“Why?”
According to World-English, “why” is the 178th most commonly used word in the English language. Typically used to ask a question, it opens up a conversation to a whole slew of potential responses and hours of endless debate. And it’s a question brands in particular are being asked more and more frequently. But, why?
Today, your customers and target markets have more selection than they’ve ever had before. Your competitors are popping up left, right and center vying for the attention of the exact same audience as you; and your customers love it. They now have the power to choose where they purchase their products from, how they purchase them and in many instances, how much they pay for them.
So, how do you differentiate yourself? By telling your audience why they should purchase from you, and that all starts with why your brand even exists. Many of you may be familiar with the popular TED Talk by Simon Sinek on the concept of the “Golden Circle,” and if you haven’t, it’s a must watch:
When it comes to marketing your brand these are incredibly powerful words to live by, and we can derive two very important things from them. First, we know every brand has a story worthy of telling, and second, every potential customer wants to hear that story because it opens the door for connection, which is hugely influential on their purchasing decisions. The only thing left for you to do is decide how you’re going to tell your brand’s story.
There are many ways you could do this, the most common of which is to write an article on the “About Us” page of your site. You might be under the impression this is quite efficient and effective, but let me ask you this: can you tell me 3 important things you read on the “About Us” page of the last company you searched for? Didn’t think so. If you’re going to tell your story, you’ve got to make it impactful and memorable!
This is where video comes in. This author truly believes video is the most engaging and memorable medium available today and will continue to be for a long, loooooooong time. To really highlight this point let’s contrast 2 companies and their “about us” features. Nikon and GoPro are both very successful creators of camera equipment, each with their own unique features, specs, etc., however, both have taken very different approaches to telling their brand story. Here’s Nikon’s “About Us” page of their website:
It provides the reader with pretty much everything they need to know about what Nikon is all about and their commitments to the customer. But how impactful was it? Are you more inclined to purchase a Nikon camera now that you’ve read that? Likely not because I’m guessing it didn’t establish any kind of emotional connection for you.
GoPro took a very different approach and chose to tell their brand story through video:
While this video is a little long, clocking in around 7 minutes, there’s no doubt that after watching it you know exactly what the GoPro culture is built upon, the products they make and why they make them. They aren’t selling their product directly through this video, they’re selling it indirectly by establishing an emotional connect with the customer so they buy-in to the whole GoPro culture. You may not be into extreme sports and therefore, no more likely to purchase a GoPro after watching the video; however, you have to admit it had much more impact than Nikon’s page.
I hope this article provided a new perspective on your brand and the importance of your story!
