In a sea of generic businesses, be an island of refuge for consumers by finding your why and showing you care.
Finding your why (or why-finding) is a personal journey, but one that will just about improve every aspect of your business. You’re taking it from a means to make money and turning it into a vehicle for change. Sometimes your why takes the form of just your mission and vision, sometimes it can be epitomised in your business’s slogan, and (if you’re lucky) sometimes it can weave itself into almost every facet of your business.
It’s important to note your why can also evolve as your business does. Take us for example. When Identity Marketing started up in 2012, we knew we wanted to help businesses elevate their marketing through modern means. It was a simple why, but it was ours. Over 10 years later and our why is now all about providing businesses with the tools to understand their unique look and sound in the market and leverage it best through our ‘identity first, marketing second’ approach.
History lesson aside, there are a number of benefits to honing in on your why. Here are three of our favourites:
Align what you do with what you love
Sometimes in life we’re lucky. We fall into something we absolutely love. Other times, we have to work for it. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, there are ways to align your work with your values. Work in real estate and value community spirit? Gear your business’s why towards giving back to the community through charity and events. Work in hospitality but desperately want to fight climate change? Align your menu with food wastage reduction and sourcing locally grown produce. Once you start getting creative, the possibilities are just about endless.
Attract consumers who align with your values
One of the best parts of why-finding is attracting the perfect consumer. We’re not just talking about someone who fits into your target demographic based on their age and location, but rather someone who takes one look at your business and deeply identifies with your cause. It’s better to have a small diehard consumerbase who engage with your business constantly than a larger portion of people who will only engage with it once.
Create a self-sustaining driving force for your team
Imagine rolling into the office every morning and knowing you and your team were crystal clear about what you were all working towards. We don’t mean Tammy from the data analytics team finishing that report by Friday – but rather Tammy knowing that report is just one tiny brick in building the tower of your business’s future.
There’s no one size fits all approach to why-finding. What works for some will definitely not work for others. But taking the time to sit down and sort it out means you’re beginning to create your version of a better future. Whatever that might look like.