Are you familiar with TLC’s What Not to Wear? It’s a makeover show where friends and family nominate someone to get a surprise makeover from two stylists in New York City, complete with a new hairstyle, make-up and wardrobe.
What always broke my heart while watching the show wasn’t the way the subject looked before her week of makeover bootcamp, but usually the dejected attitude and degraded sense of self worth that she was trying to hide with her current style.
I think most of us want to live in a society where books aren’t judged by their covers, first impressions are more than skin-deep, and we listen before we draw a conclusion. But the truth is, we don’t.
Our world moves fast. Both our personal lives and our businesses are packed full of to-do’s, objectives, and new tactics to help us reach the results we want. Because of our over-filled schedules and never-ending to-do lists, we need to make short cuts. Often, these short cuts mean we make judgement calls — fast. We draw conclusions and make assumptions, often based on a quick, first impression.
So what does a TLC reality show have to do with your business?
#1 – First Impressions Count
Every touch point you have with your customers is an opportunity for you to tell your story, to express your company’s sense of self worth, and the first one will always be the most important. It’s in that first moment that your customers draw conclusions and make assumptions about who you are and the relationship you’ll have.
#2 – Your Brand Shares Your Story
Are you a senior living community, or are you the partner families trust to provide a balanced, healthy, and active lifestyle for their aging loved ones? Are you selling a generic home automation gadget, or are you selling freedom from the stresses that home ownership can create?
Does your marketing set you apart? Is it polished and fresh? Does it communicate the persona you want your business to have?
#3 – Your Brand = Your Value
The marketing and creative strategies you deploy are an indicator to your customers of the value you’ll provide to their lives.
The creative strategies you deploy are an indicator to your customers of the value you’ll provide to their lives. Click To TweetFailing to invest in a creative partnership that works for your business usually leads down one of two roads: At best, you’ll blend into the pack. At worst, you stand out for being in need of a makeover.
In nearly every episode of What Not to Wear, there was a story of redemption. A happy new beginning, where the subject redefined who she was, re-established her personal brand and gained the self-confidence she needed to go after her goals in life.
Investing in your brand – whether that’s through a new logo, new website, or new set of marketing and communications strategies – can breath the same new life into our businesses.
