Listen closely, ambitious brand-builders and market mavens! While you’ve been tirelessly sculpting your image, crafting messages, and unleashing campaigns, have you ever wondered through which lens your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is viewing you? What’s the measuring stick, the golden standard they’re holding you up against? It’s all about frames of reference, darling, and it’s high time you got acquainted.
Imagine this: You believe you’re the Louis Vuitton of software solutions – luxurious, bespoke, unparalleled. But what if, in the eyes of your ICP, you’re more of a fast-fashion Zara – trendy, accessible, yet slightly commonplace? The horror! But it’s a reality many brands grapple with, often unbeknownst to them.
Your ICP doesn’t view you in isolation. No, they’re constantly, often subconsciously, comparing you to a frame of reference—a benchmark, a standard, an expectation. This frame might be an industry leader, an experience, or even a figment of their idealized imagination. Your true competition isn’t just the industry rival; it’s this phantom frame of reference.
So, how do you crack the code? It’s a tantalizing dance of introspection and espionage. Dive deep into your ICP’s psyche. What are their past experiences? Their aspirations? Their unspoken desires? Understand this, and you can not only meet but manipulate the frame.
Remember, ignorance isn’t bliss in the cutthroat world of branding; it’s oblivion. Only by understanding and controlling the frame of reference can you truly captivate your ICP.
Let’s punctuate our audacious dive with the piercing words of renowned author Anaïs Nin: “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” So, brand warriors, ask how you see yourself and through what frame your ICP sees you. Or, as a wise businesswoman once told me, who happened to be my mother, “Put on your customers’ shoes and wear them every day.” And then? Own that frame, redefine it, dominate it: your move, maestro.