Distinguishing your brand or even a state in a few words is a challenge because it’s usually hard for the leadership to pick one statement to communicate.
Common methodology for deciding what to communicate:
1. We need to let people know what we do.
Minnesota – “10,000 Lakes” (We do lakes.)
2. We need to let people know what we have done.
North Carolina – “First in Flight” (We were innovative.)
3. We need to let people know how we think.
New Hampshire – “Live Free or Die” (We live fearless.)
These methods are common, but not right in every situation.
Here’s a strategy I use that works well. First, identify the group of people that is “adamant” about what you sell. Then define how they think, and why what you sell is a part of their lifestyle. This group is the trendsetters.
When you figure that out, you can start to identify what this group sees as value when buying, associating or linking their cart to yours.
Pick only the top three things they value, then prioritize them in order of importance.
Minnesota’s trendsetters’ prioritized values may be:
1. Secluded fishing
2. Open waterways
3. Lakefront property
Once you have this information, you can position your core message and offerings.
P.S. It may sound weird, but I have found that positioning your brand to your trendsetters will insure a wider reach with less “cost-per-sale.” Your trendsetters only make up about 10% of your market, but the majority of the other 90% seem to follow.
I have no hard facts on these numbers, just my experience.
