I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase Unique Selling Proposition – or USP. To help position DFAF in our marketing program, I chose to focus on our Brand Purpose which takes the concept of a USP to a new level. When I started to formalize a brand strategy, my marketing counselor asked … “Why does your company and brand exist, and why should anybody in the market care?”. That question gave me pause. I really hadn’t thought about my company that way before. Or thought about having a brand at all, really.
He took me through a process that helped me focus clearly on why my full service painting and decorating company – my brand – was different than my direct competitors and others in the built industry with whom I interact. We examined the market and took a hard look at what DFAF brought to the party, and why the market should care and take notice of DFAF and our formidable skill sets. By thinking ‘Brand Purpose’ – that need or purpose my company fulfills for my customers better than any of our competitors – we arrived at a purposeful, differentiated proposition to underpin all marketing.
We zeroed in on our Core Values which serve as the DNA of DFAF. Our DNA is all about providing our clients with an elevated level of creative direction and vision, and delivering it with meticulous attention to detail, craftsmanship, professionalism and work ethic on time and on budget. That is what makes us a differentiated brand vs. a commodity – a brand that conveys a unique purpose for our clients and commands attention.
This is not hocus pocus. It’s sophisticated marketing and something every business – from start-up to entrepreneurial small business to large corporation – needs to address. So, think about your brand’s purpose, and how you’re going to go about grabbing the attention of your target audiences.