Your difference is your branding strategy. | Sally Hogshead – 3 tips and what it means to you today.

February 19, 2015 by Katie

Today is day three of the 2015 Traffic & Convention Summit that CEO, Christine Kelly and COO, Thomas von Ahn are attending in beautiful San Diego, CA. They're listening and participating in dynamic, thought provoking workshops that will provide value to their clients and teams across many industries. One of the guest speakers at the summit is Sally Hogshead, CEO of Fascination Laboratory. Fascination Laboratory is an innovative branding firm that aids professionals and organizations with linking key branding perspective of how the world sees them, not how they see the world. This information can aid professionals and organizations with essential perspective that shift their brands to dramatically. Your difference is your branding strategy and is a reflection of Sally Hogshead, Fascination Laboratory –  3 branding tips from the most successful brands on how to stand out.

1. Focus on your differences. Rather than focusing on the strengths of an organization, product or service,
   

   One of the guest speakers at the summit is Sally Hogshead, CEO of Fascination Laboratory. Fascination Laboratory is an innovative branding firm that aids professionals and organizations with linking key branding perspective of how the world sees them, not how they see the world.

   one should focus on the specific differences. Differences are unique selling factors that make the experience with different than with the competitor. This analysis helps to share a keen understanding of the unique identifier that customers can expect when doing business with one’s firm. The differences can, in fact, become the bread and butter of an organization and make customers wait to experience the service or product because of the sheer value and uniqueness of an organization. Seth Godin may refer to a similar concept, the Purple Cow. People will stop and observe a purple cow because it is an anomaly. What is your anomaly?

2. Differences don’t have to be big. Even the smallest variance can be the difference between doing business with a selected firm or not. The unique selling and value is the difference that will make people wait for the product or service. The differences do not have to be large. It could be something as simple as additional service or method used to create a more customer friendly experience. That experience yields dividends in customer optimization, loyalty, and profitability. The key is to be able to identify the differences, and remember that differences are not your strengths, but rather what the customer experiences with one’s firm compared to that of another. It is the “aha” this is so much better factor. That factor is the icing on the cake that keep customers coming, referring, and your lines ringing. Identification and delivery of those differences are paramount. Likewise, knowing the actual differences and communicating that with customer’s helps one’s firm to educate, partner, and grow with customers. How do your differences measure up?
3. When you own that difference, you’re more valuable, and people seek you out. Being the oddball out used to pose a problem, today it is the solution. The unique differences a firm provides to customers that others cannot be a profitable solution that aids in a win-win situation for participants. The key is to identify, recognize, and confidently share that difference. As such, the difference speaks through actions, not through words, but through tangible actions and experiences. These actions in turn influence a firm’s audience rating and selectiveness. The more valuable the differences, the more people will come to seek out solutions from one’s firm. The more value, the more the differences are shared, and the growth of a firm can be limitless. How valuable is your difference and do people seek you out?

This week is at the 2015 Traffic & Convention Summit is a full of thought provoking analytics, opportunities, and experts across a variety of fields. This post is a reflection of concepts not shared at the summit, rather via an online video by one of the subject matter experts. Take a moment to ponder the findings of what successful brands do to stand out, and identify the gaps that your firm can do to improve capitalizing on your unique differences.

by Katie Doseck PhD MBA

Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC

Katie Doseck, PhD MBA | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: christine kelly, katie doseck, thomas von ahn, viral solutions