Start With Your "Why" and Align With a "Them”
3 Steps To Build An Audience From 0
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door,”—and it’s a dangerous thing to be a business owner. But what makes it worth it? Many would tell you it’s the smile on someone's face when you talk that “changed their life,” or the book you wrote that made them feel seen. We are doing this to differentiate, but I think the most important differentiator we can highlight is those who “love us.”
I think we can make one of two mistakes—among many—when laying out the foundations of our brand. We either start with us, with someone else, or, worse, with no one. Today, I want to look at the three people we focus on when building a brand: how they react separately to their error, but, combined, we can use them as anchors for our positioning.
Start With WHY
The first and most common mistake can be captured in the attached meme. We center our brand around a “what,” rather than a “why.” The difference: “why” is functional, and you want a brand that stems from function. Why is “why” functional? Well, keep asking “why,” and you'll find out. The path might lead to rediscovering your passion.
The result of focusing on a “what” and not a “why”—and we will talk about “how” in another article—we built a brand that only we understand. It's a pipe dream. A pie in the sky idea. And while my own philosophy and approach to branding hinge on starting with the individual—the visionary, who also happens to be you—I would not stop there. You need to find a “them” to make the “what” a “why.”
End With Them
You end with them. But what about your dreams? Nah, we don’t care about that. Years pass, and you are back where you started: not working with the people you want to work with, not doing the things you set out to do, and still making mistakes. You might as well not be a business owner.
“Them” is not the problem, because WE chose “them.” Yes. While it's true we can build a product, give a keynote, or do something, and people might flock to it, that is unlikely. It is better that we find people who align with what we do and find meaning and benefit in this work.
Where Do You Align?
You and your audience are the target. Focus on yourself and your story, and it will never be contextualized. Focus on your audience — and your audience alone —and you will never build a brand that attracts “your people.” This is the two-edged sword of branding, and it gets more complex when you add referral partners, contractors, team members, and so many others to the ecosystem.
The key: alignment. Refer back to my previous article on Values. Where are you and your audience on alignment? What do you guys agree on? The answer to this question is how you build your brand.
Next Steps:
Have someone ask you why, until you can longer answer the question. Have recorded, let it sit for a day and then revisit the conversation.
Shift your focus to “your people.” Remember that the more specific you get—looking deep into the problems you solve—the closer you move from brand to product.
Align it: moving things around until things click and there is no disconnect between your “why” and “them.” Make it make sense, because clarity is kindness
