If you had one wish for your brand, what would it be?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Since late last year, I’ve interviewed nearly 70 brands in the home industry (interior designers and home furnishings brands including retailers, manufacturers, those about to launch a new D2C/ B2B/ B2C brand, and even large online marketplaces) and despite them all having quite different business models and approaches, there’s one thing I’ve heard over and over again:
Brands are searching for support to grow their business through storytelling on social media.
Great storytelling that will resonate with the right audience, captivate new followers, and lead to magical and lucrative partnerships down the line.
But, as we all know, success isn’t as easy as just posting beautiful images, videos, or carousels and waiting to be discovered.
There’s a perceived correlation between follower count on social media and overall business success. So when I ask clients (and potential clients) “why do you want 50K+ followers”? I get a mix of answers which mostly lead back to a perception of success tied to this illusive metric.
You can buy 50K followers for around $499. But do you think those followers will ever buy anything from you? Nope. DM you for services? Nope. Share or comment on your content, become part of your industry #tribe, or drive more traffic back to your site/ page/ account? Not gonna happen.
The actual thing that most home brands are looking for when they consider marketing their brand is this: a crystal clear brand message and positioning strategy.
Ok, I admit this isn’t the glamorous answer you might have thought. And now I realize many of you are suddenly thinking about organizing your belts or what to make for dinner….
But stay with me.
Positioning your brand is like moving your plants around your home or office so they thrive in the right environment (do they need direct, indirect, or low-light? Exactly how much water is the perfect amount?).
And this is essentially the way you should think about your brand.
If you’re a plant that thrives in low-light, you’re not going to do well in full sun. All that exposure is going to dry out and burn your leaves, leave you parched all the time, maybe even change the beautiful texture or pattern of your foliage. It will be a constant struggle to stay hydrated and nourished. You’re fighting a fight you weren’t ever designed to win. Why even bother!? Get outta there! Get back to the environment where you were meant to shine.
If you’re the crown jewel of the low-light plants, with glossy leaves and extraordinary stripes and colors, and you’re living your best plant life in the conditions you were destined to be in, then you become an invaluable complement to the overall collection of plants in any home or office environment. Plant people will seek you out because you glow without the sun and are exactly what they are looking for.
So why spend your precious, glorious life energy trying to do anything but shine in the space you’re meant to be in?
Ok, I know this isn’t the perfect analogy, but I hope you get the meaning. Knowing exactly where you should be positioning your brand will create conditions for success that are unique and original in a sustainable, healthy, natural way. No struggle, no uncertain feeling in your gut. No crispy leaves falling on the ground around you. Only progress toward inevitable success.
We’ve written more about messaging and positioning your brand here.
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