We all think our brand is unique. But is it really? Is your brand the first and only choice for the right consumers? In this episode, Eric Kiker, Chief Differentiable Officer at The Digestible Brand, shares what makes a brand unique, successful, and true to itself.
In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer sits down with Eric Kiker, founder, and Chief Differentiable Officer at The Digestible Brand. Starting as a freelancer and stopping by the biggest ad agency in the Rocky Mountains region, Eric knows a thing or two about branding. From message development and design to successful campaigns and important questions to ask yourself, listen to this episode to understand how you can improve your own brand.
Branding is the first step
According to Eric Kiker, branding is the first step, it’s message development, and the creation of the vocabulary surrounding your business. To help his clients develop their brands, Eric hosts Zoom workshops. There, they make stream of consciousness lists, asking provocative questions such as “What gives us the audacity to think we can win?” Eric emphasizes the need to think like skeptical consumers. Indeed, if you hire people like him to develop your brand, you will stop spending so much time trying to outperform your competitors. Instead, you will come up with what’s best for your consumers.
The goal is to find the intersection between the greatness of the brand and the real desires and needs of consumers. If you find that intersection, Eric says, you don’t have to sell. You just have to show, and the consumer will buy in, simply based on what they see.
Staying true to the original idea
One of Eric’s main pieces of advice is to stay close to the founder’s original concept and philosophy. When working with companies, he often asks the founders to take themselves back in time to when they thought “this has to exist,” to the original spark of inspiration. To him, the further the day-to-day team gets away from the original visionary, the more the brand drifts away. Consequently, even if the founder left the business, the team should try to ask them what they think, at least once a year. The company has to feel authentic to the founder.
Three things you can do now to improve your brand from Eric Kiker
💡 Say you a lot more than you say we. Go through your website right now and count the number of times you say we instead of you. You can use the word we, but it always has to be connected to you.
💡 Always look for the truth. Ask yourself: what is the truth of your brand? Make sure you are not hiding your true aspirations from your consumers.
💡 Be vulnerable. Brands should not be afraid of being vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to say you screwed up.
What are the best ways to make graphic design work for your brand? How to best rebrand in the COVID era? Listen to this episode to get the answers to these crucial questions, and more!
“If you’re not in business to help people then what are you doing?” – Eric Kiker
Some topics discussed in this episode include:
- Branding
- Graphic design
- Advertising
- Stream of consciousness
- Message development
Contact Eric Kiker:
- Eric’s email: eric@thedigestiblebrand.com
- Eric’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickiker
References and Links Mentioned
- The Persuasion Code: https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Code-Neuromarketing-Persuade-Anywhere/dp/111944070X
- Alchemy: Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Business/dp/006238841X
- The Digestible Brand: https://thedigestiblebrand.com/
- Baby Bathwater Institute: https://babybathwater.com/
