Is there a gap between how your brand is perceived and how you want it to be perceived?

Is there a gap between how your brand is perceived and how you want it to be perceived? Brand managers are often surprised to find their brand’s intended image disconnected from its perceived image. Your brand can have a clear value proposition with consistent messaging, but it won’t matter if those two things speak to […]

Know exactly what your brand promises.

Know exactly what your brand promises. Imagine you build the most lavish three-legged table in the world. You begin making it for a customer. Its base is sculpted from solid mahogany, each leg gracefully curved and carved with Baroque flourishes gilded in 24-karat gold leaf. In its deep, glossy surface you see the reflection of […]

Clarity in brand needs clarity in messaging.

Clarity in brand needs clarity in messaging. Customers are drawn to clarity—because clarity creates simplicity. When a brand is clear, it feels effortless. Messaging resonates, decisions come easily, and customers instinctively know they’re in the right place.But when a brand lacks clarity, it creates friction. Confusing messaging. Scattered positioning. The wrong audience. Instead of simplicity, […]

What do your customers all agree on?

What do your customers all agree on? Every brand should know and understand its primary customers – but it should also work to understand the broad areas of agreement among all of its customers. Some of these areas of agreement may be: Beliefs Goals Motivations Frustrations Concerns Regulations   Discovering the common threads that unite […]

Learn your customers’ blind spots (and don’t take them personally).

Learn your customers’ blind spots (and don’t take them personally). Blind spots are areas where your customers lack awareness or understanding of either the challenge they face or the solution they need. These can be frustrations, roadblocks, and pain points. To address these blind spots, your brand needs to understand not just its customers’ problems, […]

Learn the difference between customer goals and motivations.

Learn the difference between customer goals and motivations. Learning the difference between goals and motivations can help brands understand their tribe’s customer journey. A goal is what your tribe wants to achieve most. A motivation is the fuel that powers their decisions, which can be both emotional or practical in nature. Sometimes, goals and motivations […]

Think about how your brand empathizes with its tribe.

Think about how your brand empathizes with its tribe. Take time to think about how your brand empathizes with its best-fit people. What sort of emotional qualities do they associate with your brand? Trust? Joy? Authenticity? Security? How do you enact these qualities in your brand’s promise? Consistent communication? Empowering an overlooked customer group? Understanding […]

Brand Shepherd Launches New Website for Grain Weevil

Brand Shepherd Launches New Website for Grain Weevil Making a Bold Case for a Safer Future in AgTech KNOXVILLE, TN – Brand Shepherd, a brand clarity and digital strategy agency, is proud to announce the official launch of the new website for Grain Weevil, the Nebraska-based agtech company revolutionizing grain bin safety with autonomous robotic […]

Understand your brand’s tribe.

Understand your brand’s tribe. Your tribe is your brand’s people: the customers who are the best fit for the solutions, products, and services you have to offer. Ask yourself: what tribe does your brand belong to, and why does it appeal to them? Successful brands learn how to communicate the challenges they exist to solve […]

Recognize that your brand isn’t for everyone.

Recognize that your brand isn’t for everyone. Clarified brands know the ideal customers they exist to serve. Which means they also know which customers they don’t or can’t help. Just as brands have ideal customers they exist to serve, customers have ideal brands fit to serve their needs. Forcing an incompatible fit between brand and […]