The Simple Template for a Winning Brand

ByRon Marcus

OK, first. Why brand?

In a competitive market, brand is THE way you break through the clutter. And with over 13,000 nonprofits in San Diego County alone (where we’re based), there’s a lot of clutter.

Brand goes beyond simply what you do and why you do it (which are both very important, by the way, but not enough to differentiate you).

Brand gives people a reason to like YOU. It’s your “why,” of course, but also who you are—your character, your personality,  your unique background—everything that makes you uniquely you. No other organization can replicate that. 

Brand gives people a reason to like you, to try you, to trust you, and eventually, to fall in love with you. Truly.

That’s why brand. If you’re all in, then here’s the template.

Your Brand Promise is:

  • Who You Serve—Target customers, finely defined
  • What You Offer—Your actual service or product
  • Why You Do It—The problem you’re solving and the impact you want to make
  • Who You Are (which makes you an attractive, trustworthy choice)
    • Your origin story—the journey you’ve traveled that led you to want to serve your prospects
    • Character—what you stand for, your core values
    • Personality—your energy and vibe
      • Personality includes your look and feel—visual appearance and tone of voice
  • Your Unique Value Proposition—the basis for your Elevator Pitch
    • Who You Serve x (What You Offer + Why You Do It + Who You Are) = WHY CHOOSE YOU
      • S.W.I.F.T.—Show What’s In it For Them

That’s it. The template is simple. But it does take work to get there. Let’s break down each element a little more.

Who You Serve

It’s time to really get to know your prospects. The best way is to walk a few miles in their shoes, ideally by spending time with them. Find out:

  • What’s a typical day like for them, from waking up to lights out?
  • What are their hopes and aspirations?
  • What wakes them up at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat?
  • What are their interests?
  • Where and who do they get their information from?
  • Your standard demographics—age, location, gender, ethnicity, etc.
  • Affiliations—clubs, charities, religious, political, sports, etc.

Next, perform a “S.W.I.F.T. Analysis”—how can you clearly Show What’s In it For Them if they choose to use your offering, donate to your cause, volunteer for your cause, serve on your board, etc. 

This process is known as creating a buyer persona. It will help you get to know your prospects intimately. You’ll gain empathy for them and have a much better sense of just what they need.

You may serve multiple customer types. Answer the above questions to create a granular buyer persona for each customer type.

What You Offer

This is what you offer. Describe your product or service, what it does, and how to use it.

Why You Do It

As Simon Sinek famously said in this famous TED Talk many years ago, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy WHY you do it.” That “WHY” needs to be about helping the person you’re pitching to. 

What is your purpose? What ultimate impact do you hope to make on your stakeholders? What drives you to do this work, offer this product or service, and make this difference in the world?

That is your WHY after all, isn’t it? The truly noble work of serving the needs of others.

Who You Are

Notice the order of this template. It starts with who you serve, why you do what you do (for them), and how you do it (for them). THEN we get to define who YOU are. 

This is the order your prospects think in. First, “What are you offering me?” and then, “OK, why should I trust you to deliver what you’re promising?”

Who you are establishes you as a trustworthy provider, someone prospects feel good about affiliating with. 

So in reality, people don’t just buy what you do and why you do it, but also, critically, who you are.

Who you are includes:

Your origin story

The journey that led you to want to solve a specific problem for a specific group of people. Telling your story makes you relatable and builds credibility.

What you stand for

Your core values. These are the ethics, morals, beliefs, and behaviors you will never compromise on, your “true north,” if you will. For those prospects you are ideally suited to serve, your values will align with theirs, giving them peace of mind and a natural affinity for you.

Your personality

This is how you come across. It’s your attitude. Your visual appearance. Your tone of voice. Your choice of words. Are you:

  • Silly or serious?
  • Quirky or conventional?
  • Flip or measured?
  • Fun or serious?
  • Intellectual or down-to-earth?
  • Open or reserved?
  • Colorful or conservative?
  • Dressed up or dressed down?
  • Long-winded or right to the point?
  • Commanding or accommodating?

Ultimately, your personality affects how people feel when they interact with your organization. Do you make customers laugh? Smile? Feel cared for? Feel respected? Feel loved? That’s personality.

Your personality comprises your appearance (visual identity) and writing style, of course. But it is ultimately determined by your organizational culture. The personalities of the board, staff, and volunteers you recruit and the team atmosphere you actively cultivate and commit to will directly impact the experience your prospects have of your brand at every touchpoint.

Think of your organization as if it were a person. As an individual, how you think, feel, dress, act, and engage (introvert or extrovert) impacts how you come across to others, right? That’s the same for your organization’s culture. So make sure your visual identity, outward tone of voice, and team culture are all congruent. Any disconnect will be immediately apparent.

Your Unique Value Proposition

A.K.A. Your Elevator Pitch

Now you’re ready to craft the winning pitch that cuts through the clutter with laser-guided precision and instantly compels whomever you’re talking to. Never again will you struggle with the question, “What does your organization do?” Instead, you’ll give an answer that is instantly understood, both intellectually AND emotionally, and compels people to ACT. 

Your Laser-Focused Elevator Pitch

Here’s how to construct it:

Who You Serve x (What You Offer + Why You Do It + Who You Are) =
WHY CHOOSE YOU

Word it this way:

“We’re [name of your organization]. We’re passionate about helping [Who You Serve] solve [describe their problem—Why You Do It] by providing [describe What You Offer], which is the best choice because [explain how both your offering and your organization—Who You Are—are uniquely suited to Who You Serve].” 

In other words, S.W.I.F.T.

Take your time crafting this. Be very deliberate with your words. Honor the work you put into filling in the template above, which will give you all the information you need to craft your credible and compelling promise.

Once it’s chiseled to perfection, teach it to your team—board members, volunteers, staff, and contractors. Make sure they know it by heart, they naturally, authentically believe in the promise, and they are excited about making it come true!

With everyone passionately making the exact same well-crafted brand promise (a.k.a. Elevator Pitch), you’ll have a team of ambassadors empowered to deliver your powerful, crystal-clear, and compelling message with 100% consistency. Consistency removes all ambiguity and helps cement trust. 

That trust is essential for building and maintaining a strong brand.

Wrapping Up

That’s it. Follow this template, and you’ll be ready to cut through the clutter with precision and power. The exact people you’re trying to serve (the ones you’ve carefully identified in the Who You Serve section) will understand your Unique Value Proposition instantly, feel an affinity for Who You Are, fully accept Why You Do It, and be compelled to support you.

As I said above, the template is simple. The work is, well, some work. You’ll want to be thoughtful, conscientious, and deliberate about filling it out. It’s a team process. Include a diversity of voices with subject matter expertise as well as people who are representative of the people you want to serve. You may also want to bring in an expert brand process facilitator who is skilled in asking questions, probing deep, and sussing out the key bits of information that will inform your new brand direction. Having an outside, unbiased perspective can be very helpful in questioning assumptions and helping your team to achieve clarity.

In future posts, we’ll dive deeper into the process itself. Meanwhile, if you’d like to talk more about it in real time, drop me a line or schedule a call with my booking link.

To your brand and marketing success,

P.S. 100% of this post was written by yours truly. Not one word of AI-generated slop.