Nobody Cares About Your Brand Until You Give Them a Reason To
Let’s be real: people don’t care about your brand or product. Not right away. It’s not personal, they just care about their own lives – their needs, their wants, their problems. The question isn’t how we get them to notice. It’s what makes your brand matter to them.
Brand engagement isn’t about shouting louder than everyone else. It’s about connecting in ways that feel relevant and worth their time. Think about it, when was the last time a brand actually caught your attention, not because of some over-the-top stunt, but because it made you feel something or solved a real problem? Those are the moments that resonate. The best brands know this: they stop pushing products and start putting people first. They create rewarding experiences, build community through co-creation and participation, share relatable stories, and surprise their audience. It’s not about forcing attention; it’s about earning it.
So, let me ask you: what’s the reason someone should care about your startup brand? What’s in it for them? Too often, brands are so focused on what they want to say that they forget to think about what we want to hear. Relevance starts with empathy, truly understanding what your audience needs and feels at any given moment.
‘You’ve only got a couple of seconds to grab their attention, maybe less.’
Here’s the hard part: you’ve only got a couple of seconds to grab their attention, maybe less. If your brand engagement is cluttered, complicated, or requires too much effort, you’ve already lost them. Keeping it simple, clear, and human isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the only way to earn attention in a world where nobody owes you even a second glance.
And don’t underestimate the power of surprise. People are numb to formulaic, forgettable campaigns that feel like the marketing equivalent of elevator music. To break through, you need to do something unexpected. It doesn’t have to be outrageous. Perhaps an entertaining twist, something fresh and unforced, can be enough to grab attention and engage.
Here’s how I like to frame it: do the brand interactions matter to your audience? Do they add value? Are they entertaining and participatory? If the answer is no, then why would anyone care? The most successful brands make people feel seen. They don’t just join the conversation, they co-create it by building community through real, human connections.
The most successful brands make people feel seen.
Ultimately, effective brand engagement is about discipline. Cut the fluff. Focus on what matters to your audience. Surprise them. Make it worth their time. And above all, remember, it’s not about you. It’s about them. So, how will you make them care?
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