You can spot businesses with Sticky Brands in almost every industry.
Companies like Apple, Nike, and Starbucks have invested to grow captivating brands, and they are as successful as they are recognizable. But large companies aren’t the only ones who can stand out.
Any business of any size can grow into a Sticky Brand!
It’s achievable for anyone willing to put in the time, energy, resources, and creativity to break away from the industry norms and find innovative ways to serve their customers.
My path into branding wasn’t traditional. I fell into it out of necessity.
After watching my family’s business nearly hit rock bottom, I was forced to take a hard look at the way the company was run and at our industry as a whole. I realized it wasn’t our sales people or marketing processes that were failing, it was the brand: our customers couldn’t distinguish us from anyone else.
But I didn’t know what to do. I was a sales guy who had lost his competitive advantage! So I read — everything I could find on marketing and branding.
My bookshelf is brimming with books from that time, but they largely left me feeling frustrated. The books showcased brands like Nike and Starbucks and basically said, “Do what they did…”
I could admire what these big brands did, but I was a small business. We had a marketing budget, but not a vast one.
But I read and I tried. I took what I could, I adapted and implemented the ideas, and I built my brand.
What I learned was being big doesn’t make your brand. And having a big marketing budget doesn’t make your brand either.
Growing a Sticky Brand is a choice!
It’s a choice to stand out and be remarkable.
It’s a choice to build meaningful relationships with your customers.
It’s a choice to cut your own path and innovate in your industry.
It’s a choice to stand out, attract customers, and drive sales.
And the way you know you have a Sticky Brand is in your customers. Do they choose you first?
This question is the essence of branding. Branding isn’t about logos, taglines, or colors. Branding is about the bond you form with customers — a bond where they choose you first.
When you have a Sticky Brand your customers think of you first, refer you first, and come back again and again.
That is the heart of Sticky Branding: build relationships early and often so that your customers choose your brand first.
But growing a Sticky Brand is so much more than marketing. It’s strategy.
Sticky Brands bring together purpose, vision, customer service, passion, operational excellence, and strategy to deliver remarkable customer experiences.
Customers don’t beat a path to your company’s door because of the marketing. Marketing hype scratches off quickly. Customers seek out Sticky Brands — and come back again and again — because your company offers a compelling service and a memorable experience.
It’s not complicated, but it’s not easy either.
Your customers are waiting. They are craving a company like yours to challenge the status quo and deliver them the products, services, and experiences they appreciate. It takes leadership. Take the first step and commit to growing your company into a Sticky Brand.
Need Help With Your Branding?
If you’d like to discover how Sticky Branding can help you, let’s chat. Here’s a link to my calendar.
