All great brands have one thing in common, a deep understanding that it’s all about the customer. Ultimately, branding is the process of defining your reputation in the mind of the consumer. consumer. This perspective is often the difference between a thriving brand and a dying one. Some brands create “Signature Cues,” a term coined by mega brand strategy firm Lipponcot, to intentionally seek an experiential connection with the consumer. Distinctive cues can be colors (Tiffany Blue Box), shapes (Coca-Cola Bottle), symbols (Nike Swoosh), rituals (Corona Lime Wedge), service (Zappos), voice (“My Pleasure” for a popular chain of chicken sandwiches) and even rings (Toyota wireless key lock). With that in mind, here are three ways to create Signature Cues unique to your brand:

1. Audit your current customer experience. Start by getting feedback from your existing customers. Determine what they like and what they don’t. Just ask them a few open-ended questions and you’ll be surprised at what comes to the surface. We believe in qualitative over quantitative research in this case. After you get a pulse reading on your customer, map each touch point from start to finish and examine the landscape of the current experience. Look for areas of improvement and include customer feedback for selected areas.
2. Analyze the competitive landscape. What are the signature keys of your competitors? One of John Deere’s hallmarks is its green tractor. So when Kubota tractors entered the market, they chose orange tractors as their signal. Basing your signature signal on a competitor’s strategy may seem counterintuitive at first, but it can often be effective when two similar yet distinctive signatures become a badge of loyalty for customers who choose one brand over another.
3. Devise and map tracks. Sit down and think about what makes your business special. What cues do you currently own? What color, texture, shape, products, service, voice or sound makes your brand experience unique? After thinking about the various factors that make your brand unique, take the main factor and work to create a signature signal through it. Signals do not need to be complex to be effective. They just need to be memorable and recognizable.

A signature sign is a unique aspect of your brand that sticks in the minds of consumers and allows them to experience what your brand has to offer. This signal helps create a customer-centric experience that allows a brand to stand out in the marketplace. Consumers feel a personal connection to Corona when they squeeze a lime into a bottle of the company’s beer, and women feel instantly special and appreciated when they open one of Tiffany’s blue boxes. Thinking about what makes your brand special and applying that to a recognizable signature cure is a great way to engage consumers in a way that encapsulates them in a unique experience that can only be achieved through your brand.