2 minute read
Colours of Branding
BY LAURA BEAUPARLANT FOUNDER OF LAB CREATIVE, AUTHOR OF BRAND CHEMISTRY & CREATOR OF BRAND CAMP
Lead with your WHY
Advertisement
In Simon Sinek’s 2011 book ‘Start with Why’, he challenged our assumptions about the way people connect with the businesses around them. Sinek started a revolution with the idea that people care more about why we do what we do than what we do. He went even further by saying that people buy our why, not our what, and provided numerous examples of how important it is to connect emotionally to a company’s why.
Yet, despite overwhelming evidence that our why should be the driving force behind our business, we often don’t spend the time to really think about and craft it in a meaningful way. Your why helps determine the look and feel of your brand; it helps guide your messaging and positioning; and most importantly, it helps your customers connect with what it is that you do best.
Ask yourself what drove you to start this business when you could have been doing anything else. And if you’ve been in business for a while, think about whether your motivations have changed. When you are connected to why you started your business, you can communicate about it from a place of authenticity. Something that I recommend clients ponder when they’re crafting their why statement is what they’d want people to say about them at their funeral. Sounds morbid, right? But thinking about what your legacy will be after you’re gone can help you make thoughtful decisions in the present—to treat people better, to make change, to do something meaningful, to be happy. If what you do every day doesn’t fit in with that vision, what needs to change?
When you understand your why, and create a business around living that why, it will inform all your branding messages and as a result, you’ll become a magnet for like-minded people.
You can also use your why as a measuring stick against every business decision you make. As yourself “does this client/opportunity/program/offer get me closer to my goal or further?” If the answer is closer, then you’re on the right track. If the answer is further, then it’s a no.
YOUR WHY =CONTRIBUTION +IMPACT
People want to work with companies with which they have a shared purpose. Craft a why statement that resonates deeply with you personally but also fits your growing business and those who work with you.
This requires asking through-provoking questions and digging deeper than you’ve ever dug before.
So what’s your WHY
Here are some questions to get you thinking about why you do what you do.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
What excites you?
What is the legacy you want to leave behind?
What do you want people to say about you when you’re gone?
What contribution do you want to make?
What impact do you want to have?
