This is part of an upcoming book by Joanne Z. Tan:“Brand Building for Leaders and Organizations”. Subscribers to the 10 Plus Brand Newsletter will get below market pricing, priority ordering, and sneak previews when the book is published.
To watch it as a 10-min video
To listen to it as a 10-min podcast
AI search is beginning to transform the relationship between brands and customers: Any customer can use AI to get reviews and opinions about any product or service from Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or other AI platforms.
And these AI tools are damn good at opining!
In the “old days,” search engines ranked results without offering opinions. That paradigm is changing. AI search results serve up opinions, lists of “pros and cons,” and other background information, whether asked or not by consumers.
From a brand’s point of view, on the other hand, although AI can automate tasks and create content, it does not create a unique brand voice based on a brand persona. AI can be a tool to amplify a brand voice, but never a substitute for it.
But it is exactly with an authentic and humanized brand voice, based on a powerful brand persona, that brand trust is developed.
Trust is the purpose for and result of brand building, as well as the way to build it. Trust is both the end and the means of a brand.
Interestingly, when people are overwhelmed with too many choices, they appreciate and trust opinions from those they trust – be it someone they respect, or an AI tool like ChatGPT (AI’s trustworthiness is completely beside the point). Their opinions simplify people’s decision-making (that is not to say that blindly following others’ opinions without critical thinking is a good thing for your own self interest.)
Having opinions is one thing, standing for something and expressing what you stand for is another. Even though the trend followers are saying that expressing opinions through your brand can be “rewarded” by AI search, as of now, for your brand’s long term health, opining along the line of your values, belief, vision, and services for your customers – a/k/a what your brand stands for – will distinguish your brand voice and earn your credibility and brand trust, now and in the future.
That’s why having a solid and unwavering brand persona is the foundation for expressing authentic brand messaging (or “opinions”), in your unique brand voice – unreplicatable by AI or anyone else. THAT will earn you trust, authority, and reputation (which Google calls “EAT”: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.)
At 10 Plus Brand, we use a proprietary process of “DNA Decoding” to unlock your brand essence, and maximize the impact of your brand persona. DNA Decoding is a multidisciplinary, deep dive into values, purpose, customers, market, business model, go to market (GTM), competitive analysis, brand positioning, brand strategy, etc., to create a vibrant brand persona for success in the AI age.
Your brand persona is your story. Having a strong and unique brand persona will help you gain traction in an ocean of chatbots and AI generated text and videos. It tells the world who you are, what you stand for, what is your unique value proposition (UVP), and what makes your organization special.
AI is supposed to free humans from machine-like work, so humans can connect more with humans, and become more creative. People connect with and trust authentic (even though imperfect) human beings. The same applies to business brands.
In personal branding or business branding, the first step is being true to yourself, finding your true north as well as how to adhere to it, before iterating your business models, product-market fit, brand positioning, GTM brand strategy, and everything else that follows (such as content strategy, website design, SEO, content creation, etc.)
Your true north consists of your vision, mission, goals, values, belief, and passion. What makes you that unique you. What fires you up. Your whys. Get in touch with the core of yourself, cherish it, and own your power. That will be the beginning of differentiating your brand – personal or business – from your competitive landscape.
When you follow your true north and stay true to yourself, you can develop authentic relationships with your customers, by offering solutions to their pain points. You further deepen that relationship by relentlessly striving to the next level of products, services, and customer experience that lead to brand loyalty.
Who are your customers? Identify them and ensure that your brand messaging resonates. Be clear about organizational values, how they align with your customers, and how your products, services, and customer experience reflect those values.
By nature, the human touch of authenticity, empathy, and trust is always the indispensable, decisive factor in customer conversion. AI tools like chatbots are just entryways to start a customer experience, even though AI can make vast improvements in efficiency and data-driven insights beyond human capacities, and it can be a “force multiplier” to identify new customers and meet the ongoing needs of existing ones.
Humanizing your business brand with a brand story that your customers can connect with, and creating high-quality content are more important than ever.
AI search is constantly on the hunt for new data. High quality beats high quantity in the race for attention. The more useful your content is to others, the more it will be promoted. Keeping humans at the heart of creating your brand messaging is how you grow a unique brand persona.
What is your message? Your message sums up the reasons your organization exists and what it wants to accomplish. It should highlight your values, purpose, and your brand promise which are the fundamentals for powerful brand messaging.
Focus on topics central to your brand and your customers’ needs, wants, dreams, and pain points. Become an authority by publishing articles and blogs, doing podcasts, and exploring other digital channels. All of these can boost your reputation and authority, to improve your position in search results.
Customers are increasingly wary of the ways brands use technology and how they collect data. Make it clear when customers are interacting with AI tools. Adopt ethical standards for data collection and use. These can become selling points to set your brand apart and increase trust.
What images come to mind? Begin thinking about images, objects, or ideas that epitomize the qualities of your brand. This exercise is designed to get your creative juices flowing and begin to create the themes, logos, taglines, authentic videos, and brand visuals that will stick with your audience and turn them into customers.
Finding your unique brand persona is the key to staying ahead of the AI tide. This article is just the tip of the iceberg about building brand persona, leveraging AI without losing the human touch, and navigating the emerging landscape of AI search.
As AI-assisted search is becoming prevalent, what sets your brand apart is your original messaging, unique voice, valuable points of view, and authentic and inspiring brand persona. Without a strong brand persona, you cannot create original and useful content to stand above the crowd.
If you would like to learn more about DNA decoding, building your brand, and staying ahead in the AI age, please contact us.
©Joanne Z. Tan all rights reserved.
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