The essentials of building a strong brand: An interview with Michael Murdoch, CEO and Founder of The House

Michael, founded The House in 2009 and has been a Brand Strategist for nearly 20 years working with emerging and established organisations around the world like NHS, MTV, Diabetes UK, Sanyo, Fairtrade and Nokia to smaller startups like Franklin Scholars, Mixcloud and Olive Branch.

He loves working with entrepreneurs and hopes to pass on his skills and expertise on to help them be the top 10% of organisations that succeed. That’s why he’s decided to answer some of the most challenging questions that concern small business owners.

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How would you define the importance of telling a brand’s story in an engaging way?

In today’s modern world it’s more competitive than ever with barriers to entry being lowered across industries, so brands need to do more to stand out. It’s no longer good enough just to have a great product or service and a talented team to deliver this, although it is hugely important of course.

Organisations need to connect with their a audience on an emotional level evoking feelings which are often intangible. Therefore, storytelling is key, as it has been since the dawn of man, as it’s the most effective way to communicate messages, build trust, connect, coerce and convince the listener to ultimately believe. This must be consistent across all touch-points with the audience and honest as authenticity is paramount.

In a competitive world, it’s Brand Equity which will help organisations go further. Strong relationships lead to improved reputation, becoming the market authority, increasing customer loyalty and retention, motivating your staff, and, of course increasing your profit margins.

There’s a reason people pay more for brand name products than they do for generic ones. That reason is trust. Building a strong and engaging brand is how you build trusting relationships with your customers.

What are some of your favourite brands and why?

Some of my favourites are:

Innocent drinks, because they tested out their initial idea quickly and effectively. With ￡500 of fruit, the 3 founders sold smoothies at a music festival. People were asked to put their empty bottles in a “yes” or “no” bin depending on whether they thought the three should quit their jobs to make smoothies. At the end of the festival the “yes” bin was full, with only a few cups in the “no” bin, so the next day they resigned. A brave decision and having worked with many entrepreneurs it’s risky choices that help separate those that succeed and those that don’t.

Charity: Water — This charity was set up over 10 years ago by an ex-nightclub owner in New York. He changed his life, volunteered in Africa and saw a simple but important need; providing clean water for those who can’t afford it or don’t have access. The proposition is clear, simple and even better, they are are changing the face of the charity sector too. 100% of donations go to those in need with all operations funded separately by other donors. I particularly like the disruptive nature of the brand and the “why not” attitude, completely flipping perceptions of how things should be done.

Dollar Shave Club, because of their humorous approach to getting attention with a low budget video which went viral. This combined with the fact that they offer an affordable and convenient alternative to store bought razors make for an inspirational overnight success story and a strong brand. Again it’s the disruptive nature of the brand that makes them stand out, using new subscription based business models and keeping the proposition as simple as possible.

Airbnb as they have reinvented travel and all from a design perspective. The three founders worked very hard in the first few years, getting their hands dirty and coming up with novel ways to keep the company afloat e.g. selling Obama brands cereals. This showed ingenuity especially when things get tough which every successful company needs at their core. The product itself is beautiful, improves constantly, easy to use and most importantly it does it’s core job well — connecting travels with hosts. As a traveller and a host it’s made experience possible which I could not have dreamed of before they launched over 10 years ago.

What are the tips you would share with anyone trying to build a brand from scratch?

