Does your business resonate beyond the service or product you provide?
Unless your offering is unique or particularly outstanding, you cannot simply rely on this to attract potential stakeholders. Where offering a solution might once have been enough, it is increasingly important to create an emotional connection that will differentiate you from the competition.
Logic certainly plays a part in decision-making, but if your service or product is similar to a number of others, it is less likely that rational comparison will result in your selection. Given that most companies do not have the competitive advantage which might allow them to operate outside market norms, such as their prices or wages, they must attract business in another way. Therefore, it is the ability to appeal emotionally to an audience that becomes the differentiating factor.
People want to feel positive about their associations. If a clothing company is well known for exploiting child labour in third world countries, then this may leave the purchaser of these clothes feeling uneasy. Conversely, if a chocolate company has signed up to the Fairtrade agreement, this might make the purchaser feel positive about the wider cultural impact of their investment. This is about having a purpose.
Ask yourself these questions:
Why does your company exist?
What problems do you solve?
What would be missing if your company did not exist?
The answers should highlight your company purpose. This mission and vision is what you should use to captivate your audience.
A paradox that leaders must face is they should be inspirational enough to compel their stakeholders, whilst simultaneously spotlighting the efforts of their employees, customers, etc. A narrative can create momentum when all parties feel included and contributory to it. A leader should not be the sole hero of his business’s story, every person involved should feel heroic.
Outside your organisation the opinions of your stakeholders are vital to its perception. Marketing material can only do so much; it is the opinions of ‘real people’ which will decide your reputation. For customers this might include testimonials, and for employees this may be how flexible a company is in terms of home working, or maternity/paternity leave. It is important to remember that a business needs its stakeholders far more than they need it.
Resonance is largely an emotional connection, but this does not mean concrete facts and logic have no place in grabbing attention. The copy produced by your organisation, should be both informative and entertaining to your target audience. This is a fine balance to achieve. Cramming a multitude figures into this information will make it boring, but proposing too many intangible claims will produce scepticism.
It is easier than ever to communicate a strong brand image, but because of this, a high-quality of content is now available. Therefore, identify what you wish your business to be known for, how your driving brand message can present this, and what content will best suit your target audience. This is the recipe for creating strong brand resonance.
Does your company communicate its driving purpose effectively? Do you make your various stakeholders feel like heroes on a cooperative mission? Is your copy both informative and entertaining?