Most leaders understand what a brand promise is, but to recap, a brand promise is the claim of distinction made to the market. The more value the promise has, the harder it is to deliver, but if you can deliver, your organization will get more market favor in comparison to your competitors.

Examples:

Fedex – The World on Time

Toms – One for One

BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine

Target – Expect More. Pay Less.

Compassion – Helping release children from poverty in
Jesus’ name

These brands have stuck their necks out with their claims. They have connected with the market and have been able to deliver on their promises, accelerating them as market leaders.

Whether you’re in ministry, business or government—small, medium or large—here are four brand promise principles to accelerate you:

1. A brand promise creates a plan

The primary purpose of a brand promise is to tip customers/donors in your favor. The secondary purpose is to inspire your team to push industry boundaries, which creates engagement and inspiration.

2. No promise, no standard

Not having a brand promise is comparable to having a bad one. Without a brand promise, there is no organizational standard to live up to. That places you in the ordinary category from the customer’s/donor’s perspective and creates
internal disengagement.

3. A brand promise aligns unspoken market needs

The claim you make should be something your market is craving (and sometimes, not necessarily asking for) and competitors are having trouble delivering.

4. Deliver, deliver and deliver

The hardest part of any promise is keeping it. Over-promise and under-delivery are the main reasons organizations fail. There is a saying, “Great marketing will put an average business under.”

Know what your cause is, know what you’re competing for,
know your competitive rank and build a plan to offer and
deliver the best.