AI tips to unleash your brand from Simon Leitch

The world of sales and marketing has witnessed a futuristic upgrade thanks to AI. When it comes to AI, we have four options: 

1. Shun the tools as too generic and not 'human' enough
2. Pessimistically think we'll all be out of a job in three years
3. Become 'anti-AI' and maintain a human-only brand
4. Integrate AI while preserving human values, integrity, and authenticity. 

Opting for the latter is my preferred approach.

The power lies not in the tool itself but in the person wielding it. Just as we accept calculators improving arithmetic skills, AI can enhance our capabilities. By directing AI to align with our intentions, it can make us better at what we do.

While technology is valuable, humans are the heart and soul behind any brand. AI amplifies our inherent 'magic.' By establishing robust frameworks, we can utilise AI to generate work exponentially faster.

Initially, AI-generated content is too generic, but when we add context, emotion, and personality, we can tailor it to our customers. This allows us to create compelling sales pitches, social media content, and presentations.

To improve sales and marketing efforts using AI, remember that generic input yields generic output. AI apps require collaboration. Infuse your strategy, tone of voice, and values, and provide prompts for a unique perspective. 

Here are 6 examples and tools to use:

1. Copywriting

Use AI-powered apps like ChatGPT, Jasper, Bard, and Wordtune to generate ideas and edit copy for various purposes while adding your creative spark to make the content stand out.

‍

2. Customer profiling and targeting 

Create customer personas using tools like PersonaGPT and Crystal. These leverage personality-based content to appeal to customer motivations, generating leads and closing deals.

‍

3. Analyse customer data

Leverage tools like Google Analytics, BrandWatch, and Hootsuite to gain insights into online and social behaviour. This optimization helps understand customer preferences and behaviours.

‍

4. Create and edit visual content 

Tools like Descript, Dall-e, Canva, and Playground AI help you generate creative imagery and graphic designs for presentations and sales tools by using verbal prompts.

‍

5. Optimise marketing campaigns 

Actively manage campaigns on social media platforms and identify effective ad creatives and target audiences likely to convert with tools like CoPilot and AdEspresso.

‍

6. Leverage AI-powered sales tools 

Hubspot, Einstein Analytics, and ZoomInfo are designed to maximise sales potential by identifying high-potential leads, automating lead nurturing, and personalising the sales experience to generate more revenue.

Remember this list is not exhaustive, as the landscape of AI tools continues to expand. Experiment with different tools, test, and refine your approach for better results over time.

Embrace AI and bid farewell to outdated methods. 

Like the iconic cyborg, The Terminator, confidently declare "hasta la vista, baby" to the old ways. Your sales and marketing game will thank you.

‍

Many brands are inspired by tother well-known purpose-led brands, and would like to create a compelling purpose to stand out and make a meaningful impact. 

Brand purpose goes beyond the tangible qualities of a product—it provides intrinsic value and context, evoking intangible and psychological benefits that make people feel good. This has monetary value that buyers are willing to pay for, beyond the product or service itself.

Companies like Apple, with its empowering creativity and self-expression brand purpose, demonstrate the impact of a well-defined brand purpose.

Defining Brand Purpose

Brand purpose is the core reason WHY a brand exists. It serves as our guiding light, shaping behaviour in every moment and infusing meaning into both internal and external interactions. It is the reason our team wake up in the morning, why they come to work, and why customers choose our products or service. 

Brand purpose can range from meeting basic needs to aligning with wants and desires, and even fulfilling deeper hopes and dreams. The deeper the purpose, the more inspiring it becomes.

Best Practice Examples

To illustrate the power of purpose-driven businesses, here are some notable examples:

• Zappos: Deliver wow!
• Iams: Improve the well-being of cats and dogs
• Ikea: Create a better everyday life for the many people
• Tesla: Accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy
• TED: Spread ideas
• Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and inspire environmental solutions through business

Defining the Brand's Purpose

To define a brand's purpose, it is essential to take a deep look at the organisation and its values. Authenticity, simplicity, integration, and inclusivity are key factors in crafting a purpose that resonates. 

While not every brand can be a planet-saving superhero, every brand can contribute to making the world a better place in some way.

At UnleashNZ, we have developed a workshopping template to unlock a brand's purpose. This technique helps identify points of energy and passion within the team, facilitating the development of a purposeful narrative.

Our Process

1. Gather a diverse team from various disciplines to create a canvas of purpose elements. Include insights from customer service, sales, marketing, product development, human resources, and operations—everyone who plays a role in delivering purpose.
2. Identify areas where energy and passion lie. Determine what's missing and what team members desire. Prioritise these aspects and build stories and examples around them.
3. Create a narrative that showcases the current state and envisions the future. Can this narrative evolve into a powerful brand purpose that drives the business forward?
4. Craft a simple statement of purpose, using strong emotional language and avoiding generalisations and platitudes. Make sure it reflects the team's sincere commitment.

