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Much is said, read and written about business models, using social media, continued professional development, positive mental attitudes, team building days, raising brand awareness, effective networking etc. and most people in business have access to these tools to a lesser or major degree. It’s generally accepted that start-up budgets, capital investments and your ability to raise money may have a direct impact on how you build your business. These issues are contemplated by most business people at some point in the growth of their ventures so being clear about what your brand represents will make acquiring your market share a much easier experience.
The evolution of humanity has been consistent in at least one aspect: our need for social interaction. Whatever your life philosophy, religion, race, sexuality, profession, culture, lifestyle or ambition – history shows there has always been the desire/need to connect with others. The ability of a business to understand and create or meet the needs of its potential and existing customers is the secret of its success.
Dr Abraham Maslow hypothesized that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. His thinking was that individual needs must be satisfied at the lower levels before they progress to higher, more complex levels. The basic physiological need for food and shelter, for instance, had to be met before higher levels of esteem such as respect for others and self-confidence could be reached. In 2016, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory may be critiqued in view of the cultivated desire to have more Facebook or Instagram likes to validate self-esteem over eating nutritional foods, intelligent thinking and planning for a progressive future.
The psychology of your client base is effectively understood within its direct social context. Whether your product/service fulfils an aspirational or practical need becomes relevant according to how you tweet, advertise or price what you are selling for instance. Being clear about how your business will satisfy a perceived or actual need is good for business.
It all comes down to you being patient and consistent in how you define your brand. How you weave the common thread that binds all aspects of your social media campaign. How your packaging, presentations and general publicity complement why people should engage with what you have to offer. How the various ‘construction lines’ in the blueprint of your business paint a powerfully clear picture of what you represent. How you make people feel about what you do.
It’s a useful exercise to spend time, seek professional help and patiently identify what your brand says about you in 2016. When you see the bitten Apple symbol; you know what it represents. How does a swish or tick come to say so much about the name of a brand ie Nike? Both Apple and Nike were (globally) small businesses at one stage – just like your business is now. You may not aim to be a global market leader but you do have a vision for the growth of your business. It’s this vision based on identifying what your brand represents that will create the desire for your product / service and result in increased sales.
* Create the time to identify and understand why your business exists.
* Review your effectiveness and relevance in the current market.
* Enjoy the process and love what you do.
These qualities will make customers want to be associated with your brand which satisfies the need to socially interact by being part of a special tribe: Your tribe.
About the Author
Malik Muhammad was raised and educated in Jamaica, read law in London and is the conceptualiser of The Empowerment Mastery System. This system is based on The 8 Principles of Self Empowerment that are guaranteed to improve your quality of life, elevate your wellbeing and help you / your organisation or your business to make measurable progress.
Malik enjoys vegan cooking, quad biking,jazz and yoga. He is an after dinner speaker,workshop facilitator and convenes international & corporate inspirational seminars. Malik specialises in sharing self empowerment techniques with diverse audiences.
[…] Brand awareness is everything. Mega successful companies like Nike and Apple wouldn’t be where they are today if their marketing team didn’t aggressively market their brand. So how do you go about marketing your company? […]