A Brand is an Experience
I can easily say that the majority of us have most likely been to Disney Land, or Disney World. Disney is an experience that will always stick in our minds. We pass it on to our children by having them watch the films, get the toys and put out kids in a world filled with Disney fun.
Why shouldn’t, then, the concept of having an experience with a brand extend to online?
Building these communities is easy.
A post on OpenForum told us about the 6 Benefits of Building a Brand in the Blogosphere Age, going as to say “A brand is the culmination of the total experience your market has with your company.” Of all the benefits that are possible, the experience that you get with any brand will always be the lasting impression.
When a company incorporates Social CRM, and culture into their business, this transforms not just the way the employees behave as part of the company, but extends all the way back to the consumer. It tells them that, here there is more than just a quick relationship for the sale. There is an entire new experience that you will never forget.
Experience Builds Value
The unique aspect of every brand is the experience that a person has with a company. Say you’re Coca-Cola, you understand their brand and you value them as a drinker of Coke. What happens then, if you go on a tour of their factory in Atlanta, but you have a terrible tour guide, or the factory is downright nasty? You’re probably not going to stop drinking Coke, but will you think less of them and their approach? Probably so.
The value of an experience really isn’t quantifiable. You can’t open up your favorite analytics dashboard and measure experience. Like the OpenForum post says, “Choose who you are.” Embracing the experience that every single person has with your company is a definition of your brand and its value.
So the question is, what is the experience that you’re giving people with your brand?
Image Credit – David.nikonvscanon
Start Breaking The Mold
Do you remember the old Smash Mouth song, All Star? The lyrics at one point say, “Only shooting stars break the mold.” Do you have to be a shooting star though, or are you the guy who sits behind a desk 8hrs a day and gets home feeling unaccomplished? The problem remains that no one wants to create a stir, or be a cause for uproar or commotion.
Psychologists would call this groupthink.
When you get one person within a group, that person is simply going to conform to the group. That person does this so that they don’t bring about conflict or “dissonance” to the group. We generally don’t want to become the person that breaks the monotony of business, and create something new.
Chris Brogan in his book, Trust Agents, brings up a good point within the first few chapters; Tinkering or Programming. If and when our usual jobs get to the point that they become boring, or non challenging, that is when we need to learn to break this mold. In the book’s context, branching out and creating a challenge for yourself either within the context of your business or going outside of the business bounds and building your own “game”, of sorts.
Seth Godin, in Tribes, reiterates heretics. The people who have gotten out of the typical realm and established a following of their own. People with ideas, ambition and most importantly passion. These heretics become the people that we follow and look for to become our “Trust Agents”, people with whom you build relationships (business or friendship) for the long-term improvement.
If You Have Passion You Can Break Out
Often, we doubt our abilities. We doubt whether or not we can take off on our own and not be penalized for the actions we take. If you have passion for something that you want to do, what’s stopping you from taking off and reaching your escape velocity?
I want you to leave a comment and tell me, what is your passion and how are you thinking of expressing it?
Image Credit – Goosmurf