This “Ecommerce Conversations” episode continues my masterclass series on entrepreneurship. Last week I addressed tactics to increase ecommerce profits amid a slump for many businesses.
This week I focus on branding. Most people think of branding as logos or design elements. But those items are components, not the essence. A brand is synonymous with a company’s mission and purpose.
My full audio narration is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.
Mission
A founder’s outlook drives the brand. What does she or he want to achieve? For me, it’s freedom — creating my own path. If unsure, reflect on why you exist and your purpose in life. Then shape your business around it.
A common struggle of entrepreneurs is feeling trapped in a business they don’t love. That happens when there’s no mission. My mission at Beardbrand is to help men live the life of their dreams through grooming. We want men to feel proud of the person in the mirror. When a man invests in himself, he gains the confidence to better his family and community — making the world a more loving place.
Values
Core values are essential. Beardbrand’s are freedom, hunger, and trust. I prefer single-word values because they’re easier to remember. If you can’t recall your core values, they don’t exist. At Beardbrand, everyone knows our core values because they are clear and concise.
We boiled ours down to three concepts working in harmony. For instance, too much freedom might reduce trust, while too much hunger could limit freedom. These checks and balances are critical for us. However, a fast-growing startup might focus on hunger to survive and conquer a market. Core values should reflect personal beliefs extended into business.
Core values guide decisions amid uncertainty. For instance, we look for vendors that share our worldview. Our best relationships have been with companies that align with our values.
Communication
Communication should be consistent across an entire company — internal discussions, customer interactions, ads, emails, and websites. Many people default to formal, grammatically correct language, thinking it’s the right way. But, to me, it’s boring and lifeless.
Communication should have passion, character, and conviction. There’s often a tendency to play it safe, especially when advised by lawyers. However, playing it safe isn’t always the right approach. Sometimes, breaking the rules — such as using informal or edgy language — can make your brand stand out without alienating an audience.
Customer support should be human. Too often, support teams attempt to defuse situations by being robotic, which worsens the problem. Human interactions help resolve issues with greater ease.
At Beardbrand, we talk to our customers the way we talk to friends. We avoid formal language because authenticity is key to building trust, one of our core values.
Customer support must align with the type of product you offer. A premium product demands top-tier support, while a lower-priced item might not.
Many brands overlook typography, a form of communication. Fonts can tell a lot about a brand and how much it cares about design. Most smaller brands stick to safe fonts like Arial or Helvetica, which makes them blend in with everyone else.
Others will shape your brand if you aren’t intentional with fonts, logos, colors, and photography.
Fonts can create consistency. Without consistency, your brand’s identity can become unclear, leading to mixed messages.
Impact
A brand is an extension of its founders and staff and how they want to impact the world. Philip Jackson, the founder of Future Commerce, says commerce is culture. Companies that succeed know this.
Entrepreneurs make the world a better place through their businesses. Branding reflects that mission. It’s more than a logo.