Bringing Purpose to Life

For purpose to be effective, it must be more than a mere box-ticking exercise. It should be a living, breathing sentiment embraced by everyone, from the business owner to the office cleaner. Engaging everyone in delivering brand purpose is crucial. Determine how each person can go above and beyond to embody the brand's purpose in their role.

Embarking on the journey of defining brand purpose is an exciting and transformative time. It may not be easy, but it will differentiate your business and unite your people around a shared belief. 

If you'd like to learn more about our processes and how we can help you define your brand purpose, reach out to us for a friendly chat. Together, we can unleash the power of purpose within your brand.

I always think that values and operating principles should be the same thing. They should be known by everyone in the business and just “how we do things around here”. Many people mistakenly equate values with personality traits, but they are quite different. 

Values can often become forgotten abstract words, such as "integrity" and "generosity," that lose their meaning once the PowerPoint presentation ends. However, without a set of memorable and meaningful values to guide what we do, things can go rapidly off-track.  

The Link Between Brand Purpose and Values 

Values underpin brand purpose. To make brand purpose genuine, it must align with the organisation's deeper values and what matters to its customers. Take Adidas, for example. Their brand values revolve around winning, improving competitiveness, and attaining peak performance. These values resonate with their customers, who view their relationship with the company as a team effort and its employees as athletes. This grounding in shared values allows Adidas to understand and connect with the athletes they serve.

Defining Brand Values 

Values set the tone for a business. They are the guiding principles we live by every day and are worth fighting to protect. While there are countless values people adhere to, it's a good starting point to explore a list of values and identify those that are crucial to driving your company forward.

For instance, you may find that words like playfulness, equality, or generosity stand out to you. These values need to be authentic and reflect how you genuinely live. If playfulness is important to you, consider how you encourage it within your organisation. Do you organise playful activities, foster office banter, or even provide recreational amenities like a table tennis table? 

This evaluation process helps refine your values. If generosity is a core value, it goes beyond token charity donations. Can you truly claim to demonstrate generosity every day in various ways, like giving staff a day off to help out at a local non-profit?

Refining Your Values 

Having too many values can make it challenging for people to consistently uphold them. Refine your long list to 3-5 core values that truly represent your daily behaviour. These values should differentiate your brand and be unique to your organisation, avoiding generic platitudes or buzzwords.

Transform these core values into actionable phrases to live by. 

For example:

'Integrity' could become 'make doing the right thing easy'

'Fairness' could translate to 'creating win-win outcomes'

'Fun' could mean 'everybody leaves with a smile'

'Welcoming' could be expressed as 'greeting everyone as a friend'.

The Importance of Values 

Being clear about our values helps define the world we want to create and be a part of. Values should unite the team and be embraced by everyone, not just the management. When staff, suppliers, and customers can see that our actions are guided by values, it becomes easier to fulfil our brand purpose and generate excitement for the future.

Engaging in this process is immensely helpful in establishing direction and purpose. It can be challenging to avoid values that reflect what we aspire to be but are not currently. Stick to what feels intuitive and true, and find ways to share and expand upon these values.

If you would like to learn more about our processes or how we can assist you in defining your brand values, please contact us for a friendly chat. We are here to help you unleash the power of your values.

‍

When it comes to getting your idea off the ground, clearly articulating your value to customers is paramount. Your value proposition, expressed in a few carefully chosen words, has the power to either ignite or extinguish interest. While a value proposition appears simple on the surface, crafting one is a complex task that requires distilling insights to capture the true essence of your offering.

Put simply, your value proposition is a statement that communicates what you do or make. But as well as saying ‘we make [insert product here]’, it needs to explain the unique value you provide to customers that sets you apart from competitors. It showcases how you solve a problem and deliver benefits to your customers. 

It's important to note that value propositions are not taglines, positioning statements, or brand purpose or vision statements. While these elements connect to your brand strategy, your value proposition should be focused on defining your value.

Examples of Compelling Value Propositions: 

To truly grasp the concept, let's explore some well-known value proposition examples that highlight best practices:

• Shopify: "Shopify is everything you need to sell everywhere."
• Uber: "The smartest way to get around."
• iPhone: "The experience is the product."
• Slack: "Be more productive at work with less effort."
• Budweiser: "The great American lager."
• Walmart: "Save money, live better."
• Spotify: "Music for everyone."

