The Two Ways to Find Breakthrough Ideas for Your Brand

Think about the last time you really wanted something. 

Maybe it was a big purchase… 

Your next car, or that sweet Weber gas grill…

Or maybe a splurge on a nice watch or a piece of jewelry. 

I want you to really think…

Why did you want it? 

Many psychologists would argue that what you desire is not the actual item, but the positive emotions you anticipate having when using that object. 

Take it a step further and you realize nearly everything you purchase has some aspect of this. 

Do you desire the tea itself… or the anticipated feeling of joy and warmth? 

Do you want the new watch because you like looking at the time… or does it make you feel more confident and distinguished? 

Here is why all this matters for your brand: 

People have their “why,” and mirroring it back to them is the most powerful thing you can do. 

The mistake brands make now…

I hate to break it to you. But nobody buys your why. 

The discovery by Simon Sinek that people don’t buy “what you do,” but rather, “why you do it,” was a substantial advancement for brands. 

I liken it to mankind realizing the world was not flat, but round. 

The problem is… even after that discovery, we still believed the earth was the center of the universe. 

In the same way, so many brands believe they are the center of their customers’ universe. 

This leads brands to focus on unique selling propositions that don’t matter, like a sunglass brand stating how high-quality and sturdy their frames are made, when really, people just want to know they will look good in them. 

…Or a carbon-neutral jewelry company finding out the harder they push sustainability in their ads, the less people seem to buy. 

The reality is, every customer is the center of their own universe, and we simply revolve around them. 

People buy their why.

If you are still with me, can I get an Amen? 

Ok cool, so here is how you can apply this to your brand to unlock breakthrough ideas. 

Ask yourself, what is my audience saying about themselves by interacting with my brand? How does it make them feel? 

If you are reading this right now, you are already in the top 1% of the world when it comes to taking the time to push yourself to learn more and be better every day. You know that to win, you have to put in the extra effort it takes to find new insights, over and over. You are already more ready for 2023 than most of your peers because you know the power of paying attention to trends—not simply to stay ahead of them, but to help create them. 

How did I do? Does that resonate with you? 

The exercise of asking yourself, “What is my audience saying about themselves by interacting with my brand and how does it make them feel?” will allow you to craft messaging that influences more people to purchase and that mirrors back to them why they made a great decision, which doubles in value as it makes it easier for them to articulate to their peers. 

What if I don’t really know “their why” or feel like I have run out of ideas? 

Well… Do you ask your customers every day? 

One thing I am consistently shocked by is how little so many brands do to engage with their customers on an ongoing basis when customers are happy to tell you why they buy. 

Yes, you can look at your customer reviews, and they are a great place for inspiration. 

The other (and most overlooked tool, in my opinion) is the post-purchase experience. 

Between 30%-60% of your customers are happy to share information with you that can be pure gold for your brand. 

The problem is brands tend to end their purchasing with a simple, “Where did you hear about us?” or worse yet… nothing at all. 

I’d recommend checking out a tool like Bestie, which allows you to set up a powerful way to collect useful information from your buyers. 

For example, if you click “referred by a friend” as so many do… it allows you to ask a follow up question like, “What is it that your friend shared with you that made you want to purchase today?”

Or if you start running OTT ads and someone clicks, “I saw it on television,” you can actually allow them to select the ad they saw AND share with you what problem(s) they are hoping your product or service will solve for them. 

We just assume that “people don’t want to be burdened”… but the truth is, we love to share our opinions after we’ve just spent money on them. 

Plus, you can even incentivize participation in the survey with an up-sell to the order (50% off a mystery item, for example.)

Going just one step deeper and getting intentional allows you to color in more of the picture of their why.

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This article is a part of The Q123 Founders’ Report. The Founders’ Report is a quarterly digest of the top conversations, insights and learnings that Jacques and Adam are having with our clients and top marketers. Sign up here.