Mark Kilens introduces Jason Vana, founder and CEO of Shift Agency, in this insightful session on building a brand that resonates. Jason shares his expertise in brand positioning and how to create a brand that truly connects with the right audience.

Putting People First: Building a Brand That Resonates

Introduction: Mark Kilens sets the stage for the masterclass, introducing Jason Vana and highlighting his expertise in brand positioning. Jason’s extensive experience helping mid- to enterprise-level companies differentiate themselves makes him an ideal guide for this session.

What is a Brand? Jason begins by challenging common misconceptions about what a brand is. He emphasizes that a brand is not just a logo, colors, or a message. Instead, it's people's gut feeling about your company, product, or service. This perception is shaped by every interaction customers have with your brand.

Example: State Farm Jason illustrates this point with a personal example involving State Farm. Despite their marketing message of being a good neighbor, their policies and customer interactions conveyed a different brand perception to Jason's family.

Key Components of a Brand:

1. Brand Substance: Purpose, vision, mission, and values.
2. Brand Positioning: Target audience, competitors, and differentiation.
3. Brand Expression: Personality, voice, and message.
4. Visual Expression: Design elements like logos, fonts, and colors.

Understanding Your Ideal Customers: Jason emphasizes the importance of knowing your ideal customers to build a brand that resonates. Most companies only have demographic and psychographic information about their customers, which is insufficient. To truly understand your customers, you must delve deeper into their personalities, challenges, desired outcomes, motivations, and buyer journeys.

Steps to Know Your Ideal Customers:

1. Internal Insights: Gather insights from your team across different departments.
2. Customer Interviews: Talk to your ideal customers to understand their pain points, motivations, and decision-making processes.

Questions to Ask in Customer Interviews:

• What problem were you facing that caused you to reach out?
• Why did you book a call with us?
• What made you choose us over the competition?
• What was the outcome you were trying to achieve?

Creating a Brand Personality: Jason explains that building a brand personality is not just about being yourself. It's about understanding what your ideal customers need and emphasizing those aspects of your personality that align with their needs.

Steps to Develop a Brand Personality:

1. Identify Customer Personality: Understand the baseline personality of your ideal customers.
2. Understand Emotional State: Know how their challenges make them feel.
3. Determine Desired Brand Traits: Identify the traits they seek in a brand.

Using Brand Archetypes: Jason introduces the concept of brand archetypes based on Carl Jung's psychological research. These archetypes help in defining your brand's personality.

Implementing Brand Personality: Once you identify your brand archetype, implement it through your tone of voice, design, customer experience, and marketing strategies.

Examples:

• Sassy Jason: Jason’s sassy and sarcastic online persona helps attract clients who value straightforward and honest feedback.
• State Farm: A mix of consistent branding and operational policies that match their marketing messages.

Cross-Functional Alignment: Jason discusses the importance of involving different departments in the branding process to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

Conclusion: Jason wraps up the session by reiterating the importance of a customer-centric approach to branding. By understanding your customers deeply and aligning your brand personality with their needs, you can create a brand that truly resonates and drives business growth.

FAQs:

1. What is the key to building a brand that resonates? The key is understanding your ideal customers deeply and aligning your brand personality with their needs and emotions.

2. How do you gather insights about your ideal customers? Gather insights from your internal team and interview your ideal customers to understand their pain points, motivations, and decision-making processes.

3. What are brand archetypes? Brand archetypes are personality types based on Carl Jung's psychological research. They help define and express a brand's personality.

4. Why is cross-functional alignment important in branding? Involving different departments ensures consistency in brand messaging and customer experience across all touchpoints.

5. How can small tweaks in operations impact branding? Small tweaks, especially in areas like onboarding and sales processes, can significantly improve customer perception and satisfaction, leading to better brand resonance.

External Links:

1. Jason Vana on LinkedIn

By following these strategies and insights from Jason Vana, you can effectively build a brand that resonates with your ideal customers and stands out in the market.