So you’ve heard about branding with purpose and why it’s awesome. You’ve heard that just having a good product or service won’t make the cut anymore. Now your brand needs to have something behind everything it does so a consumer can relate and feel inspired too. But what if you don’t have a raison d’etre?
Some businesses start a business because they have a sense of purpose that is impossible to ignore. Some are just businesses. If you’re the latter, and you want to get on this purpose driven train (pun unintended) there are four questions to ask yourself:
Why did you start?
Go all the way back to the beginning. Most whys are found there. Your brand purpose was there when you started, perhaps things changed or it got lost along the way, but there was a reason you created a brand. Find out if you still solve the problem you found a solution for.
Who does your brand have the most impact on?
Your brand has an impact on everyone it reaches, but who gained from it the most? Think about who your brand is making life easier for. Or better yet, speak to these individuals. You will see new perspectives of your brand and learn about what it means to others. Most of the time, we don’t know the impact we have had on someone until we ask.
What are you passionate about, outside of your business?
If you didn’t find your brand purpose within the answers of the last two questions, it’s time to adopt one. Reevaluate your personal values and the values of the business as a whole and find something you or your team members are deeply passionate about.
Running a business is like having a superpower, you can do more than the average individual. So if you advocate for a greener environment, better mental health care or a safer neighborhood, your business can be the vessel through which you bring more awareness to these causes.
We’ve been working on something to help connect brands with causes they can contribute to. Learn more about our project (here)
How can your brand do better?
Another way of bringing more meaning into your brand is reviewing it. There is a lot happening in the world today. What is your brand doing about it? Your brand has a role to play in mitigating crises too. Do your employees have access to good healthcare? Is your company doing the environment a service and wasting less resources? If you can’t find the answer in what more you can do, you will probably find it in what you aren’t doing enough of already.
There are a few things to keep in mind once you’ve found your thing,
- A brand purpose is not about you, it’s about everyone else it has an impact on.
- Don’t just sell a story for economic gain. Tell a story to inspire people and build a community around your business. We need each other.
- Be genuine and transparent – millennials can tell when a brand is pretending and they will call you out for it.