basics.
4 key elements of a strong brand strategy
When your branding is done right, you’ll have a set of ideal customers who are invested in your business and excited to buy from you. But how can you make sure that your business’ branding is working as hard as it can to establish that emotional connection you’re looking for? Here are the four must-have elements of any strong brand strategy.
Vision: always BEGIN by asking why
If you’re anything like us, you didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to start a business. You had a vision, and since then, you’ve worked hard to bring that vision into the world. Whether your passion is bringing locally roasted, artfully brewed coffee to your local neighborhood or housing at-risk animals at a wildlife sanctuary, your business has a reason for being. This is one of the single most important aspects of any brand strategy. If you don’t communicate your vision to your audience, they’ll perceive you as just another coffee shop. For them to care, they have to believe in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. At More Ours, we help you hone in on that vision and link it to every single aspect of your brand. Make your vision known, and it will resonate so deeply with your ideal customer that they will be excited to support your business.
Brand positioning: know where you stand
While you know—and we know—that you’re special, your customers won’t understand that right out of the gate. In fact, they might think that you’re just one of many businesses doing the same thing the same way. So, why should they choose you over your competition? It’s up to you to show them why you're unique—and the best option for what they need. How will your business rise above and stand out in a crowded field? This is your brand positioning, and it’s one of the most important things to consider when trying to find that spark of connection with your ideal customer. More Ours helps you identify and own your unique differentiators so that your customers recognize what makes you stand out.
Brand promise: make—and keep—your promises
Emotional connections and loyalty are built on trust, and in order to establish trust with your dream audience, your business needs to stand by its brand promise. Similar to brand positioning, your brand promise will speak to the unique way you help your ideal customers, whether that’s through your approach, philosophy, or something else. Here, we think of a brand promise as a more emotional and longer-lasting value proposition. Over time, your services or products may change and your business will evolve and grow, but your promise will always endure. When you keep your promise, your customers will commit to supporting your brand for the long haul.
Behavior: show up consistently
You’ve done a ton of hard work to figure out your vision, your brand positioning, and your brand promise, but none of that matters if they don’t shine through to your ideal customer. All of these elements need to show up in everything you do—how you behave, how you sound, and how you look. At More Ours, this is the brand strategy sweet spot that connects all of the foundational aspects—including your vision, positioning, and promise—to your messaging and visual identity. Your ideal customers will care how you interact with them, and in many instances, this is the first thing they will notice about your brand. As a result, you need to consider your brand’s personality, tone, and voice. By consistently showing up for your dream customers with strong messaging and visuals that attract and resonate, you’ll keep them eagerly coming back for more.
When you put all of these pieces together, you’ll end up with a strong brand strategy and the ability to connect emotionally with your ideal customer. We know that it can be overwhelming to begin the brand strategy process, and you may not know where to start. But the rewards will be so, so worth it in the end. More Ours will be your guide throughout the journey, helping you to identify and connect the dots. Together, we’ll lay the groundwork for dreaming big and doing more.
If you’re ready to embark on this journey, we’d love to hear from you.
