How to Cut Through to Success in a Busy World – An Interview with Ron Tite
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Consumers today are inundated with so much promotional messaging and content in the marketplace that they often don’t know where to look or who to trust. I recently interviewed author Ron Tite about his book that tackles this issue, “Think Do Say.” Ron explained what organizations must do in today’s busy world if they want to capture attention, create trust and build an authentic brand. Here are some of the top takeaways:
Define Your Brand Belief
These days, businesses are more aware than ever before that they need to stand for something that goes beyond what they sell. The problem is that a lot of organizations think that this kind of corporate purpose is a proxy for social cause, such as saving the environment. While these kinds of issues are, of course, important, this is not a brand belief. A brand belief is what you fundamentally believe in that goes beyond the thing you sell but that is strategically aligned to it. To evaluate if your brand belief is strategically linked to the thing you sell, connect the two with the word ‘so’. For example, Airbnb believes its customers should feel like they belong anywhere, so they work to connect people with local community accommodation so that when they travel they can feel like they’re living in the neighborhood, not a hotel.
Write Your Brand Narrative
To serve your customers at the highest levels and stand out in a crowded marketplace, your core business narrative should be able to answer five questions:
- What’s going on in the world?
- What problem does that create?
- What do you fundamentally believe about that problem?
- How do you solve that problem?
- Why should we believe you?
A lot can happen outside your business category to change consumer behavior and mindset. From pandemics, to wars, to recessions, different dynamics can affect the market and create a score of problems. Once you’ve identified a problem, ask yourself what you fundamentally believe about it. Are your products and services aligned with what you believe the solutions are, or should be? If not, you’re working purely for financial gain instead of being authentic. Next, you need to figure out how to solve the problem with your product or service. Finally, you need to ask yourself why a consumer should believe that you can help. If you can prove your worth with a track record of impeccable service, for example, you will stand out, capture attention and build trust.
To stay relevant and ensure that you continue to meet the needs of the market, you must constantly assess your brand belief and brand narrative. To learn more, listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life”.
