What is a brand purpose? It's the reason your brand exists.

Think of it as a mission statement for your company. It's why you're here, and what you want to accomplish.

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It's also one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. Your brand purpose informs every other aspect of your marketing — from what products and services you offer, to how you present them, to where and how they're sold, to who decides on all that stuff in the first place.

You might think that defining your brand purpose would be pretty straightforward; after all, it seems like every other business has one these days. But while everyone else may have an idea of what their brand purpose should be, yours needs to be authentic — and that means taking some time to think about what makes your company unique in order to create something truly special.

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Defining Your Brand Purpose ✨

What is it that you hope to achieve with your brand and why does it exist? 

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Defining your brand purpose should be the first step your business takes even before the vision, mission and values are crafted. The brand purpose should be used to define not only these things but everything that your company does moving forward — from hiring to marketing. 

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Knowing your brand’s purpose also allows you to understand how you can adapt to your target audience’s needs as they change and evolve. Over the last few years, for example, a rising number of consumers have gravitated toward brands that are socially conscious and transparent about how their products are impacting the world. Consumers are searching for something bigger than just being sold to or marketed a product; they want to support values and ideologies.

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To define your brand purpose, consider these three key questions:

• What’s your brand’s greatest strength? 
• What is your brand passionate about? 
• How can your brand make a difference in the world?

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Marketing Your Brand Purpose 🔥

When you successfully integrate your brand purpose with every aspect of your business — and your team knows that purpose and believe in it — it’s time to put those values into action.

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When it comes to marketing your brand purpose, your approach will depend on the specifics of your business model and the people you serve. But here are some overarching themes:

• You want your purpose to permeate every aspect of your brand, internally and externally.
• You don’t always need to hammer home your brand purpose at every turn. It can be subtle or amplified. The direction will depend on the nature of your business.
• Make sure your brand purpose comes with a unique perspective and clearly stands for something.

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A brand purpose is your reason for being. We all need one. It gives a deeper sense of meaning to everything you do and makes the day-to-day challenges of running a business worth it. Develop it and take your brand to the next level.

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Quote 💁‍♀️

“Brand purpose represents your reason for being and what you stand for above all else. It’s often referred to as your North Star or your Noble Purpose.”

— Raphael Bemporad, founding partner of BBMG, the branding firm behind the report Brand Purpose in Divided Times.

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Takeaways 📝

🎖 Brand purpose is the reason your brand exists.

🥇 Defining your brand purpose should be the very first thing you do before anything.

🛍 How you market your brand purpose will depend on the nature of your business: craft a strategy that makes the most sense for your brand.

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In case you missed it, check out the top 5 things to avoid when building a brand.