Imagine a sixty-year-old, family-owned company in the midwestern United States. The company, now run by the third generation, has survived, and often thrived, through six, count ‘em six, decades of social and economic uncertainty. The world has changed. Trends come and go, and sometimes never come back around. Yet, this company has adapted in every way it can by adopting new, relevant technology and developing new products. There’s a story here. A story of resilience, ingenuity, adaptation and downright guts.
If you asked this company’s leaders, both old and newest generation, why they’ve been able to stay in business and grow, they might be too close to the story to tell you. They’re so engrained in the daily operations of their business that they can’t see how remarkable the brand story of their legacy truly is.
If that rings close to home for you and your business, perhaps it’s time to take a couple of hours to step away from the emails and meetings, gather your closest colleagues, and ask yourselves three questions to get your story straight. It’s these details that can be the heart of your brand—the brand that can guide your sales and marketing strategies as your company grows.
- What got you to where you are now?
- Where do you want to go from here?
- What’s holding you back?
What Got You to Where You Are Now?
Depending on the company’s age and history, it can be difficult to remember, or there may be different versions, depending on who you ask. If that’s the case, here are some follow-up questions to jog memories. When your company started, who were your competitors? Are they still around? What does your company do extremely well, or do that the competition can’t or won’t do? What makes your company relevant and unique, either today or in its history? Why are you winning? Is it price, product quality, or customer relationships and service? The answers to those questions are the key elements of your brand story.
Where Do You Want to Go from Here?
Maybe it’s a matter of taking your company’s unique competitive advantages and building upon them. Increasing your production capacity, number of locations, lines of business through acquisitions or presence in new markets? Can you identify audiences and geographic markets that could benefit from what your company can offer?
If you’ve not set some SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based), this is a great point to do so.
What’s Holding You Back?
Business growth requires planning, people and capital. It also requires marketing advisory and execution, as well as analyzing results and perfecting your strategy.
While tempting, you can’t solely rely on your current customer base to spread your story quickly and widely enough to fuel measurable and sustainable growth. Meaning growth via selling more services or products to existing customers versus attracting new customers to your brand.
As your business grows, don’t forget to take your brand with you. You already have a compelling story full of reasons why prospective customers should do business with your company.
Of all the brand marketing companies in Kansas City, EAG Advertising & Marketing has a knack for digging in and getting to the heart of our clients’ brand stories. To start the conversation about leveraging your brand to grow your company, contact us.