Moo Cow, OW! Branding is painful for more than just the cows.

Moo Cow, OW! Branding is painful for more than just the cows.

What’s more barbaric and painful than shoving a hot iron onto some bovine buns? For many small businesses, it’s hearing the cold, hard truth about their branding efforts.

Let’s put away the pokers (I can hear some cattle weeping in relief right now) and examine some common mistakes small businesses make when positioning their brand:

 

1. The difference is our people. This has got to be the all-time number one branding cliche. Not only is this overused, it’s not even TRUE! Look, most right-thinking people know that people are the same all over, no matter their color, creed or religion. The same is true for businesses – people are generally the same everywhere. And unless you’re selling me your people — illegal, by the way — I don’t even CARE if they are different, I care about your product or service and how it can help me.
2. Your ________ solution (partner, provider, etc.) This is another cliche we often see. Why? Because it’s easy. The problem is, again, it isn’t even TRUE. You aren’t my solution or partner until we agree to do business. More importantly, EVERY other company in competition with you can say the same thing. So boring, untrue and doesn’t make you stand out – need we say more?
3. The leader in _________. Establishing yourself as a leader is good. The problem with this statement is that is very general. Are you the city’s leader, the town’s leader or the nation’s leader? Another way to look at this is that you have extremely limited space to tell your company’s story to a potential customer – maybe only a second or two … is the fact you are the leader in some segment REALLY the most important thing they should know about you?

 

The bad news is that there are a LOT of companies out there who position themselves this way, likely including a few readers of this blog. The good news is that it’s fixable. Instead of bragging about how different your people are, why not highlight how fast they can provide a service, or provide a guarantee? Instead of being “Your widget solution,” why not get specific with “The industry’s longest-lasting widget” or some other measurable claim? Instead of being the “industry leader,” can you spice it up with The ONLY company to _________?

 

As you can see, all good branding boils down to finding SPECIFIC reasons for someone to do business with you. If you’re struggling with your branding or your advertising isn’t effective, odds are you haven’t drilled down far enough to make a specific claim that only your company can make.

 

What are some of your most hated taglines or positioning statements?  I’d love to hear about it!