Branding: Why You Need a Why (Wait, what?!)

Chances are, you’ve heard over and over the importance of having a story and a WHY with your branding. If not, I suggest you watch this amazing TED talk by Simon Sinek. While it’s great to have an amazing product or service, to really stand out and be remembered, people need to make an emotional connection with your why by understanding ‘why you do what you do.’ The connection is key – if people aren’t connecting with your story, then there’s another product or service that is.

Branding 101: Connection is Key

For people to engage with your business, they need to feel a real connection. Chances are – most businesses can have their services, and their pricing replicated. But what they cannot duplicate is your story. They cannot copy the passion that you have for doing what you do and why you do it.

I cannot stress this enough. Take Oprah for example; her massive success came from the deep and meaningful connection she built with her audience. She engaged them, through her trials and tribulations with weight loss and gain, relationships, education, philanthropy and her spiritual journey. People felt a deep and genuine connection to her and her brand. At the end of the day – people buy from people they like and people they trust. In this day and age, with so much access and endless choices, people buy from people. When they feel like they know you, they form connections which creates trust. Trust in your brand leads to a genuine investment into you, and your business and this is your dream client!
That’s why you need a why. If you don’t know your why, or are struggling with your story, sit down and get to the very core of why you do what you do. When you have established this, that is what you need to promote. Chances are, anyone could replicate your what but your why is unique to you – that’s where your superpower in business.

Don’t provide a service to people, instead, solve their problems

Let’s take an example of a food blogger. Instead of blogging about generic food related topics, she has decided to specialise in blogging about cupcakes. Why? Because we know that getting specific makes marketing so much easier. To connect with her audience even more, she uncovers that the reason she is so passionate about baking cupcakes is because she wants to teach young girls baking skills. Why? Because she grew up never knowing how to bake and once she learned in her thirties it brought her so much joy. She now wants to share these amazing skills. That is her passion. Have a look at the chart below to illustrate how getting specific gives you the power to reach your audience.

Engage people with your story

Once you get to the very core of your why and who you want to reach, you can create a clear strategy to connect with them. It also allows you to communicate effectively with your audience and genuinely engage them. If you just tell people the What you do and the How you do it, be prepared for them to zone out mid-sentence. It’s just boring – plain and simple! If I were to say “I’m a designer and I create branding and websites,”  serious snooze-fest! Honesty – who cares? Who doesn’t already know someone that does design and websites?

However If I were to say, “I design so that branding and websites don’t get in the way of passionate women creating their dream businesses”, I am now telling you the specific reason that I do what I do. This is what waked me up in the morning because I know what it is like to be stuck in a soul-sucking 9-5 because you are holding yourself back from your dreams. By telling people why you do what you do, it makes them view it in a new light. They can empathise with your story and relate to it. So, why do YOU want to start your dream business? Leave a comment below with your reasons.

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