Any business owner will tell you that public perception is key, with consumers usually looking for vital cues that show whether a brand is worth their time or money.
So, in order to make our podcasts appealing to our target market, we need to start thinking about brand perception.
Franziska Iseli is a Swiss-born Aussie that has built up her own brand perception to the point of perfection. She’s an internationally renowned speaker, author, entrepreneur, adventurer and ocean advocate, known mainly for pushing boundaries and breaking away from the norm.
Many entrepreneurs and budding podcasters have utilized her expertise, as she gives them the tools to take charge, to define and create the leading brand perception they want. How can we take the first few steps towards building a more solidified brand?
What is Brand Perception?
The customers hold the power, not companies. They are the ones who own brand perception. Brand perception is what customers believe a business represents, not what the brand says it does.
Brand perception comes from multiple places such as customer use, reputation, social media channels as well as face to face.
How Do You Want To Be Perceived?
Podcasting needs consistency, and this is where your brand values come in. Brand values represent a business’s character and what the company stands for, so establishing these key focus points early on is critical for reaching the right audience.
“Think about what are some of your values for your show,” Franziska explains.
Establish a few brand-related keywords that align with your values and stick to them.
Think along the lines of ‘knowledgeable,’ ‘funny’ or ‘insightful,’ any keys word that you want others to perceive your show as, and keep them in the back of your mind almost like a mantra.
Be Consistent With Your Brand Values
If you own a business, it’s more than likely that you have deeply set core values that your brand lives by, and should also be attached to your show. Values should come from a place of sincerity and truth, and provide your brand with pillars that uphold what your business stands for, such as generosity, collaboration, innovation, growth.
Why is this so important? Well, take Franziska’s podcast Basic Bananas for example, one of their values is fun. “For us, fun is always very important,” she says “Whenever we have a guest on, or we are talking about something, if we’re not having fun I’m not doing it.” To be consistent with your values, they need to flow through everything you do.
Your values are non-negotiable by the way, so make sure you believe in them wholeheartedly.
Use Imagery To Instil Brand Consistency
People don’t like change, they like consistency. It makes them feel safe like there are no hidden surprises, so they can sit back and relax and enjoy the ride. So, when it comes to your brand, if they know what to expect then you’ve already got their trust.
Let’s put that into perspective a little. Imagine if one day MacDonald’s mascot, Ronald MacDonald, turned up to work wearing a suit and tie, sans makeup, just looking like the average Joe – it wouldn’t make sense and I think we’d all freak out a little, right? This goes for your brand too.
There needs to be consistency in order to build trust with your audience, “how can they recognise you, but more importantly how can they trust you?” Franziska says.
One way to incorporate consistency is to stylise your imagery.
“To have the consistency you just create a little bit of a style guide,” Franziska says, “You can see which fonts you want to use, which primary colours you want to use whenever you put something out there.”
So, keeping colour schemes, imagery, tone and language the same right across your business is a big win for brand perception purposes.
Don’t Try Too Hard To Be Different
Trying to come up with the hottest new thing doesn’t always work. When it comes to businesses and podcasts, you should be looking at what makes you slightly different, rather than a total anomaly. Try taking a pre-existing concept and making it your own.
So, how do you prevent yourself from entering into a business copy/paste scenario? Reinventing a known formula just might be the ticket. Franziska brings the circus up as the perfect example.
“Cirque du Soleil have done a really good job in doing exactly that. They reinvented the circus industry.” While the circus formula is essentially the same, they have taken small aspects, tweaked them and directed them towards a new audience, by targeting adult audiences.
Take a concept and add your own spin by asking yourself the very simple question, “What would I do differently?”
You can evolve how an audience perceives your brand, you just have to stick to your core values and be consistent.
To hear Franziska’s full presentation from We Are Podcast 2016 click here.
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.