Family!

We all want our brands to grow and be mentioned among the greats that have truly left an impact on the people it served. Well, it can be a little difficult to see your brand in all its greatness and competing with the big boys and big girl brands out there. Especially when you haven’t even created a logo yet.

I remember when I first heard my client tell me about Dream, Imaginations, Gifts Development Program. We had hours upon hours of talks about what he envisioned for this nonprofit. What did it look like in the future, who was it helping, how was it helping them, and what role was he playing. We just chatted about what it could be before I even touched a laptop to actually create it. These moment brought clarity to what he wanted to accomplish, why he wanted to accomplish it, and it allowed me to align myself with his vision. It allowed me to understand his why, and be able to seamlessly interpret his story in his marketing.

Because I understood his vision from the beginning and he trusted my skill set I was able to bounce ideas off of him that he could see value in, plus I could support why I would want to do so by referencing what we talked about in his vision. The main focus I had in our approach to launching his nonprofit was his story. It was a story that resonated with me, it was a story that he had real life experience in, and it was a story that I felt others could get behind. And they did! They’ve related to it so much that they come to Williston, SC once a year by the thousands to support an amazing STEM based festival.

So how does this help you compete with the big brands?

Here’s what the small brands do well to make them stand out amongst the brand giants:

1. They are more personal
2. They deliver on what they say they will do
3. They have a connection with their customers, vendors, supporter, volunteers
4. They have relationships with other brands in their community
5. They tell a real story that talks directly to people they’re impacting
6. They care
7. They invest in their brand, image, and marketing first

Here’s why these brands are successful.

This goes back to a quote that mentor shared with me back in college when I was creating social events for our organization:

“You can do incredible numbers, but if there’s no footage, it never happened!”

Aaron Plush

I’ve taken this quote and applied it through my journey in sales, marketing, and as a consultant. If no one can see what you do in the light that is advantageous to your brand, then it’s wasted opportunity. The work may be relevant and impactful, but the opportunity to bring awareness and gather the people could be missed. And, ultimately I believe gathering the people around to support the idea, or the vision, is more important than the work itself. The story that it leaves to someone else goes way beyond the moment. The ideas that spark from someone being able to connect with the message can catapult your vision into new heights.