Is Your Business Selling Your “Why”?

Author: Rachel Durkan Category: Branding, B2B, B2C, Marketing Date: September 29, 2017

Do you know why you do what you do? What is your reason for getting out of bed every morning and going to work? For a police officer, it is protecting your town. For a nurse, it is helping save lives. But, few organizations know why they do what they do. It isn’t to earn revenue, it is bigger than that, it is for a greater purpose and that is what sets you apart from the competition.

What is Your Why?

Simon Sinek, an author, motivational speaker and marketing consultant, explains the “why” as the center of a company’s Golden Circle. On the outside of the circle is the “what”, which includes your products and services. Then, you have the “how”, which is the product or service’s features. At the core, is the “why”, the reason an organization exists and how it offers something different than the rest. Your company’s purpose is the reason why you care and the reason why other people should care about what you are doing. Too many companies only market the “how” level of the circle, but selling your “why” helps to humanize your company.

Knowing Your Why

Every element of your business helps to develop your purpose. Your internal culture, your operations and your goals all help to define your organization’s reason for being. There are many businesses that can’t figure out how they are going to position themselves. They do not know what products or services they want to offer or how their business will operate. Without knowing these fundamentals, you can’t develop a brand. If your brand does not properly match what you do, this will result in distrust from your potential and existing clients. In knowing and understanding what your business can offer and how it operates, you can create a brand that is true to what you do. With concrete operations in place, you are taking the first step in developing a brand that consumers will understand and trust.

Developing Your Why

It is also important to always develop your “why” and build upon it, because that is what helps your company grow. Here at Paradigm, we started with a focus on developing websites for our clients. Soon after, we noticed that we could also offer social media services. We knew about social media, but we needed to make sure that we were prepared to implement those services. If you don’t have a solid operation for a new product line or services, then your brand shouldn’t communicate that you have it. Always make sure that you have your operations in place before you go to market with it.

Communicating Your Why

Once you have your operations in place, you need to have a strong communication plan. It is important to have a clear messaging strategy that tells everyone your “why”, “how” and “what”. People buy because of your “why”, so your messaging strategy should lead with your purpose and not with your products. In communicating your “why”, or your improved “why” if you are adding a new product or service, having a strong messaging strategy shows you are ready to go to market with a well-developed brand.

When inundated with tasks and projects, it can be hard to take a step back and see your company from the greater picture. Contact Paradigm Marketing and Design for a consultation to see how we can help in developing and communicating your “why”.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/02/04/7-traits-that-instantly-build-trust-with-your-brand/#400fb36acd53