869: Use Branding to Discover Your Target Audience with Ernie Harker

Is your brand getting KO'd by the competition? Why is branding important for your business? A strong brand matches colors, words, emotions, beliefs, and attitudes to earn the customers that you want most.

Ernie Harker is an experienced entrepreneur, author, illustrator, travel TV host, and Ironman athlete. One of the books he wrote is called, “Your Brand Sucks: How to ignite a brand that doesn't.” With over 30 years of expertise in branding and marketing, Ernie has valuable insights on how businesses can use branding to discover their target audience. Today, Ernie talks about the importance of finding a unique brand spark that sets a business apart from the competition, as well as the need to identify the core customer in order to craft effective marketing messages.

Quotes

“It's never exactly what you think it's going to be at the start. It's just a general idea. And then, after the illustration is done, you realize, 'That's kind of what I had in mind.' But it might be better, or it might be different.” - Ernie Harker

“Everybody in the water business talks about how great their water is. What you need to find is a unique point of differentiation that your target customer really cares about.” - Ernie Harker

“It's not about the quantity of eyeballs, but the quality. I can post a message about my widget and how cool it is to a million different people. But if only 100 are interested, it's a waste of time and money.” - Ernie Harker

Takeaways

08:22 Embracing a unique personality and not being afraid to let it shine through in branding and marketing can help a business stand out and connect with customers on a more personal level.

14:13 Branding and marketing should focus on finding a unique "brand spark" that sets a business apart from the competition, rather than just highlighting common product features.

20:57 Identifying the core target customer is crucial for crafting effective marketing messages that resonate with the right audience.

29:15 Quality of audience engagement is more important than quantity, as businesses should aim to build a smaller but highly engaged following rather than a large but disinterested one.

32:59 Collaborating with the right industry partners can help expand a brand's reach, but the partnership must align with the target audience to be successful.

38:10 Developing a distinct brand personality that customers can connect with emotionally is key to building a successful and memorable business.

Resources:

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Filed in: Archive 4: 2020-2023 • Interview • Podcast

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