While these examples are diverse, they share common characteristics, They are all:

• EASY TO UNDERSTAND: Clearly communicate the benefit to customers.
• OUTCOME SPECIFIC: Specify the value on offer and the problem solved.
• DIFFERENTIATED: Set them apart from competitors by highlighting unique strengths.
• SHORT AND PUNCHY: Concise and impactful, supported by evidence.

Defining Your Value Proposition

At UnleashNZ, we have developed a process to help you define your value and differentiate your brand from the competition. Each step of this process comes with a leg-work to create meaningful insights and substantiation.

Our approach examines three key areas: 

1. Consumers – who are they, what are their motivations and struggles
2. Product or Service – what’s unique about what we do and how we do it. How does this help customers achieve their goals.
3. Competitive advantage – how we do this better than anyone else.

By combining insights with workshop collaboration and a touch of brand alchemy, we unleash a simple and powerful customer value proposition. The final value proposition should by around 5-10 words only. Something so simple, you could explain it to your grandma.

This process may challenge you as it reveals truths about where value truly resides. It may even require you to create new value that previously did not exist. If you find the process difficult, rest assured that you are likely on the right track.

If you would like to learn more about our processes or how we can help you define your value proposition, please contact us for a chat. We are here to assist you on your journey to unleashing your brand's true value.

‍

Today, selling through online marketplaces has become vital for business success. These platforms instantly connect you with your target audience, shape your business principles, and trim overhead costs. Online marketplaces aggregate product information from various sellers, enabling users to compare and purchase items conveniently. While giants like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Alibaba dominate the scene, niche marketplaces also cater to specific audiences. 

How your brand appears in these online marketplaces can profoundly impact your reputation and determine whether you build a distinctive brand or simply sell a commodity. 

Selling on large marketplaces offers rapid scalability, but it also means competing with undifferentiated companies primarily focused on price. Alternatively, specialised marketplaces enable you to craft a tailored customer experience, such as an adventure marketplace for apparel or an organic farmers market for artisan honey. Regardless of your choice, influencing shoppers in the crucial moment of decision-making is limited in these environments. 

As a result, developing a recognisable and trusted brand becomes the key to success. Shoppers value visibility, quality, credibility, and customer experience, often preferring a trusted brand over a lower-priced alternative. In the e-commerce landscape, branding stands as one of your most valuable assets, allowing you to transcend price competition. 

Here’s some essential tips for building a successful brand in online marketplaces.

Tip 1: Craft a Meaningful Brand Name: While many businesses invest significant time, energy, and resources into finding the perfect name, it's essential to remember that it's what lies behind the name that truly matters. Your brand idea should drive all your actions, including naming. A brand name provides an opportunity to convey meaning to shoppers, describing your product or evoking emotions aligned with your brand's core idea. Follow simple rules like creating an easy-to-pronounce and memorable name, understanding naming conventions within your category, and being aware of cultural nuances. Take heed of cautionary tales like Coca-Cola's translated name in China, which initially meant "Bite the wax tadpole," or the confusing tagline for Dasani bottled water in the UK, "can't live without spunk." Checking local meaning is undoubtedly crucial.

Tip 2: Expand Your Presence Beyond Online Marketplaces: To enhance your brand's chances of success, establish a presence outside the marketplace environment. Potential customers often conduct research before making a purchase decision, especially when multiple options exist. They may search for your company online, visit your website, or explore your social media presence. Leverage this opportunity to build your company's profile and offer support to customers beyond the marketplace platform. 

Your fulfilment responses, auto-responder email sequences, and packaging inserts serve as valuable touchpoints to connect with customers, demonstrate your commitment to customer service, and prevent negative reviews. Assure your customers that you're readily available to address any issues.

Tip 3: Packaging is Branding: For packaged goods, it's crucial to optimise your packaging design for the online format. Details that are significant in a physical store may be lost in the online context. Focus on delivering a clear and concise hero message that resonates with customers. Moreover, don't overlook the potential of postal packaging as a brand messaging tool. As the product travels and encounters various eyes, including the purchaser's, use this opportunity to strengthen your brand presence. Well-designed postal packaging not only conveys your brand but also enhances the overall experience, making customers feel they've received value for their money.

When it comes to building your brand in online marketplaces, success lies in the small details. Ensure that your brand idea permeates every aspect of the customer experience, going the extra mile to deliver impact. 

If you’d like to discuss ways to increase your impact in online marketplaces, contact us to see how.

‍

Step 1: Map the Value Chain: Leverage the value chain to create maximum value. Understand the various links in the chain, such as producers, distributors, wholesalers, agents, retailers, and customers. Here’s the UnleashNZ Value Chain Tool to map out the chain and identify potential complexities and problems.

