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Stories don’t compel people to purchase. Conversations do. As an accidental brand strategist, I’ve learned that concise and compelling brand messaging is key to cutting through the noise, creating common ground with your target market, and ultimately driving revenue. Yet, many of us get caught up in the concept that storytelling will get that message across and compel our prospects to take the next step and make a purchase.
My journey into branding wasn’t planned—it was a fluke. I originally intended to pursue a PhD in linguistic anthropology. But when the market crashed, my professor advised me to get a full-time job, repay my undergrad debt, and get some real-world experience. So I left academia and took my first sales job, where I used to be tasked with selling IT training services.
Starting my profession in this difficult sales role, I quickly learned the importance of clear and effective communication through trial and error. Cold calling IT professionals to sell $2,500 training courses taught me that inside the first 15 to 30 seconds, you have to convey what you do, the way you solve someone’s problem, and the way you’re different from the competition. This difficult environment forced me to refine my communication skills and develop an effective brand presentation that allowed me to exceed my sales quotas and ultimately launch a profession in brand strategy and development.
Trifecta Brand
Your brand is your path of least resistance to revenue. In the first 15 to 30 seconds, it’s essential to tell someone what you do, the way you solve their problem, and the way you’re different from the competition. Storytelling alone won’t drive sales; engaging brand conversations will. When someone asks what you do, you shouldn’t start with a story. Instead, you wish a clear, compelling brand presentation that piques curiosity and makes people wish to learn more.
The Brand Trifecta is a powerful and proven messaging framework that I developed early in my sales profession and has helped hundreds of organizations create brands that attract more leads and generate more customers who buy. The Brand Trifecta is rooted in buyer psychology and enables corporations to create the “you get me” moments their target market must build trust and ultimately make a purchase.
The Brand Trifecta methodology consists of three key elements: a tagline, a value statement, and a set of differentiating statements. The formula of mixing these three message components creates a brand conversation that converts.
Your tagline is the first impression of your brand. It needs to be short, clear, and interesting. Think of your tagline as the headline of your brand message. It should immediately tell people what you do in a way that grabs their attention and makes them wish to learn more.
Next, you wish a value statement. This is where you expand on your tagline by explaining the way you solve your customer’s problem. A worth statement isn’t just a list of features and advantages; it concisely tells you the value you provide to your prospects and customers by addressing their specific pain points. Your value proposition should resonate with your audience and make them see you as the solution they’ve been looking for. In other words, your value statement should create a “You get me!” moment for your customers.
Matt McNeany, CTO of OPMG, emphasizes the importance of knowledge when it involves identifying customer pain points: “The brands that do this most effectively start with data, of course. They use every customer interaction to learn more, capture what content a customer engages with, and add it to their profile, building an experience that asks the customer for their opinion and what they like.” This is where the magic happens—when you utilize these insights to tailor your message, you create a value proposition that actually resonates and compels your target market to take the next step and make a purchase.
Finally, your differentiator statements should clearly define the way you are different and higher than your competitors. What unique advantages do you offer? Why would someone select you over others? Differentiator statements are key because they enable you to stand out in a crowded marketplace and ultimately give your audience a reason to decide on you over others.
“The best brands build differentiation through what they do as well as what they say. As the old saying goes, ‘Don’t tell me you’re funny; make me laugh.’ Or, for brands, don’t tell me you care; show me—through seamlessly personalized experiences that anticipate what I want and give me what I need, making my choices and my life easier,” says McNeany. Bottom line: Your differentiation statements build trust and create a compelling argument that can move your prospects to motion.
Creating brand conversations that convert
At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to create brand conversations that convert. Focus on upsetting your audience to wish to know more. Remember, you are not in the business of convincing everyone; you are in the business of converting the right people.
So make sure your brand message is consistent across all channels and touchpoints. This will align your sales and marketing teams and ultimately drive revenue growth. McNeany emphasizes how automation may also help with consistent branding across channels: “Smart brands have realized they need to ensure consistency while managing the explosion of content across all channels.”
That’s why they’re rapidly adopting an automated content supply chain that mixes a brand design framework with algorithmic decisions based on customer behavior to deliver relevant, on-brand messages across every channel. No matter what sales and marketing tactics you implement, maintain brand consistency so customers have a clear understanding of who you are, what you do, the way you solve their problems, and the way you’re different from the competition.
In addition, don’t lose sight of the power of consistent branding that unites sales and marketing teams. Sales and marketing misalignments will be fixed by using a single brand proposition across functions that addresses what customers have to know to purchase. When sales and marketing consistently use and leverage the same brand language, they develop into an unstoppable, unified front. The result? Increased conversions, shortened sales cycles, and improved revenue growth.
Take your brand beyond the box and break free from the establishment of storytelling by building your Brand Trifecta. Develop a clear tagline, value proposition, and differentiating statements, and reap the advantages of a powerful brand presentation that unifies your sales and marketing teams, accelerates sales cycles, and increases growth. Remember, your brand is the path of least resistance to revenue. Create compelling brand conversations and watch what you are promoting take off.