Are you Pepsi or Coca-Cola?

Your customer cares about themselves, not you. You have to convince them that the benefits you provide will impact them more than the competition.

Let’s play a game.

You’ve entered the diner in your hometown. You walk up to the counter, and it’s the same as it ever was – down to the menu. You order your usual while sipping a carbonated, sweet soft drink in a rich brown hue. What did you ask for?

Don’t tell me you were thinking of Pepsi.

“Coca-Cola” is synonymous with “soft drink” in the way that “Chapstick” is synonymous with “lip balm.” When given the option, no one chooses Pepsi. So, how do you get people to choose your brand?

Let’s eliminate what selling points you don’t need:

Low, low prices – Would you want to identify with something whose main pull is “cheap”?
Unsurpassed customer service – Fun fact: no one actually knows what this means. They just speak corporatese and call it a day.
A long time in business – Do you think anyone debating between the YSL logo and the Prada logo is Googling when they were founded?

Your customer does not care about you. They care about themselves. You don’t have to convince them that you’re the nicest or least expensive. You have to convince them that the benefits you provide will impact them more than the competition.

Let’s focus on brand standards you need:

Build from the ground up: If you don’t know what you represent, you’re shooting in the dark. Before you can start selling, you need to develop your internal brand.
Use insight to connect: People appreciate feeling seen. You need to understand how to form emotional connections to your ideal customer.
Differentiate to dominate: Once you know what your brand represents and how to utilize that to connect to your audience, you can strategize from your unique selling proposition.

Coca-Cola strategized this way. Before the Polar bears and the iconic bottle shape, Coca-Cola started it all with a unique, market-tested formula.

When building your brand, the knowledge behind the decisions you make will influence whether your customer will make a habit of choosing you over the competition. If you’re ready to be a Coke bottle in a sea of Pepsi cans, we’re ready to show you how.

Categories: Branding, Building Your Brand, Marketing, Messaging, Personality Profiles, Promise: Why Should They Choose You?, Strategy, Target Audience