It’s funny what dreams will reveal…
The other day I had a bizarre dream that involved peanut butter and jelly. And no, there was nothing-kinky going on!
When I woke up, I realized there’s a distinct ingredient missing in brand marketing today.
Are you familiar with the term “brand stickiness?”
In case you aren’t, let me share this principle with you…
Brand stickiness refers to a brands power to be understood, remembered and has the ability to influence your audience’s opinion and behavior.
The problem with a lot of small business brands is they are not understood and therefore aren’t easily remembered. And, if your brand isn’t understood or remembered, you can forget about influencing opinion or behavior.
The stickiness of your brand lies in the ‘back to basics’ process of communication.
First, understand what your brand is all about.
A former client came to me with a fascinating approach to life coaching. She helped people who were in a state of mental quick sand – they were sinking in their own mental muck and couldn’t move forward in business, relationships, and life in general.
The trouble she had was no one understood what she really did. At networking functions, on her website and brochures, she focused on the applied psychology techniques she used. She used words like ‘intuitive’ and ‘inner dynamics.’
And while it all sounds very interesting, unless you are involved in this field of study, you may not know what any of this means and more importantly, what it means to you.
So, she struggled to get new clients and became frustrated having to explain what she ‘did.’
By following a few sticky brand principles, she had no trouble being understood and remembered:
1. Keep it Simple
2. Get them Curious
3. Make it Tangible
4. Get them to Feel Something
I’ve been teaching this model for years and have discovered a missing principle.
You see, because social behaviors have changed significantly over the last few years getting your brand to stick isn’t enough. It’s not enough to generate new business. It’s not enough to sell more stuff. It’s not enough to grow your business from one year to the next.
Because we live in a Web 2.0 world, sticky brands are like peanut butter. They have a cult like following and elicit warm and fuzzy feelings. Yet, without jelly (or at the very least a glass of milk) swallowing that brand is a chore.
No matter where you sit on the marketing pendulum, you must have something to make your brand easy to swallow. Translation, your audience may love your brand but are they taking action?
Access the video for the missing principle now!
Until next time…
Love and thanks,
Liz
PS. So tell me…what brands have ’stuck’ with you and why?
Tags: brand, brand marketing, branding maven, business growth, grow my business, liz pabon, liz pabone, marketing to women, mavherick, personal brand, small business, sticky brand
