A few years back, the term “brand love” became a fashionable way to describe the affinity people felt for a brand. In the industry, we all looked for ways to generate that brand love. Looking back, I realize that was the wrong way to approach it. Love was not something to be generated. It had to be earned.

Excellence is not enough

I've worked with some organizations that believed that all they had to do was be the best that they could be. Unfortunately, being the very best we can be is not enough.

For starters, it is too easy for competitors to spin up an offering that rivals ours in today's world. Call it the curse of technology.

That aside, this line of thought of 'just being the best we can be' is incredibly inward-focused. It's all about the organization without a mention of those the organization hopes to serve.

If we want to earn that brand love, we need to focus on those we hope to serve.

Shifting our focus

So, how do we make the shift? Here are some thoughts:

• Having a great offering is, well, great. But honestly, it's just table stakes. It doesn't mean we can't feel good about our offering. It just means that we have to realize that the bar is higher today. And it's easy for people to find a great offering at lightning speed (ever heard of this little thing called the internet?). The sooner we accept this, the faster we can move on to making the shift.

• We need to understand who we hope to serve. I mean really understand. Who are they? What are their needs? More importantly, what are their hopes and desires?

• We need to identify why we can matter in their lives. And don't give me the self-serving crap like, "We're the top provider in the region!" Remember those hopes and desires mentioned previously? Let's figure out how we serve those hopes and desires. If we do that, we'll mean something to them.

• Let's help them work toward their idealized selves. We all have a vision of who we would like to be. That vision drives how we behave. Let's work to understand the idealized selves of those we hope to serve and then find ways we can help them in working toward that vision.

• Let's never forget that people don't just want to buy our products and services. They want to buy into them. They want to feel like their time and dollars are going to make a difference. For those around them. Maybe even for the world. This is why brands pursue a purpose.

If we do these things, we will fundamentally change how we look at what we do. We will become more outward-focused. More servant-oriented. And, honestly, more appealing to all those we hope to serve.

That opens us up to earning that elusive brand love.