In last week’s article, I talked about articulating your brand’s true value as the bundle of benefits of your product/service that closes the gap between the customer’s current state (their problem) and desired future state (having their problem solved). In this article, I refine this bundle of benefits to land on an eloquent two- or three-word signature value anthem that describes your brand’s highest value.
Define Your Brand’s Highest Value
A signature value anthem is a short phrase that captures the essence of your most distinctive and significant competitive advantage. This is the attribute or area of product/service delivery at which you perform exceptionally well, and which gives the single biggest benefit to your customers.
My business signature value anthem is ‘strategic brand alignment’ based on the methodology I have developed that aligns an organisation’s culture, communications, customer experience and citizenship. The alignment of these critical business dimensions facilitates consistency of intention, language and action across an organisation’s workforce and via its marketing channels, customer touchpoints, service delivery and corporate social responsibility activities. Over time, this consistency builds brand credibility, fosters trust and enhances reputation.
‘Strategic brand alignment’ is, therefore, the single biggest benefit for my clients; it’s my key competitive advantage because it’s what distinguishes me from others and it’s my area of greatest performance.
What is your brand’s highest value; the single biggest benefit to your customers? It could be found in a variety of areas such as leadership, strategy, relationships, prosperity, wellbeing, vision, education, service or it could be a particular product/service attribute or unique feature, a methodology or technological innovation, for example.
Leverage Your Brand’s Highest Value
Once you have identified your brand’s highest value and defined it with a signature value anthem, you can leverage it by embedding it within a compelling value proposition. Below is a simple, four-step process to achieve this:
- Identify the intended audience.
- Clarify the problem/unmet need.
- Define the solution, encompassing your signature value anthem, that solves the problem.
- Specify the ultimate outcome for the audience.
Here’s an example, using a bookkeeping business which has defined its signature value anthem as ‘meticulous standards’:
‘ABC Bookkeepers works with small businesses (intended audience) experiencing cash flow challenges because of poor bookkeeping practices (problem). Our meticulous standards for attention to detail, accuracy and timeliness (solution encompassing signature value anthem), will get your paperwork back in perfect order efficiently and seamlessly so you can improve your cash flow and meet your tax obligations on time, every time (ultimate outcome).’
Moving ahead, your signature value anthem can be used as a simple yardstick for assessing whether marketing messages are ‘on brand’.
©Ros Weadman 2022 Ros Weadman is an award-winning brand communication and reputation strategist who helps businesses articulate what they stand for, communicate their brand value and enhance their reputation.
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