A brand is a complex organism. This is part three in a series of articles in which we examine a successful brand's component parts.
Elements of a Successful Brand 3: Personality
Most professional service firms display two conflicting faces. On the one hand, while working for clients, a capable firm might be warm, proficient and cheerful. The personal connections and goodwill they forge during an engagement often lead to future work and referrals.
On the other hand, when presenting themselves to the marketplace, most professional firms forget the virtues that built their business and substitute a cooler, impassive face. The glowing personality that fuels existing relationships and referrals is readily exchanged for an accepted "corporate" facade—a stock mix of familiar messages and visuals that do little to elucidate, clarify or define.
If prospects were able to peek behind the veneer of look-alike websites and sound-alike platitudes about "solutions," "innovation," and "our people," they would uncover vibrant, motivated places of business. But a cult of impersonality pervades the professional services and keeps their innate passion and individual character under wraps.
If professional service brands rarely exhibit much personality, our concept of "professional" is at least partly to blame. In the marketing arena, "professional" has come to mean "what is commonly done in the industry." Service firms are reflexively risk-averse, so it's natural for them to adopt practices that have worked in the past for their peers. But when an entire industry follows a similar trajectory, the effectiveness of those practices is poised for a dive.
The prescription is to buck the traditional corporate approach and express your brand in a more genuine, personal way. Take a good look at your corporate culture and figure out what it is about your firm that engages your customers. Better yet, ask your best repeat customers directly: "Now that you know us, what is it about our firm that you like. Why did you hire us again?" Once you have an answer, wear it on your sleeve. Don't be afraid to talk about your personality traits, as they will help define you to your audience (and differentiate you from other less personable firms).
Brand personality can be defined as a brand's human component. It's that aspect of a company's outward expression that says "there are real people behind this business—people with whom I can connect." It's the hook that draws you in and emits an emotional vibe. Brand personality pierces the dull gray corporate wall and lets prospective customers see what they are really getting.
Fear—especially the fear of being perceived as different—has made building an emotional connection with prospective customers an almost foreign concept in the professional business. But if you are serious about achieving the goals professed in your mission statement, you will have to break free of the corporate herd and build a brand that speaks in individual, honest, human terms. To lead, you have to inspire. But to inspire you need to show your true colors.
3 Ways to Get Personal
- Ask for—and use—customer testimonials that speak to how you work, rather than what you accomplished.
- Avoid technical jargon (except where absolutely needed) in your website and collateral copy. Keep the tone of voice friendly and informal. It's an easy way to differentiate yourself.
- Avoid stock photos of conference rooms, handshakes, and smiling executives. If possible, hire a pro to shoot real employees in real situations. Prospects will recognize the difference right away.
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