Brand with Purpose

Jul 14

Written By Socrates - Head of School Team

Think you might want to read this book?

Brand With Purpose will give you much to think about. Is your website effective? Do you network the right way? Is the Mission of your school articulated online, in print, and on campus enough and in the same way? Can everyone state the values of your school in an elevator speech? If you think your school could market itself better, then this book is for you. If you think you are maximizing all marketing angles already, then you need this book even more.

What Would Socrates Ask?

Does your school branding naturally draw others in? Do you have examples where that has happened?
Do you have a set of friends who could give you feedback on the authenticity of your school branding?
Are you interacting on social media with people who might be interested in your brand?
In what ways does your school branding clarify for others who you are?

Concepts

Solopreneur: someone who has set up and runs their own business
SWOT: an abbreviation for the internal aspects of Strengths and Weaknesses (S and W) and the external position of the business environment in terms of Opportunities and Threats (O and T). This analysis can help you discover new strategies based on your Strengths and Opportunities that will help you overcome your Weaknesses and Threats.

Quotes from the author

“Throughout life, we sometimes forget who we are, get swayed by the opinions of others, lose our ability to speak our truth, or lose track of who we are really meant to be.”
“If you see a customer base and their needs clearly, it just takes a little imagination to figure out a way to make things better for them and create a business for yourself.”
“The key is staying top of mind with people who know me and thinking about how I can keep providing value to the people within my network.”

Quotes from others

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” - Simon Sinek
“The one way to know your strengths is to ask yourself, ‘What do you do that you feel the most confident doing?’” - Jay Shetty, former monk
“You have to grow as a human if your business is going to grow. So it was a mix of business development and personal development, and that combination for me was just the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen.” - Aaron Keith,CEO and Founder, Buildify Systems
“Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.” - Janelle Monae, singer, songwriter, and actor
“Brands must stop interrupting what consumers are interested in and become what they are interested in. Marketing is like a first date: if all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second. If you want to be relevant, you need to start thinking like a media company and publisher, and add value to the consumer first.” - David Beebe, brand storyteller and producer.
“It’s (three years into the future), and you’ve had the best three years of your life. Tell me, what has happened? Only 10 percent of the people get that question. The ones who get it are really good. They have goals, know where they want to be. I want the one who is fully charged.” - Rick Dergan, operating partner, real estate
“Find people who excel at things you don’t excel at. Understand your strengths and weaknesses and ask how you can offset those weaknesses with other people.” - Mark Batson, music producer
“There’s no better way at business networking than being with your friend network. Ask for help when you need it. Ask for advice. It’s okay to ask for help.” - Evie Jeang, family lawyer and philanthropist
“Your brand doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change.” - Jim Rohn

Implement tomorrow?

Study Melissa & Doug’s website. Notice how their story and mission statement are communicated everywhere. The founders have photos of themselves with sock puppets, being playful. Do you have a website or social media platform that has your mission imprinted as well as Melissa & Doug?
Do a SWOT analysis for your business. Ask friends and/or your team to join you in this exercise.