The bonding of branding

A loyal customer's relationship to a brand is like a marriage.
Marriage is based on a bond.
For there to be a bond, there has to be something special.
Something special is trust.
Trust to not being let down.
Trust is earned.

In order for a customer to trust a brand, it takes a series of transactions. The first transaction may  start out as a discount.  The discount is used to encourage a potential new customer to try the brand for the first time. The discount is not an effective long-term marketing strategy. Discounting product is a negative value message.  When a business discounts, they're lowering the value of their products.

A new business is the hardest business to establish because its starts with no customers. And no trust...

When a new business starts, it goes through a honeymoon period. Customers are appealed to new offerings in the marketplace, so they TRY it. However, like a first date, if there are no sparks, there's no second date.

There has to be a spark or magic to encourage a blind dated customer to be willing to set up a second date.

It is the role of the entrepreneur to create that magic.
Magic is not achieved through discounts.
Magic creates value.
Value is the difference of what a customer paid and what they would have paid.

Where is the magic in your business?

I was recently watching a variety show which Simon Cowell was one of the judges. A young woman was performing on stage.  Simon was the last judge to comment.  His message was referring to branding. He told her he judged talent based on whether he would remember the performance in one week's time.

A performer who isn't memorable or remarkable would be forgotten.
Businesses are performers.

Think about the people you remember in your life. Think about the people that stand out. The standouts are the ones we love and the ones that do something remarkably bad and good.

To be remarkable one cannot do what everyone else does.
To be remarkable one must be different.
To be remarkable one must not be afraid.
It is not enough to be like everyone else

And it's no different in business. To have love, there must be a bond. That bond is created by a magical little spark that must never burn out. To keep the spark alive,  we can never be boring. We  must strive for continuous remarkability.