You’ve been known to wear your hair in giant cinnamon-roll buns. And you have lost count of how many times you’ve said, “It’s Ahsoka, not Ashoka.”
Even still, you may not have identified every possible Star Wars metaphor in your marketing strategy. There’s a big one that should be your starting point: determining the force in your marketing.
While you were busy ordering your lightsaber light-up chopsticks or researching how not to get eaten by Ewoks, you may have overlooked this important step in your business strategy. Knowing where the force is strongest in your company should be at the top of your priority list.
What would you do without us, right?
Take a look at some of the areas where the force might be strongest for your business:
Your Unique Value Proposition: Not everyone could be Obi-Wan, Leia’s only hope. And not everyone can be you. Your company exists for a reason; you provide a solution, an answer to a gap that was in the market or a product that helped people.
Think back to when you launched your business. What propelled you to make the tough sacrifices that a new company demands? There was a vision and it may have grown cloudy over time. Or, it may have changed due to a merger, business pivot or other event.
Gaining clarity about your value proposition helps your marketing team identify their foundation. If you are a small, family-owned business that prioritizes relationships and quality, that’s your force. If you do everything a little bit faster at a lower cost than your competitors, that’s your force. It’s what differentiates your business in the market, and it’s a powerful messaging tool for your marketing strategy.
Your Brand Voice: You may not have realized how powerful a brand voice can be. It’s not just the James Earl Joneses of the world, either, or the Yodas who make their mark with a particular sound.
Before you start restructuring your sentences to sound like a short, green Jedi, think about the voice you use in your communications, social media posts and videos. It may be a no-nonsense style because your company is a partnership of financial planners. Or you may be running an event-planning service that wants to strike a balance between sounding incredibly fun, yet reliable in your communications.
If you haven’t put a lot of thought into your brand voice, it might be time to define it. Begin by identifying the central values of your business and the pain points your products or services seek to address. From here, your brand voice should begin to emerge. Consistency is key with a brand voice; be sure to use it across all channels once you’ve identified it.
Customer Insight: You can read people. You’ve always said that you can tell when a lead is about to convert and when a product is going to hit just right with your target market.
You’re also savvy enough to know it would be ridiculous to rely solely on your gut in a competitive market. You invest in quality data, watch your social media reports carefully and understand the importance of your Google Analytics.
When your intuition lines up with the numbers, you get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve still got it.
Knowing your customers allows you to pivot when the market demands it or offer products that address emerging pain points long before your competitors catch on.
Now that you’re thinking about the force in your business, let’s hear some more marketing wisdom from the Star Wars sage, Obi-Wan Kenobi:
“Use the Force, Luke.” Even if you have identified the force in your business, that doesn’t mean you’re using it effectively. Take some time to brainstorm how you might make the most of your competitive edge.
“In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck.” Marketing success has very little to do with luck; it requires a strategic approach, with an action plan and metrics to determine your effectiveness.
“Who’s the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?” Don’t just imitate what your competitors are doing. While it’s a good idea to keep an eye on trends, you don’t want to blindly follow another brand’s lead.
Maybe you’ve struggled to figure out what the force is in your company or how to use it strategically in your market. You may be well aware of your strengths, but need help putting a strategy together that utilizes the best channels for your brand.
Make an appointment to chat with us at SJC Marketing. We can talk through your value proposition, brand voice and target market to see if there are additional opportunities to pursue. Until then, may the force be with you!