Written by Alex Valderrama, Founder and Principal of Cranium Agency
Most companies spend a significant amount of time creating their “Secret Sauce” primarily in the development of their product or service. Product and service development can take several months to years. Not to mention the enormous amount of money needed to bring it to market. Defining the “Secret Sauce” for your branding, marketing and sales are often overlooked and a low priority. It is understandable because many companies want to ensure they have a product or service to sell before they invest more time and money.
You may be wondering why it’s so important to define your brand’s “Secret Sauce”?
Let me begin by interjecting the idea that all great brands have become successful not only by defining a unique offering but also by creating a unique position in the marketplace. This is accomplished by working through various components of your brand such as brand position, messaging, differentiators, competitor position, brand story, brand character and tone, and more. It may sound like a lot of branding jargon that means very little on the surface, but all of these brand elements and more help to define your brand’s “Secret Sauce”. In essence, a well-articulated brand will assist in create your brand message and story that motivates your customers to act and creates a preference.
Furthermore, developing a brand strategy “Secret Sauce” is paramount and can make a big difference in your team’s ability to successfully launch a strong marketing and sales strategy. We regularly talk to marketing and sales individuals and one of their biggest complaints is the lack of a unique brand message or story, i.e. your brand strategy “Secret Sauce,” that will help them to define a preference to their prospects.
“Getting people motivated to purchase your product or service starts with a strong brand strategy.”
Again, a strong brand strategy will provide critical information about your company, a clear articulation of your brand’s purpose, brand elements that create a preference, competitor analysis, a strong brand story, etc. The process of developing a robust brand strategy takes time and energy from all vested parties. Once you have developed a strong brand strategy, your very own “Secret Sauce”, you will be able to clearly define your unique brand story and motivate your potential customer to act. And finally, your marketing and sales team will be able to use your brand’s “Secret Sauce” to develop a sound marketing and sales strategy.