Much like beauty, a brand is in the eye of the beholder. Think of it this way: there are dozens of computer brands, but only one Apple. What makes Apple so attractive to so many? One part of the equation is the promise the Apple brand makes – to create products based on seeing the world a little differently and to inspire their customers to do the same. The greater part of the equation is how they deliver on that promise, by providing products that have truly innovated and changed our daily lives and by providing world-renowned customer service. Building a successful business is not just about having a brand promise. It’s about keeping that promise consistently.
Your brand promise is the message you give to your customers about what your company is and what it does. Your ability to keep that promise is determined by how well you connect that message with the actual customer experience. For example, one of the promises that a home care agency makes is that it will keep clients safe. Most agencies ensure that they can keep that promise by thoroughly vetting caregivers, providing training, and carefully matching and supervising clients and caregivers. There are other ways to ensure you’re building a home care brand promise that your agency can keep. Try following these steps:
Keep it simple.
A brand promise should, above all else, be simple. Save the longer explanations about who you are and what you do for your mission statement; an effective brand promise should be one or two sentences that concisely reinforces your brand mission. For example: “To enhance well-being, quality of life, and safety for older adults and their loved ones.” Or, “To promote independence, connectedness, and security.”
Keep it credible.
It’s natural to want to promise clients the world and then some. The problem occurs when you can only realistically provide a fraction of that promise. If your clients’ experiences don’t match up with your brand promise, the value of your brand is weakened and you lose trust. You can’t promise that your senior clients will miraculously feel like they’re 20 years younger again after using your services, but you could promise to provide dedicated, consistent care that enhances independence and enriches their lives.
Keep it unique.
In today’s crowded home care market, differentiation is everything. If your agency’s brand promise sounds just like your competitors’, how can you distinguish yourself from the pack? Part of the strategic branding process is taking the time to discover what makes your company unique and different from your competitors. This differentiation goes beyond the services and benefits of your agency and straight to the soul of your company and heart of your employees. Why are you in this business? Why do you do what you do? What makes your agency special?
Judge all of your interactions by it.
If your brand promise is “To promote independence, connectedness, and security,” measure all that you do by that promise. How do your services help clients retain their independence? What special technologies do you use to promote safety and security? How do your services help clients stay connected to the activities and people that make them feel part of something bigger? How do you encourage caregivers to forge a connection with clients and their families? As the agency owners and leadership, how do you form solid connections with your team and keep them engaged in a way that they stay with your agency?
Creating a brand promise is easy. Creating a promise you can keep, on the other hand, requires careful thought about who your clients are, what your agency does, and why you do it. It also requires the right messaging to convey that promise across all your marketing. After all, in order to form a meaningful attachment between your brand and your customer, you have to make and keep your brand promise over and over and over again.
If you need assistance with developing your brand promise and the messaging that goes with it, contact the home care marketing experts at corecubed. For over a decade, corecubed has been helping agencies create unique brand platforms, develop mission, vision, and positioning statements as well as language around their brand differentiation that can be applied to all marketing efforts for a stronger brand identity. Find out more on their website at corecubed.com.
Author
Amy Selle | Managing Director at corecubed
Amy Selle is Managing Director for corecubed, and acts as a strategic marketing partner to corecubed clients, helping them achieve results in an increasingly dynamic marketplace. She believes that in a competitive market where all businesses have the same services to sell, it is a company’s brand and the way it communicates with its constituents that set it apart from the pack.
