Branding Is In The Eyes of the Beholder
In today’s digital age, tribes and communities are everything on social media.
We each have our own preferences, which allows us to find brands or people we can follow and associate ourselves with.
We could say that branding is in the eyes of the beholder.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Some people will literally not like your brand and what you stand for — no matter what you do.
If you’re a fitness brand, some people literally dislike working out. They’re not your market.
They may be your market in the future, for when they’re ready… but it’s not for everyone.
You need to go after the people who are interested in your message. Here’s why:
- Community. An active community welcomes like-minded individuals in it. People feel welcome and secure with the brand. It’s their tribe.
- Make the best products for them. A successful business can be determined by whether or not you sell what customers want. For your first product, you may have to go with your gut feeling — what YOU want. When the business expands, read their common requests.
- More loyalty. These customers will give you all kinds of feedback, and it’s always constructive. Even if they hate it, they’ll do it in a nice way. They won’t sh** on your business.
Narrow First, Then Expand
Niche Marketing is not cliche. It’s THE strategy.
Big brands can’t adapt to new interests or opportunities.
You can.
Big brands choose a large scale — for everyone.
You can be more intimate or caring for the little guys.
In various posts, I have frequently talked about having product-related brands based on interests. On a recent vlog, I talked about making a supplement brand tailored to Basketball players.
Something this simple is easy to capitalize on because it eventually hits a larger audience. When it hits the larger audience, you acquire customers who literally are interested in Basketball or aspire to have the mindset of the athletes in the sport.
Focus on the early adopters, then get the early majority. It’s the adoption cycle!
In Their Eyes
Branding and great products lie in the perception of your customers.
Let’s be real.
We’ve all seen products that literally suck that were perceived to be amazing.
Why was Pet Rock big? The branding. It’s funny to think about, but it’s true.
We can argue that Starbucks is just expensive caffeine. Yet people love what they stand for.
In the supplement industry, I see many products that I believe to be under-dosed. The branding behind the products are why people buy. We can argue otherwise, yes, because this is MY PERCEPTION based on personal research.
Many supplement companies will tell you they’re “high quality” and “backed by science”, but could you argue otherwise?
Some products are under-dosed and combined with a lot of ingredients to make it seem like “more is more”, and to prevent people from taking multiple servings.
Others provide powerful dosages with just a few ingredients.
This is the magic of branding: even ingredients can be a part of your business’ branding.
Perception Is Everything
The placebo effect is strong, and with this, we could argue that it may be a necessity for commerce. Whether you use it for good or evil is up to you.
Branding is in the eyes of the beholder.
Some brands might have the best products, but their audience is non-existent.
They lack the ability to communicate what they stand for with their customers.
Coming with some Marketing background, it is an entirely different experience advertising for a big brand and a new one.
Creating Reforged is extremely tough. I have my branding layout and target customer ready. We just need the growth of the brand… and that takes time!
However, starting with the brand in mind is everything. Building a foundation for it will set the tone for the success of your brand.
This applies to both your business and personal brand.
Branding ❤ LOVE IT!
Thank you for reading everyone! If you have anything to add, please don’t hesitate to drop it down below!
Until next time!
Other Works
Vitamin D — Simplified Supplements
Brain Power: An Intro to Nootropics
Social Media: @ibtonyg
