Why Your Brand Isn't Trusted

Part of every branding strategy includes establishing and re-enforcing brand essence. Brand essence is a simple one to three word phrase that describes a consumer's emotional connection and lasting impression, or feel, of your brand. It is truly the heart and soul of your brand. A few examples that come to mind are:

Volvo has a brand essence of safety.
Disneyworld has a brand essence of magical family fun
Harley Davidson has a brand essence of non-conformity

By and large, business owners new to the concept of branding and brand essence immediately exclaim that their company's brand essence is "trusted". Every business owner believes their customers trust in their expertise, they trust in the product and that's what they're rooting their brand in.

There's just one problem with that:

Have you ever heard that Chris Rock joke about men who are proud of things they're SUPPOSED to be doing anyway? He says he doesn't understand men who say "I take care of my kids!" "You're SUPPOSED to take care of your kids!", Chris says.

The same is true with "trust".

Your brand essence isn't "trusted" - Customers are SUPPOSED to trust you.

When I go to a new restaurant and place an order, I TRUST that the waitress will actually bring me my food, I TRUST that the food will be decent, I TRUST that the restaurant will be clean, I TRUST that I will get the food that I ordered.

When I go to the cleaners, I TRUST that my clothes will get cleaned, I TRUST that they'll be ready when I'm told they're ready, I TRUST that I'll get the same clothes out that I put in.

If those things do not happen or they don't happen more than once, I'll take my business elsewhere and all businesses know that so every business owner will provide the basic elements of service that keep a customer happy, that's not inspiring TRUST, that's called running a business.

While accurate and consistent service is certainly part of your brand strategy, it is not your brand essence. The reality is, your customers TRUST your competition too.

So, what is your brand essence? What is the visceral response your customers  have to your product or service? Do they get the warm and fuzzies when they see your product? Do they think your product will improve their quality of life? Are they convinced your product has a quality no other product has? Dig deep to find out how your customers are connecting with your product and if you're not sure what your brand essence is, ASK your customers how they are connecting with your product and build from there.

Do you already know what your brand essence is? If so, share it in the comments section! I love comments. :)