• Be brave — You need to take calculated risks to do great things. This might be as simple as networking (again and again) to make the right connections, or speaking in public at events to stand out from the crowd. Whatever it may be, think about what would give your brand the boost most and perhaps what you fear most and give it a go…even in a small way.
• Embrace failure — You learn much more from the hiccups than the easy victories. So many startups and entrepreneurs I work with don’t reach their full potential as they worry whatever they do might fail. If we knew everything we try will succeed everyone would be doing it and it wouldn’t be a fun challenge. Think of the worst case scenario if things do fail and then work backwards to see how far you can push the boundaries e.g. customer research, creating a new website, launching a new product. Big or small, embrace it as it will fast track your progress.
• Stay positive — Nobody (customers, investors, staff, partners) wants to work with a moaner, so try to stay positive whatever happens. This is no easy tasks as building a brand is tough and things will go wrong as one point of another…or at least they won’t go as right as you hope and at the pace you want. So, remember to be polite, smile, ask open questions to find solutions and on a personal level sleep more, eat well and exercise. Of all the entrepreneurs I’ve met, the successful ones tend to be the positive and happy ones and I believe it starts with their positive nature, not the other way round.
• Be helpful — Give liberally to people (advice, time, support, custom) and it will come back to you tenfold. As you build a brand, you’re also building relationships with customers, partners, investors, staff and many others. You are bound to need help and favours in the future, so why not pay it forward and make sure you have a few fans to help you later on. Maybe you know another founder that needs advice, maybe your business can add another string to the bow of one of your partners, maybe you can offer a discounted service to someone in need. Not only will you reap the rewards but you’ll feel great about it and it will help your brand grow in the long run.
• When in doubt, do — Even the best plans and strategy alone won’t cut it without some action, so try not to list too many tasks (we are all guilty of this) and take action everyday no matter how small it might seem. Incremental improvements win the day…there is no such thing as an overnight success. Just looks at Airbnb (10 yrs), Netflix (20 yrs) and TED Talks (30 yrs).

What are some of the most common challenges you’ve seen startups face in terms of branding?

I’ll give three examples here…

1. Budget is always a challenge for startups as they have so many things to pay for and little investment or revenue to play with. But good branding does not need to cost the earth. Focus on the Brand Story, the strategy and thinking behind to style, and the rest will fall into place. If your message is clear the look and feel will be easier, quicker and therefore cheaper to produce. And the best bit is that strategy is about time and thought, so if you truly believe in what you’re doing and you have an experienced guide, you’ll be able to get things in order pretty quickly and affordably.
2. Form over function. Too many startups and even established brand focus on the styling of the brand, the colours, the typeface, the illustrations, the logo mark before they really understand what they want and need to communicate. This often means that the brand does not quite connect with the audience, despite it looking good. It does not set itself apart from the competition and doesn’t have a strong brand position, so again, think strategically and take time to get this right before the pretty stuff happens!
3. Startups often look for perfection overnight. If funding or sales of a substantial amount are not in place, don’t be afraid to try minimum viable products for your brand. This could be as simple as using online logo generators or working with a freelancer in another country. There is nothing wrong with quick and dirty tests for the truly bootstrapped company. The key is to make sure this is not the end of the road and that plans for success are made. If this works, you will move on to implement X. So, see the branding process as a journey, it often take 1–2 years to establish a new startup (and that’s quick) so use this time to experiment, test, play and iterate so when the world is looking, you are ready and have already made all the mistakes you don’t want people to see.

How would your advise startups to approach telling their story when they’re dealing with tight budgets?

• Start with a Value Proposition — The first step of budget-friendly brand building is understanding your Value Proposition before designing anything. This is simply the offer you have e.g. your product or service and the customer segment you want to attract. What is your gift and who will receive it? This very simple but effective tool will help . From this, a designed identity and other visuals will be more appropriate and easier to create.
• Figure out what you want beforehand — You are likely to need a professional designer to complete your project, but by finding examples and understanding what works and what doesn’t, you’ll help speed up the process and hence reduce costs. The better the brief, the more likely it is your brand will be effective, so take the time to answer all the questions your creative sets. It takes two to tango after all! Here is an example.
• Do market research — If you’re working with a tight budget, it’s important to get most things right on your first try, so that there aren’t many expensive do-overs and fixes. All your efforts need to be based on thorough research, which maximizes your chances of achieving the desired results right off the bat. So whether that’s an online survey with Typeform.com or Surveymonkey.com, a focus group with 10 people and some pizza, interviews 1–2–1 or just desktop research on Google, make sure you line your ducks in a row so you know the subject and your customer problem to solve inside out!
• Make the most of free online services and resources —
• Make use of the internet, especially social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which allow you to get online and start talking with your audience. Use these free sites to test out ideas and learn quickly to create a stronger brand. Also, for the most advanced, try Wix.com or Squarespace.com to create simple but effective websites to get your brand out there and in the real world.
• Keep track of progress — The key to staying within budget is to stay on top of all the resources you’re allocating. A game plan you decide on in advance is what’s going to keep you focused on the most important tasks. As above, with a clear brief and agreement with your creative you should be able to stick to time and budget assuming the brief does not shift.

