If you’re looking to develop your brand, start a marketing campaign, or launch a new product, you probably realize you’re staring down the barrel of about one gazillion (give or take) decisions you’ll have to make over the next several months. Some are big, some are small. Some you can make on your own, while others need multiple teams involved. The decisions can be expensive and scary but also fun and exciting (promise!).
Not all of those decisions are make-or-break. But each of them is an individual step that either takes you closer to the best possible outcome for you and your organization or down a path that can be confusing, time-consuming, and downright ineffective.
What you need the most as you travel down this path, I’ve learned over the past 20 years as a marketing strategist, is clarity.
Clarity is the destination. Although it’s sometimes hidden in the complexity of all you have to accomplish, it’s the simple, powerful goal you’re striving for: for customers to understand who you are, what you offer, and why they should choose you. Time and time again. Day after day. And through some sort of “as is the inner, so is the outer” phenomenon that I probably don’t have the full faculties to truly understand — clarity is also the best day-by-day decision making tool you can have.
Opportunities for better clarity happen all during a project’s timeline, from every meeting to every milestone. But I’ve found there are 3 distinct spots where connecting with clarity not only leads to more external success (sales, sign-ups, whatever the CTA is) but makes the process way more enjoyable, too.
Utilizing a Brand Platform to get clear on who you are and why you matter sets the tone for everything you’ll do. Letting the Brand Platform inform and inspire your creative work is how you let customers know, day-in and day-out, why they should choose you. And staying connected with those customers helps keep you on the right track and helps you better navigate any tough spots you may encounter.
At least, that’s been my experience over the years. The clearer we are about what we're doing and why, the easier it is for customers to see how what we’re offering can make their lives a little bit better.