‍

‍

‍

Step 2: Incorporate Brand Building: Ensure that your brand is considered throughout the entire distribution chain. Sales and marketing should be an integral part of the distribution strategy. Avoid the common mistake of creating a marketing plan before establishing a distribution strategy. Integrate your brand across the chain to protect its uniqueness and prevent it from becoming a commodity sold solely based on price.

Step 3: Choose the Right Distribution Model: Evaluate the three basic distribution models: intensive, selective, and exclusive. Start small with a test-and-learn approach, gradually expanding based on successful outcomes. Maintain discipline and focus to achieve long-term success.

Step 4: Set Pricing Strategy: Reverse engineer margin along the distribution chain to determine affordable and profitable pricing. Analyse competitor pricing and aim to build a strong brand without relying heavily on price promotions, stand out from the competition and maintain brand value.

Step 5: Direct-to-Retail or Consumer Distribution: Consider disrupting traditional distribution strategies by exploring direct-to-consumer (DTC) distribution models. Implement effective marketing tactics to create awareness, generate leads, and convert sales. Be aware of the challenges of selling on aggregator retail sites and develop strategies to build and protect your brand.

Step 6: Finding a Great Distributor: Start by conducting online research, but don't rely solely on it. Visit stores to evaluate the in-store experiences of different brands and talk to retail managers for recommendations. Identify distributors of category leaders and explore potential partnerships.

Step 7: Analyse Setbacks: Acknowledge that not everything will go according to plan. Analyse setbacks and assess whether they are due to factors such as timing, brand positioning, pricing, or promotional tactics. Maintain flexibility, keep an open mind, and make necessary adjustments.

Building a successful distribution strategy is an iterative process. Take the time to prepare, create a clear roadmap, and follow the necessary steps. Remember, starting somewhere is essential for making progress. Stay focused, be adaptable, and analyse outcomes to refine your strategy along the way.

If you’d like to learn more about building your distribution strategy, contact us for a chat to learn more about our processes or how we can assist your business.

‍

As a New Zealand exporter, the decision to partner with an in-market distributor presents both opportunities and challenges. Making the right choice can significantly impact your sales success, while a wrong decision can be costly in terms of lost sales, money, and time. At UnleashNZ, we specialise in helping businesses bring their ideas to market. Drawing from our extensive experience, we have identified six common pitfalls to avoid when selecting an in-market distributor.

1. Don't Settle for the First Impression: Overpromising and underdelivering is a common trait among distributors. Avoid getting "wowed" by the first distributor and failing to explore other options. Clearly communicate your expectations, roles, and responsibilities while maximising profit potential for both parties. Meeting with multiple potential partners is essential to finding the right fit for your business.
2. Due Diligence Matters: Receiving recommendations is valuable, but remember that what works for others may not work for you. Conduct thorough due diligence to ensure alignment of goals and strategies. Ask critical questions to gauge compatibility, such as their portfolio fit, strategic goals regarding your brand, the range of products they handle, the attention they will dedicate to your product, and their ability to actively sell complex products.
3. Distributors Are Channels, Not Customers: Recognise that the end user of your product is the real customer, and the distributor is just one channel to reach them. Ensure that your distributor actively sells your product and becomes an ambassador for your brand, embodying its values and personality. Seek their commitment to invest in training and tools to enhance the sales of your brand, adding value to customers without relying solely on discounts.
4. Scrutinise the Contract: Thoroughly examine the terms of the contract, paying attention to crucial clauses. Evaluate service delivery, termination, payment terms, liability (including insurances), penalty clauses, freedom to operate, commitment from both parties, sales and marketing reporting, and access to end customers. If using your own agreement, ensure it covers these aspects effectively.
5. It Doesn't End with the Appointment: Appointing a distributor is just the beginning; the success of your international business rests on your shoulders. While distribution can be outsourced, responsibility cannot. Establish specific performance measures, agree on an evaluation process and timeline, and ensure your distributor understands key metrics important to your business. Schedule regular updates to proactively identify and address any issues.
6. Nurture the Relationship: Building a successful partnership requires ongoing communication and understanding. Foster open, collaborative, and honest dialogue to prevent conflicts. Invest time in developing a deeper understanding of each other's business, fostering a stronger and mutually beneficial relationship.

Choosing the right in-market distributor is not a complex endeavour but requires due diligence and proactive management. Embrace the adventure of exporting while remaining vigilant in your decision-making process.

Contact us for a chat if you would like to learn more about our processes or how we can assist you in selecting an in-market distributor for your business.

‍