How to Create a Compelling Brand with Character Diamonds
As a business owner, you know that creating a strong brand is crucial to long-term success. But getting people excited about who you are and what you offer isn’t easy. Fortunately, you can use the Character Diamonds framework to bring your brand to life.
Not familiar with this framework?
That’s okay! In this article, we’ll explain how it works. And by the end, you’ll have a better understanding of what you need to do to make your brand resonate with customers.
But before we dive in, let’s talk about why, specifically, creating a compelling brand is so important and challenging…
The Importance and Challenge of Creating a Compelling Brand
Have you ever met a raving fan? Maybe you are one yourself.
You know—a person who is so gung ho about a sports team that they can’t stop talking about them. They go to every home game and buy all of the team’s paraphernalia. The same could be said about raving fans of a band and even a business brand.
When business branding is done right, it creates raving fans. Those fans not only buy from the brand again and again but also line up when new offerings are available. That’s the dream of virtually every business out there.
(Just look at Apple, for example. Talk about raving fans!)
The trouble is that branding isn’t easy. It’s not just a logo, and it’s not just a name. It’s the essence of a company—the character traits that make the company unique—and it’s what the company stands for. If your company has a personality of its own, that’s when it has successful branding.
Achieving this is a tall order, to say the least. How do you turn your bland brand into a powerful personality?
For most people, that thought is pretty overwhelming. And chances are, you’re feeling the same way. After all, there’s a lot at stake.
- If your brand is not relatable, it will be ignored and considered irrelevant.
- If it doesn’t show a vulnerable quirk, your strength won’t be recognized.
- If it doesn’t make an impact, it won’t draw people in or compel anyone to buy your products or services.
So, how do you do it? How do you create a brand that transforms people into raving fans?
The short answer is you must turn your business into a character they can relate to and resonate with. And that’s where Character Diamonds come into play…
What Is a Character Diamond?
Character Diamonds serve as a framework for creating multilayered characters—or compelling brands. Historically, they’ve been used by screenwriters to develop characters that people will fall in love with. However, marketers have found them to be an excellent tool for branding as well. That’s because the framework helps businesses define their brand by mapping out the parts that make up the character of the company.
The concept was first introduced by David Freeman, a screenwriting and storytelling consultant. Using his years of experience writing screenplays for Hollywood studios, Freeman developed the framework to assist writers with character development.
Generally, a Character Diamond is made up of 4 corners (traits):
- Primary character trait
- Secondary character trait
- Nonnegotiable
- Quirk/mask/flaw
What Purpose Do Character Diamonds Serve in Branding?
Ryan Deiss, founder and CEO of DigitalMarketer.com and The Scalable Company, discussed the importance of using Character Diamonds in branding during his presentation at HYPERGROWTH 2018.
He explained that a company with no soul typically hires a celebrity to become the soul of their business. That’s because when they have no personality of their own, they need to borrow it. And he went on to explain that the story of your brand is the best type of marketing, but it’s the characters that we really love and even crave.
That’s why a successful brand is a fictional character. The “character” of a business brings life to it and gives it a personality that people want to be around. It also helps a business stand on its own rather than relying on a celebrity.
What Are the Benefits of Creating a Character Diamond?
By creating a Character Diamond, you’ll find that the character of your brand naturally emerges throughout the process. As a result, you’re left with a brand that people can connect with.
There are three main things the Character Diamond will do for your company:
- If you’re having any uncertainties about what makes your company unique, you’re likely to discover it through this process.
- It gives everyone involved with the company an easy way to understand the soul of your business so that everyone can be on the same page.
- It helps you turn your brand into a personality that lives beyond you, is scalable, creates an emotional connection, and attracts people to it.
Whether you’re doing a brand refresh, planning a rebrand, or creating a new brand from scratch, this framework will prove to be an incredibly valuable tool!
How Do You Build a Character Diamond?
Not surprisingly, Character Diamonds are plotted out in a diamond shape. And you’ll label the corners of the diamond as follows:
- Top (North) – Primary Character Trait (aka “North Star”)
- Bottom (South) – Secondary Character Trait (aka “Counter Star”)
- Right (East) – Nonnegotiable (aka “Hill I’m prepared to die on”)
- Left (West) – Quirk/Mask/Flaw (aka “My not-so-secret sin”)
That said, you can deviate a little bit by adding or subtracting a trait. But this is generally a good place to start. During a presentation at Story Expo 2021, Freeman noted that fewer than three corners would result in a boring character (or brand), whereas more than five corners would cause confusion.
