Before you start changing and tweaking your website…
Before launching the Adobe Illustrator application on your laptop to bust out a new logo… Before planning your next series of marketing materials to get printed… I’d suggest there’s something even more foundational that comes first: Developing your brand’s passionate purpose.
After all, your “why” will serve as the driving force and reminder to you that building an intentional brand strategy is worth doing in the first place. If you’re building an intentional brand, you know it’s hard work. It takes critical thinking, marketing research, countless hours brainstorming and designing. You’ll be tempted to give up or get distracted along the way. And that’s where your brand’s passionate purpose comes into play. A friendly reminder that will be whispering in your ear along the way, encouraging you to remain strong!
We’ve all experienced goal setting, whether professionally or personally. We have ideas of outcomes we’d like to achieve. Losing a substantial amount of body fat. Growing a business into a seven-figure company and beyond. Reading twenty books in a year. Finding true love and starting a family. Getting a promotion at work. Running a half marathon.
We all have some idea of a desired outcome for our lives, but when was the last time you paused and really asked yourself, “Why?” Why do you want to lose weight? How will your life be better if you grow your business into a seven-figure company? What will you gain from reading twenty books this year?
The desired outcome is good to know, write down, and internalize. But you must start with a passionate purpose in mind. This is the thing that will keep you humming along when complications arise. It’s the north star that will guide you when the fog starts to build.
Watch the accompanying video above for more info on building a “passionate purpose.”
In Simon Sinek’s popular New York Times bestselling book, Start With Why, he writes that “Regardless of WHAT we do in our lives, our WHY—our driving purpose, cause or belief—never changes.”
If you’re anything like me, you’ve already spent time thinking through the answer to the question “why” in many other facets of your life. But have you considered the “why” behind your visual brand?
While Sinek’s book is primarily geared toward leadership and how to become the kind of leader that inspires your team with the deep, meaningful “why” of your organization, the concept is easily applied to branding strategy as well. What’s the passionate purpose behind your visual brand?
It may be the same driving force and “why” that your business, church, or non-profit is built around, or it could be slightly different, but the goal is to be able to generate a “passionate purpose” that is more than just adding cleverly written copy on the “about section” of your website or implementing a pretty lead generator on your homepage. The goal of developing a “passionate purpose” for your visual brand is to remind you of the bigger picture along the way.
Below are some examples of what a website’s passionate purpose may look like:
Tracy’s Mobile Pet Grooming Service:
Passionate Purpose Example: To bring pet grooming services to the homes of our clients so that busy families can get their time back.
DayBright Mentoring Center:
Passionate Purpose Example: Connecting the youth of our community with certified mentors that can invest in their future and help them live lives of meaning.
Palmbrook Baptist Church:
Passionate Purpose Example: Helping our church members connect deeply with one another in fellowship through events and small groups and providing a clear path for new visitors to be warmly acclimated into the life of our church.
As previously stated, your visual brand’s passionate purpose isn’t necessarily intended to show up on your website or in any of your outward facing marketing material. It’s designed to serve as an internal reminder for you and your team. It isn’t a mission statement or vision statement but a tool that keeps you focused and driven when obstacles arise. It puts fresh wind in your sails, and gives you, your team, and your audience something to believe in that is bigger than the specific tasks you perform.
So before you start editing text blocks in WordPress or adding your logo to the bottom corner of your next batch of social media graphics… spend a little time thinking through your “why” and your brand’s passionate purpose. This is the first step toward an intentional brand strategy.
