When it comes to establishing your brand’s voice and overall personality, it may seem like an unnerving task. Are you supposed to be serious, conversational, authoritative, or friendly? Some companies start by prescribing a mission statement or a value statement. Coming up with those could be even more daunting! If you want my advice – even if you don’t, I’m going to share it – be authentic. The first question you should start with is: What’s your motivation? Let the following fictitious fables further my point.

Sensory Sorcery

Melissa’s first child was diagnosed with sensory processing issues. Melissa was not a person who would whine or complain about a thing like this. She was the type to figure out the best ways to help her beloved. As a result, she determined to create something that would help her child, as well as the children of others. After years of hands on research, developing protocols, and testing them throughout the special-needs community, she came up with a program that mixed magic with sensory therapy.

When she began building her website and solidifying her brand’s personality, she defined her motivation. She wanted to find a fun way for kids with sensory processing issues to have therapy sessions. She wanted these kids to know, even though they may need to work harder than other kids, they can have fun while doing it.

Slithering Senses

Felicity’s first child was diagnosed with sensory processing issues. Felicity was mad. Why did her child have these issues? Why did she have to take her to therapy sessions twice a week? At one of the therapy sessions, she noticed some programs that looked expensive. She decided to Google them and find out. Her suspicions were confirmed. That made her want to create a sensory program from which she could profit monetarily, too.

When she began building her website, she had a hard time determining her purpose. That made it more difficult to identify and reflect her brand’s personality. Since she wasn’t sure of her brand’s identity or personality, she copied information from some of her competitors.

We Reflect Our Purposes

In the end, Melissa’s success found her. Because she was sure of her purpose and content in her work, people who needed her help were drawn to her. Felicity, on the other hand, never found her success. Because she was never sure of a purpose other than making money, she struggled to attract people willing to pay her.

If there’s a moral to these fables, it’s this: We all have different values. Different things make us tick. That’s why there are so many companies that purport to doing the same things. But they don’t. Look past their mission statements or their value statements. Look at their purposes, their customers, and their case studies reflect their purposes and their values.

If they don’t align with yours, keep looking.