What do you do that's different from everyone else, when there are so many others looking to take your customers away from you. Here's a guide to tell a compelling story and to reposition yourself in the minds of others.

1. Mini Guide
How to
be more successful
by creating a
strong brand perception.

2. There are over 4.5m small and
medium sized enterprises (SME’s)
in the UK according to The
Department For Business,
Innovation and Skills.
Every brand should portray a
story that is easy to remember
and engaging for your audience
and customers.
The thing to remember is that if
you don’t build your brand story,
you allow others to create their
own interpretations, which could
in turn lead to tarnishing your
company’s reputation.
Brands are influential when their
messages are executed correctly
and the way to do so is by being
authentic and original, offer
something other business wouldn’t
think to do, and most importantly
portray a message that people
can relate to.
The following guide explains
what you need to do to build a
compelling story and to make your
brand stand out in your industry.
“ Once upon a time, there was
what there was, and if nothing
had happened there would be
nothing at all”
Charles de Lint, Author
What do you do that is so different
from everyone else when there are
so many of us in business?

3. How to build your brand story and
create a massively positive perception
Here is what we consider as the nine ways to build a positive perception
and create a proposition that offers real differences against your competition.
1) Content/Copy
Identifying from the outset your strategy to how you want to be
perceived sets a long-term goal. You need to educate customers
to create brand loyalty and build a rapport. Your story needs to
teach customers and prospects something that is engaging and
more importantly, of value to them. This is more powerful than telling
everything about your product. Being clear and direct helps support
your credibility and recognition as the ‘go to person’ in your industry.
2) Website
You need to offer information of value to build your community.
Your website needs to be a place where prospects and customers
go to look at new things, your opinion, to find information and to
get to know you better. A good tip is to include advice on your area
of expertise. If you can become a source that people come to and
listen to, others will follow.
3) Testimonials
Telling your story is great, but when someone else
does it for you, it’s even better. Having another
company explain how your product or service has
helped improve their operations is a huge benefit.
Make sure to include their names, company name
and position, if you have a small picture of them,
even better. This demonstrates that they are real
people who valued what you delivered.
“Never use your blog
as a sales pitch.”

4. 5) Photography
Having bespoke imagery that is related to your company
becomes a powerful tool in telling a true story that builds
a positive perception. An image helps to evoke emotion,
by connecting with an audience and defining a style.
The biggest asset is that the imagery becomes unique
and exclusive to you and your company.
6) Direct Mail
When portraying your message via a piece of direct
mail in a simple but effective A5 4 page format, this
allows you to craft your story for customers.
Remember, you must offer a meaningful purpose
against your competition in order to stand out in
the marketplace.
“ You must offer a meaningful purpose
against your competition in order to
stand out in the marketplace .”
4) Blog
A blog is a way of posting views and opinion on a
regular basis. Posting good short posts twice a week
helps to show personality and intimacy between
you and the reader and gives an insight into your
industry expertise. Never use your blog as a sales
pitch disguised as a blog, you will lose credibility
instantly. The key is to use a blog to build a
rapport and be engaging enough for people
to come back.
How to build your brand story and
create a massively positive perception Cont’d

5. How to build your brand story and
create a massively positive perception Cont’d
7) E-Marketing/Webmail
By having only a matter of seconds to capture someone’s
attention, a webmail with an engaging message that offers a
customer market knowledge rather than product detail becomes
a much more effective sales tool. For instance, if you are a florist
a message need not be solely on the range of flowers sold, but
emphasis on being sourced locally. By being honest, nothing is
more powerful than truth when communicating credibility.
8) E-Guides
Producing digital guides, a bit like what you’re reading now,
provides information closely related to your line of business.
It has to be FREE with the aim to drive traffic to your website,
build your database and grow your reputation. Remember, it
has to be relevant, informative and useful, not a blatant advert
for your products. It has to entice readers to find out more and
to interact with your business. All you need to commit to is
research in your own words and build your story.
9) Community Initiatives
Portraying a responsible message throughout your
community helps build a close rapport for your
business. It’s a simple premise, doing good things
makes you feel better. You cannot eat a whole cake
to yourself, you’d be ill. Eat some and share with
other people around you. If it is working with local
colleges, involvement with initiatives such as the
Young Enterprise, this helps build your story as a
trusted and responsible business.
“Nothing is more powerful
than the truth when
communicating credibility.”

6. © 2012 ID GROUP LIMITED
The copyright of this document is wholly owned by the ID Group Limited.
Unauthorised copying, lending and use of the work is strictly
prohibited without prior permission from the ID Group Limited.
Developing an engaging story, building a
rapport and repositioning you in the mind
of the buyer as more of an expert than your
competition is key. These are key areas to build
credibility. Hopefully this guide provides some
interesting routes to explore in more detail.
Lorne Park House
1 Lorne Park Road
Bournemouth BH1 1JJ
Telephone: +44 (0)1202 557 458
Email: mark@theidgroup.co.uk
Website: theidgroup.co.uk
Twitter: /heyidgroup
Facebook: /heyidgroup
This guide covers some core areas, however, it serves purely
as a ‘checklist’ to ensure clarity in your approach.
For a complete solution and how everything can work together,
come and talk to us. We’re here to help to deliver a consistent message.