With the inception of any business comes the question, what should come first: the brand or the product?
Some believe that the product comes first and paves the way for the brand to develop around it. While this may seem logical, putting the brand before the product is actually the best way to ensure your business has a stable foundation to build upon.
So, how does one go about developing a brand with no product to lead the way?
The first step is to ask yourself “what’s your WHY?” Why this product and/or business? What about it makes you want to put in the work to make it successful? What’s your STORY?
The “WHY” is the most important part of your brand. It’s what your target audience will relate to; what will attract them to you. Your “WHY” is your Brand Purpose.
A great example of a business putting the brand before the product is our client, OPTX, a SaaS company in Vegas that’s making an impact in the gaming and hospitality industry. Brooke Fiumura (Chief Operating Officer) and Morgan Gaspard (Director of Brand Marketing) came to us with the idea for a name and a vision of what they wanted their product to be. Developing the brand first enabled them to hire the ideal team to bring their vision to life. Brooke and Morgan explain more here:
What about marketing as a way of separating yourself from the pact?
It’s important to remember that marketing gets you in front of target audiences; branding is your clearly defined message and perception before you get in front of your audience.
If you’re an entrepreneur that launched their business without a Brand Purpose, it’s OK. Now’s as good a time as any to repurpose. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Besides making money, why are you in this business?
- Would you be in business if you knew you were going to fail at it?
- What problems do you want to solve? And for whom?
Start here; keep brainstorming until you’ve come up with words and sentences to draw upon, using them to uncover the purpose of your brand. Take this and write it in a statement.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Brand Purpose process, click the link below to submit a Request For Proposal.