Tip: Once you’ve filled out the diamond for your company, you can then figure out what characters from movies or books your company matches up to. This helps you solidify your branding even further.
Primary Character Trait
The primary character trait of your business is your North Star. It’s the one that stands out and defines your business’ character. Ryan Deiss refers to it as “your brand’s mutant power.” It’s what makes you unique.
To figure out what your superpower is, ask yourself what makes other people admire your business. Look back to all the ways you have had success, as your successes point to your greatness. Remember, the North Star should be something that is innate to you or your business, not just something you have accomplished.
Example: If you’re an insurance agent, your North Star may be your ability to connect homeowners with the perfect policy for their needs.
Secondary Character Trait
Your company’s secondary character trait is also known as the Counter Star. It balances out the North Star because it is typically the opposite of it. As Jen Hudye says, “Your North Star is really your Kryptonite in disguise.”
Sherlock Holmes’ North Star is that he’s a genius, and his Counter Star is that he’s kind of a jerk. Apple SEO, Tim Cook, says, “Our North Star is making the best products in the world.” Their Counter Star is having the patience to make it right out of the gate, which often makes them look like they aren’t coming out with anything new.
This conflict between the two traits is what makes the character intriguing. Movie characters need that conflict, and so does your company’s brand. As Tim Miles says, the Counter Star is “a little off but still gives the character its special sauce.”
When you’re mapping this out, remember that it’s the thing that can take you down. Think about what has consistently gotten in your way. What’s that thing that keeps you from success most often? Another way of looking at it is to consider what some potential customers may not appreciate as much as others.
Example: If you have an IT company and your North Star is your dedication to protecting clients against cybercrime, your Counter Star may be that you’re strict about implementing safeguards.
Nonnegotiable
The Nonnegotiable is the hill you’re prepared to die on. It’s the thing(s) your business stands for; it’s what your business is willing to die for. If we look back to Apple, their nonnegotiable as the world’s most innovative company is “giving people the ability to do things that they couldn’t do before.” For Sherlock Holmes, it’s that the puzzle has to be solved.
This is the part of the Character Diamond that makes people trust your brand. When they know what you stand for, others line up to follow you. Your nonnegotiable gives you the strength to overcome your obstacles. It’s the thing you value most and can never compromise.
Example: If you run a medical spa, your Nonnegotiable may be that you only use FDA-approved aesthetic devices.
Quirk/Flaw/Mask
Your company’s quirk or flaw refers to a weakness or not-so-secret sin. And your mask is what you use to hide an imperfection. Such things shouldn’t be hidden because they are what make us relatable. Our flaws are what make us fall in love with and root for a character.
For Sherlock Holmes, his flaw is that he’s a drug addict. For Luke Skywalker, it’s his dark side. For your company, it might be something such as arrogance, perfectionism, absent-mindedness, audaciousness, obsessiveness, rebelliousness, or the tendency toward the theatrical.
This is probably the most important part of the Character Diamond. According to Ryan Deiss, there are only two ways you can fail at Character Diamonds.
- Not to do one
- Neglect the weakness part
As he says, “Your customers won’t trust you until they know who you are, warts and all.”
When you frame your brand as perfect and avoid showing your weaknesses, you are essentially acting like you are above your customers. That’s not what they want! What they want is to know you are human and to be able to relate to you.
To discover your quirk/flaw and mask, consider the negative traits that may be holding you back. Think about the biggest misconception people have about your company. And find out what people say about your brand. This can help you determine what imperfections lie in your business and how you attempt to hide them.
Example: If you’re a little impatient when it comes to getting work done for your clients, you may come across as pushy.
Using Your Character Diamond Moving Forward
Once you’ve drafted your Character Diamond, it’s important that your “character” remains consistent. A successful brand is one that always delivers on itself. You expect certain things from it, and it never falters. And it encourages familiarity among current and potential customers by adopting a relatable, memorable brand voice.
This framework can provide you with a map to make that happen, and it’s one that your entire company can be on the same page with.
Remember that raving fans aren’t just for Hollywood. Your business can have raving fans as well, and it all starts with powerful business branding. So, get to work on filling out your Character Diamond, and use it to inform how you present your brand to others! Need a little more help settling on your brand’s look, sound, and feel? Download our free business style guide template.
At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.
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