Branding | Marketing Why You Do What You Do

In one of the more popular TED talks, Simon Sinek explains one of the simplest – but most important – things a business can learn.

Sinek’s “How great leaders inspire action” focuses on the question “Why?” With examples, he shows how businesses and leaders can bring about change starting with that simple question. Unlocking the benefits of SEO for your business starts with marketing why you do what you do.

Make it a goal to watch the TED talk by the end of the week. And you’ll start to realize how (and why) you can position your brand against your competition.

Sinek created the Golden Circle to show how the why, how and what (in that order) work in tandem to inspire and make people want to connect.

Why

‘Why’ is how you communicate your purpose. It’s what people care about your brand.

Sinek’s research suggests that people care about the why first is because the passion behind what you do appeals to the part of the brain that controls decisions, feelings and emotions

How

Although not as important as the ‘why,’ ‘How’ messaging can include strengths and values that do help you separate from the competition.

Think of the how in terms of how you do what you do.

What

This is the easiest of the three to articulate. And it’s the least impactful when it comes to messaging.

Anyone can express what they do.

Individuals express their job titles, which is fine.

But the conversation (or messaging for businesses) becomes a lot more interesting when passion for why they do what they do is brought up.