Andriana BoyrikovaYou are a small business trying to engage your target audience with meaningful content. You do your best to figure out how to relate to them so that they choose you over the competition: you market your products or services as “the best,” “the fastest,” “the cheapest,” “the most special” but this doesn’t seem to fully connect with them.
If you want to engage your audience with meaningful content, your business needs to be driven by a meaningful purpose, too.
Why you should start with Why?
Instead of consolidating all your content marketing efforts in your products or services, you should accentuate the purpose of your business. No matter what your industry/product is – autonomous vehicles, SaaS, an online clothing store – the Why behind your business should be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy.
But don’t get me wrong: I am not saying you should stop crafting content to target your leads and customers. What I mean is that you should change your message: instead of pitching what you sell, talk zealously about the true value of your brand – your Why.
Therefore, you need to understand, define, and communicate your business purpose before communicating anything else.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. In my case, it took me a year and a half to search deep inside me and eventually find out that my Why has always been my passion to add value to people through stories. You will need to do some soul searching and analyze your business values: it is inevitable but absolutely rewarding.
Apart from guiding your everyday business decisions, your Why will attract more engaged and loyal customers. A global survey of 474 executives from across different sectors and geographies, conducted by EY Beacon Institute and Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, found that 80% of them agreed an organization with shared purpose will have greater customer loyalty.
How to find and define your Why?
Everybody has a reason for doing something. Perhaps you haven’t discovered your business purpose yet? Or you have but can’t articulate it well? Here are a few steps that helped me in finding my business purpose and can help you uncover and clarify yours, too:
- Grab a copy of Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why”: it is truly inspirational and you will learn how to “Start with, sell with, and lead with Why.” I also recommend you to watch Sinek’s “Start With Why” that is among one of Ted’s most watched talks.
- Why are we doing this? Why do we exist?: ask yourself Why you and your team do what you do (making cash isn’t the answer because you want to show your audience that your business is more than just a profit-seeking machine).
- When you started your business, what did you see that you wanted to change? There must have been a sort of a problem you aspired to solve when you started your business. When you know what problem you aim to solve, you can clearly think what you are going to do about it. What is the problem that you want your business to solve?
- Define what you are best at: perhaps it is your world-class customer support team of experts available 24/7; the sustainable way in which your product is manufactured; or the innovative functionality and design of your product or service. Gather your team, put your thinking cap on, and find out what makes you stand out from the rest.
- Imagine you went out of business. What would you want your company to be remembered for? Thinking about the legacy you would like to leave will definitely stir up your brain when defining your Why.
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I hope you have found these tips helpful. What is your Why? If you haven’t defined it yet, how are you planning to do it? Let me know in a comment.
Featured image: Andrew Neel, Unsplash.
Do you need help with defining your Why? Email me and I would love to help you.
