An easy brand language change that can make you irresistible
I’ve written about the importance of shifting the focus from your brand to those that your brand hopes to serve. I find that organizations have a hard time embracing this idea. And not because they don’t understand that they should focus on the customer. They get that. It’s a problem with how they go about doing it.
In other words, they will tell you that they are customer-focused, yet when you look at how they speak to the market, it is not necessarily as apparent as they think.
I like to work on language with brands. It is one of the most accessible avenues for an organization. At the same time, it can be exceptionally powerful.
Here is an easy example of how you can transform the language of your brand and an explanation of what making this shift can mean.
From what we can do for you to what you can do
"Let me tell you what I can do for you." For me, that phrase triggers a sense that somebody is about to try and sell me something.
Nobody likes that. Yet most brands do something similar (although in a more subtle way). Take this phrase for example:
We help you become a better you
Seems okay, right? Someone is wanting to help me. And, sure, I'd like to become a better me. This is a serviceable statement.
Most brands stop here. And miss the bigger opportunity to share something even more compelling. Let's look at the example statement to illustrate:
The first word is 'we'. It's about you and not about those you hope to serve.
The benefit is predicated on you offering your help. That means it's out of the control of those we hope to serve.
It doesn't inspire or even invoke action
So what would be a better alternative?
Become a better you
Seems like a minor change. We simply eliminated the first three words. But the difference is huge:
It's no longer about you - it's about them
It empowers them to take charge of their success
It is a command - a call to arms
It inspires them to pursue an aspiration
When your language acknowledges that it's all about them and not about you, you immediately become more relevant, meaningful, and compelling to those you hope to serve.
Who doesn't want that?
Of course, your language is just one part of this equation. You have to do the things to back up what you say. You have to show how you empower those you hope to serve. In fact, if you fail to offer the demonstrable proof, it's worse than if had said nothing at all. The good news is that it shouldn't be that hard. Every decent organization that I have worked with has this demonstrable proof. Sometimes we need to unearth it a bit. But like I said, it's there.
It's not exactly easy to shift the focus from ourselves to those we hope to serve. Our deep-seated self-preservation instincts lead us toward thinking of ourselves first. That’s why it is so compelling when brands change their language to make the customer/prospect the hero. To energize. To inspire. If you're on the receiving end of that message, it makes you want to keep those kind of brands in your life.
Wouldn't it be something if your brand made people feel that way?