As most of you know, my Eat Fit Food business targeted time poor individuals who needed a simple, easy solution to fit healthy eating and lifestyle into their daily ritual.
Very early on when building my business I knew I had to get the my brand noticed and the product into the hands of influential people. I know, when you heard the word ‘influence’, you immediately thought ‘expensive’, right? Well…hear me out. Something I’ve learnt from my own experiences is that you really don’t have to pay to attract influencers. Yep – seriously! I managed to create an army of ambassadors which we did not pay a cent for. The brand was sexy. So sexy, it sold itself. Everyone wanted to get their hands on it.
One of our biggest wins was getting Hugh Jackman on board when he was in Sydney filming Wolverine. In conjunction with his trainer we created a menu specifically tailored to achieving his optimum shape for Wolverine. Then one day, he was photographed carrying his Eat Fit Food cooler bag in Sydney, giving birth to the “Wolverine” program. Eat Fit Food absolutely blew up after that.
…I mean who wouldn’t want to look like Hugh Jackman, right?
Following this success, I began to build a group of brand ambassadors who loved our brand and everything it stood for. Next up, Miranda Kerr.
After that, the endorsements from celebrities, athletes and business executives kept coming.
People gravitated towards the brand because of the simple, yet effective offering. Your brand doesn’t need to be complex, or try solve a million and one different problems. It needs to be true to it’s promise, have a distinguished brand presence and be in the right people’s hands to grow to it’s full potential.
Here’s my top 5 tips to creating a thriving brand that everyone wants to be a part of, just like mine did.
1. PITCH your product… to everyone you know!
Put an hour aside each day, specifically to speak to new people. You are your own biggest fan – so there’s no better person to reach out to new people and tell them about your brand. Ensure you’re authentic in your approach, explaining the true reasons why you believe in it and the main benefits. Whether it’s straight away, takes 2 weeks or 2 years – the seeds you plant for your business always pay off in one way or another. Patience & persistence with your pitch is key!
2. PROJECT THE RIGHT IMAGE
Have you thought about what your brand looks like to an outsider? Does it truly reflect what your business mission is? Ensure your brand marketing is consistent across all platforms and reflects your ethos in a way that relates to your customer.
3. TELL YOUR STORY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY
The world is full of brands! Did you know, everyday individuals are exposed to up to 10, 000 brands! So, make your brand stand out through telling it’s story…and make it compelling! People love nothing more than to see how your brand got to where it is today. It connects them to your product, creates engagement and drives long term brand loyalty. Using emotion (be it joy, humour, trust) to connect your brand to your customer through story telling can result in a lasting impression.
4. OFFER A BRAND EXPERIENCE
Your brand is not just your logo or tagline, but rather the perception and reaction a prospective customer has to your product or service. Your customer must have a positive encounter at every touch point of your brand, beyond just visual stimulus. I’d encourage you to think about how every interaction adds up to the experience for the customer. From your phone manner to your staff policies to the delivery of your product, remember to make every interaction count! Cumulatively, these positive experiences make up your customers perspective of your brand and can therefore become your biggest source of competitive advantage – just by doing good business.
5. PERSONALISE WHERE POSSIBLE!
Similar to the example above with Wolverine, we put our product offering in the limelight simply with a new concept built from our existing business model. My advice? Build your offering in a way that can be chopped and/or changed to suit differing customer needs. Personalisation is HUGE at the moment and making your customer feel like you have done something especially for them (even if it wasn’t that much hassle) can really help differentiate you from the competition.
During my sessions with clients I delve deeper into not only these tips but a whole array of business principals and best practice guidelines to help you succeed in building a sustainable, profitable brand. Get in touch today for a consultation chat – on me!