What are some of the most common branding mistakes you’ve seen entrepreneurs make?

Some of the most common mistakes include

• Not setting clear goals prior to drafting their strategy
• Not thoroughly validating their customers’ problems
• Relying on poor data or not having any data at all
• Not using briefs that would allow all discussions to be more productive and cost effective
• Not taking the time to test and reassess their progress and potential areas for improvement along their journey
• Not experimenting and taking manageable risks to push the brand forward
• Expecting excellence for free or cheap.

What are some methods you like to use to spark creativity?

There are many effective ways to get out of a creative rut, but some of my favorites are:

• Brainstorming sessions and workshops
• Using mood boards for inspiration
• Using mind maps to develop ideas
• Creative exercises that allow you to view your brand from a different angle, like asking yourself what would your brand be if it were an animal/cartoon character/celebrity, etc.
• Simply going for a walk (especially in a bustling city)
• Talking to customers to get their view, they often have lots of bright ideas.
• Doodling and sketching without a strict brief until ideas emerge
• Visiting galleries, museums, reading books, watching films

Creativity is an art not a science although there are structure approaches to allow your mind to be free and wonder. Even a simple part of your day like taking a shower can be the time you think of your best ideas, so keep a pencil and pad handy (but don’t get it too wet!).

In your opinion, what are the easiest ways for a brand to stand out in a saturated market?

The only way to get your brand to stand out in comparison to the competition on the market is to answer the following questions:

• What is it about your business that makes people sit up and take notice when you tell them?
• What grabs people’s attention?
• What do people say they absolutely love about what you do?
• What’s your ‘wow factor’?

The things you decide to emphasise as your differentiator can depend on many things, including your industry and your work so far. Some examples could include amazing statistics, case studies, the number of happy customers, testimonials; it could also be an impressive innovation or award, or even the expertise of your leadership or staff.

Whatever it is, be different. So many companies initially come to us wanting to be similar but better than their nearest rival, but this will only allow your brand to evolve and take incremental steps. Make it easier for your customer to make the choice over you or your nearest rival…if it doesn’t matter it’s just a 50/50 coin toss.

So be disruptive, think differently and always stand out, so at least your customer knows what you stand for and why they should pick you over another.

What key elements do you believe separate brands with potential and those that aren’t as likely to succeed?

The formula necessary for a brand to succeed can have many variables, but the most essential elements that set successful brands from the rest are the fact that they:

• Provide a good quality product that addresses the needs or problems of a big enough section of the market
• Possess the necessary operating experience that gives them a greater understanding of that market and the way in which businesses in that field work
• Have a tested-and-true branding strategy that allows them to plan ahead and overcome potential obstacles more efficiently
• Employ a talented and enthusiastic team of people, because even the most well thought out plan doesn’t make much of a difference if you don’t have the right people around who will bring it to fruition
• Understand what motivates you and your team to keep going when things get tough.
• Know when and where you will connect best with your audience and do the research and experiments to validate this.
• Keep your wow factors ready when you need them as you never quite know when the next sale opportunity will pop up in the early days.
• And understand what might stop you from succeeding e.g. competitors, politics, economic down turns, so you can mitigate against this and plan for all scenarios.

There is a formula, but like everything it’s how you implement it that really matters. So with all of the above, hard work and a healthy dose of good luck needs to be mixed in…but remember the harder you work, the more opportunities are likely to arise.

Thank you for reading.

Join me at The British Library for a workshop to help your find more customers, attract the best talent and secure funding. Let’s build your brand and sell your story!

Find out more at https://bit.ly/brandworkshop2019