You may be the judge, but your consumer is the jury and executioner...which means you need to focus more on the type of impression your brand leaves before focusing on how many "click" impressions it will get!

For many companies, branding and marketing is like a blind man, in a dark room, looking for a black cat that isn't there! They have very little, to no vision, purpose, or direction for their company...and are the first ones to complain that having a professional branding and marketing strategy is too expensive.

If you think a professional brand strategy is too expensive, try not having one.

A brand, in and of itself, is a vital business asset. It creates value and encourages loyalty. While great brands will always be built on values and promises, it's no longer enough to simply "tell" people what your values and promises are. In today's digital age, brands have to be "experienced" by the user in order to have real meaning and differentiation. In today's digital business economy it comes down to "show me, don't tell me." In short, we help companies evolve their brands into experiences that connect their customers to their company in meaningful and impactful ways.

Having an ultra-clear understanding of "why" your brand exists, above a simple "to be successful" or "make a profit", is essential to your brand's value and your company's growth. This has less to do with your profit margin and more to do with your customer-client users and their "why" experience with your company. No clear communication of your "why" value to them, equals no relationship resonance. No resonance, no loyalty. No loyalty...well, they will go to your competitor instead.

It takes courage and guts to discover your "why" value and branding

Today's digital technology provides consumers with the power to be smarter and more informed than ever before. Product information and choice has never been more accessible and accessed then it is right now. This gives consumers an undeniable advantage in the marketplace. No longer do consumers have to wait for print media or television to inform them of their choices for goods or services; with just a few simple keystrokes or screen taps, consumers can find a wealth of information about multiple companies, products or services they are interested in and that will be beneficial to them. And in due course, this process of online engagement has been defined as the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).

In 2011, Google introduced us to the Zero Moment of Truth, or ZMOT, which describes a revolution in the way consumers search for information online and make decisions about companies and brands. Over a decade later, search and ZMOT have continued to grow in importance and scale, and as consumers' behavior evolves, so must the ways in which brands engage those consumers.

The ZMOT established a new understanding of how products and services are bought and sold in today's online economy and that consumers have adopted as their "primary" means in their purchasing journey. Branding, marketing, and message content for capturing consumers at the Zero Moment of Truth needs to be self-serve micro-moment information regarding your product, industry, category and service, and "why" your company is the best option to deliver it. Brands must make proper use of branding and marketing in order to remain present before their target audience whenever any micro-moments happen.

Download Summary Guide

In order to win at the Zero Moment of Truth, business professionals must synergize their "why" branding, marketing, and digital messaging with their consumers' "why" profiles and build relationships with them. Essentially, businesses must focus on optimizing their branding language for the information their customers are looking for, want, and trust.

Discovering your "why" value and building all efforts around this "inspirational core" of your company is essential to your success in today's 2.0 digital economy. This means every company must engage in a self-evaluation for "why" they are in business, and "why" do their customer-clients want or need their product or service.

Engaging in a deep dive into your company to discover your "why" value proposition is critical...and it takes courage and guts to do it.