Ever noticed how you just ‘connect’ with some companies more than others? Every time you see their logo, your heart flutters a little, reminding you how much you fancy their products or services. They say love is blind, and you’ve probably got a love affair or two with brands that make it difficult for you to see past them.
The question is, what attracts you to those brands? What makes you feel so strongly about them compared to others. Well, if you’ve ever fallen in love, you’ve probably thrown logic out the window, and that’s what most of us do when it comes to choosing brands. Don’t believe us? Well it’s science. Around 80% of us make choices before we’re rationally aware of them.
The time when brands were built on the physical differences alone is long gone. People these days increasingly put feelings over features. So how do you go about differentiating your brand if physical differences simply won’t cut it? By connecting to the hearts and minds of your customers with a personality that’ll knock their socks off.
To bring your brand’s personality front and centre, you’ll need to nail your brand archetype. The traits that make you who you are. A lover or a fighter. A rebel or a ruler. Now there’s a dozen brand archetypes, and we’re not going to drown you with the details right here and now.
What we will do, is tell you how knowing your brand archetype inside out will help you float the right boat.
1. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Finding out which archetype your brand is gives it personality and meaning - dare we say, ‘authenticity’. It’s how you show up in people’s lives, and build a clear picture in your customers’ minds. It separates you from the pack, your brand and messaging from others in the same market niche. People connect with brands whose values reflect their own.
2. Jump start your audience.
Once you understand your brand archetype, selling the right message to the right people becomes a whole lot easier. How, you ask? Archetypes guide the way you communicate with your audience, especially on social media. Your brand experience for your customers can start anywhere from a friend’s comment on Instagram to the tone of voice of your website. These interactions are what makes brands come alive for people.
3. Be binge worthy.
Knowing your brand archetype is how you’ll find the right storyline for your brand. A strong and unique story builds brand recognition with your customers, creates awareness of what your brand is about, and keeps them hooked. Kind of like that Netflix series they can’t stop binging.
4. Build a tribe.
Your vibe attracts your tribe. Now that may be a saying one too many social influencers have plastered over their Instagram feed, but it’s true. Brand archetypes encourage brand loyalty. The best performing companies are the ones whose values, mission and vision are based on solid brand archetypes. These days customers are savvier, more cynical (*cue cancelling),and more concerned with expressing their individuality. Consumers today don’t just buy a product, they buy the symbolism attached to the product.
5. Make a better product.
Great products reflect their brand archetype through and through - from functionality to aesthetics. Knowing your brand archetype will help you nail this. In the world of social media, the popularity of new products with your audience will show you when you get it right, and when you get it dead wrong. This should be the feedback that drives the changes in product development.
Putting pen to paper. Building brand touchpoints.
It’s time to take what you know about your customers and their perception of your brand, and combine it with your knowledge of archetypes to strengthen your brand.
Brand personality checklist:
- Study your customers and interact with them. Get to know them, their buying decisions, and how they feel about your brand.
- Reflect on your brand’s traits. Get real about your strengths, limitations and potential.
- Study the 12 archetypes and rank the top 2 that most reflect who you are and what you stand for.
- Explore how you can best show yours and begin the work of defining or redefining your brand with that archetype in mind.
With your archetype and personality locked and loaded, you can now start to think about your brand identity and touchpoints. Experiencing your brand personality should get your customers buzzing like their local barista does.
Need to brush up on your personality? We’ll put yours to the test.
Your brand has a story. Let us help you make it unforgettable.
