Personality matters. At the end of the day, no matter what your business does, you still need to appeal to real people. People who appreciate personality. And without a distinct personality, it can be hard to develop a distinct place in the market. But developing a distinct personality for your business can be challenging.

It’s about knowing your audience (your actual audience, not the audience you wish you had). It’s about a cohesive voice, a consistent tone and truly showcasing what makes your business unique (not what you wish made it unique). So how do you know if you’ve developed a strong personality for your business? If you don’t know, you probably haven’t. But here are some of the top signs your brand is bland:

1. Musketeer syndrome. You can’t be everything to everyone. It’s important to know your strengths as a business, and aim for a target audience who will respond to them. Chances are, not everyone needs or wants your product or service. And that’s OK. It takes all kinds of kinds.
2. Ambiguous position. Are you the cheap option? Premium? Most trusted? Most reliable? If you can’t clearly answer this, chances are your clients can’t either. And you’d better cross your fingers that none of your competition can either, because otherwise your place in the market will soon be “oh yeah, remember the hot minute that company existed?” Isn’t it better to have an answer and appeal to people who want that?
3. Mixed messaging. Sometimes you’re this. Sometimes you’re that. One product is the best value on the market. Another is the highest quality out there today. You’ve got one commercial that’s funny, and another that’s incredibly moving. Gotta catch ’em all, right? Everything you display is an opportunity to reinforce the way people view your company.
4. Huh? Who’s that? A new customer came in today. He left happy. He went home and told his friends about it. And instead of “oh, I’ve heard of them. I’ve been meaning to stop in” he hears, “who’s that? I’ve never heard of them.” Or worse, “oh, you should have gone to [competitors name] instead.” A loyal following begins with being memorable. Make sure your advertising and marketing is memorable.
5. Lights on, no one’s home. You may have all the trappings of a well-thought-out marketing plan. Pretty colors. Consistent graphics. Well-timed media buys. But if the message you’re sending isn’t compelling or engaging, who cares? Or worse, if you can’t deliver what you’re promising, you’ve chosen the wrong message. You don’t want your personality to be identified as “dull” or “unreliable.”

Having a distinct brand that customers are excited about isn’t as simple as always being funny or slapping your logo on everything you touch. It’s about cultivating a distinct message and sticking to it, and making sure that message clearly identifies and identifies with your place in the market. And if you think you need some help, give us a call! We don’t stand for bland or canned brand.