Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Alyssa Royse
If there is anything good about being 40 and newly single, it is that I am old, stubborn, strong, and smart enough to know that pretending to be anyone other than who I am won’t get me the kind of relationship that I want. For better or worse, I am my own brand, and if I try to be anything else, everyone involved will be proverbially screwed.
What does that have to do with business? Everything. You have to know who you are, what you can do, what you can’t do and present it all honestly in order to attract and retain customers. This is always true, but it is at its most painful as you develop your brand. For a young business, this awkward stage is the rough equivalent of throwing yourself into the dating pool and hoping you have the right lure to attract exactly what you want. Your brand is that lure.
Just like dating, we spend far too much time trying to guess what the other person wants and trying to morph ourselves into that, rather than getting good and clear about who we are and stating that in a direct and authentic tone.
Some of that is because of the rules of business that we’ve all been taught.
1. Just Look The Part. We have been taught to identify our target market and appeal to them with a complex matrix of language, graphics, fonts and colors that they like, and that are cool in the current zeitgeist. (You have done your 10 page ‘branding brief,’ right?) This is not possible.
I was in a branding meeting a few days ago with people who are launching a product that has broad appeal across several demographics. The team plodded down the predictable path of identifying each of those markets and trying to find verbal and visual cues that would relate to each. As a result, the phrase, “but that won’t appeal to X” was often repeated. If they were too funny, it would turn off one group, too serious would turn off another.
So I asked them, “are you approaching this with a sense of humor and is that important to you?” “Yes.” “Then be humorous.” Followed with, “Do you want to position yourselves as experts, or as facilitators of dialog?” “Not experts.” “Then don’t try to sound too serious.” The bottom line is this, be who you are. An authentic brand enables informed decisions and authentic relationships. You can’t be all things to all people, don’t even try. You can be yourself.
Dating Example: You have a thing for scholarly types. You hate to actually read, analyze, discuss and stuff. You just find corduroy and facial hair really hot, especially when mixed with condescending glances and a state of confusion. You decide to dress the part, hang out in libraries and at discussion groups to pick up a titillating treat in tweed. You got the walk, no prob. Now it’s time to talk. Enough said.
2. Just Nail Your Demographic. I will smack the next person who tells me about the demographics of their target market. You cannot tell squat about a person based on their age, sex, zip code, political affiliation, education level and income. I dare you. Look me in the eye and start a sentence with, “divorced women in their 40’s want…..”
For most of us, the demographics of our market will be widely variable. However, they will all, hopefully, want and need the same thing (your product) and be open to receiving it how you want to give it to them. That’s what you need to be focused on.
What do they want? What is their current pain? How are they getting their needs met now? How will you be able to improve their lives? Most importantly, how will their needs and your product integrate, “marry” even? Whether you call it psychographics, needographics, or wantographics, focusing on these things will make your branding task much easier. These things will present you with a vocabulary that will transcend demographics, inform both your brand and your product, and allow you to connect authentically to form a functional relationship with your target customer. Look at what they DO, not what they SAY and how they LOOK.
Dating Example: You have a thing for earthy, greeny hippie chicks – they’re so low-maintenance and mellow and all that. (A little body hair is a small price to pay for the absence of drama.) You find one, easily identified by her gauzy skirts, turquoise earrings, long hair and how she talks about souls and healing and yoga. But you realize that she gets upset really easily, storms out of the room a lot and lacks a certain passion. And she sure spends a lot of money and time in her anxious quest for tranquility. And…. Yup. You can’t judge a book by the cover. It’s not about what “type” she is, but about her needs, wants, expectations – and you can’t meet them….. Turns out, it’s not a hippie chick you want, it’s someone who…. Not demographic, but psychographic – so to speak.
3. Just Make A Good First Impression. People spend a lot of time and money worrying about making an incredible first impression. Things like names, logos, colors etc… This supposes that there is such thing as a name, logo and palette that will appeal to everyone. There isn’t. Give it up now. More than that, it assumes that your customer is so shallow that they won’t see through it and into your real offering – that’s a little insulting, and certainly not the foundation of a meaningful relationship.
There is no perfect name. There is no perfect logo. There is no perfect anything. There is good enough, and good enough is good enough. Pick one, and make it work. Yes, it needs to reflect your tone, your product, your “special sauce,” but it does not need to be perfect. So many people spend more time and money than they have in the pursuit of perfection with names and logos, and it doesn’t really make a difference. It does not get your product to market faster, it does not help you build reputation faster, it does not generate revenue. It does nothing. You lose more than you gain.
Dating Example: You’re in a relationship with someone with whom you have a great time, shared values, excellent sex, intellectual compatibility and are comfortable. It’s really pretty damned good. But you can’t shake the feeling that there may be something a little more perfect out there. So you don’t commit. Time passes. They give up. You go look for something more perfect. More time passes. Turns out, there’s nothing more perfect, and even the things you thought were, had other drawbacks. But s/he already found someone who wanted them, and was willing to do something about it. You lose. Bummer.
4. Just Ask The Experts. There aren’t any. And if you don’t have the courage of your convictions, then go get a job.
To be fair, unless you are a graphic and branding genius, you’re going to be contracting a lot of this work out (and you should.) However, you need to remember that all they are doing is executing on your vision. You may not be able to design a logo, or come up with a tagline, but you can choose one. You, and only you, know when it “nails” you for what you really are and what you really want the world to know about you. It’s okay if you can’t explain how or why you know “this one works!”
Your branding team should be asking you lots of questions, some of them hard. You have to answer them, even if they’re hard. They should be presenting you with options, but you have to pick one. You are the brand, and only you know if something is off brand or on brand. If you don’t know that yet, go back and get to know yourself, but you cannot delegate self-awareness. This is about YOU. It is not about your brilliant branding expert, no matter how brilliant they are, how much they cost or how many coffee cups their work can be seen on.
Dating example: Listen to your friends, but make your own decision. If you don’t know what you want, that’s your problem, not the fault of the other person. And you are the only person who can figure out what you want and need, and the only person responsible for getting it. But, passing up “good things” because you want “perfect” things will leave you where you are now – alone.
Alyssa Royse is better at branding than dating. Branding is fun. Dating is scary. If you want her to help you sort through branding stuff, let her know, she’d love to help you put your best face forward. She can probably help you with dating stuff too, she’s awesome at match-making – for other people, that is.
