The Rebrand - Part 2: The Foundation
Jun 30, 2024
I’m going to share a psychological brand strategy that I used to lay down the bones of my rebrand.
This strategy is called: The 4 Basic Human Desires.
Once you learn it, you won’t be able to look at your brand or any company in the world in the same way.
And when you implement this strategy for your own brand, you’re going to see an uptick in sales, follows, website hits, newsletter subscribers…the list goes on and on.
Because it works by tapping into our base level desires.
Don't miss the video at the end where I break down:
- How Apple used this strategy to take over the world
- Full breakdown of how I used this strategy in my copywriting/Twitter profile banner/bio
Let’s get into it…
1) The 4 Basic Human Desires
- Health: improving your physical or mental well-being.
- Wealth: achieving financial stability and growth.
- Relationships: building deep personal or professional connections.
- Happiness: promoting joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, and I’d even throw in spirituality here, too.
Every single want or need you’ve ever had falls into one of these 4 buckets.
And that’s why this strategy works.
By honing in on 1-2 of The 4 Basic Human Desires, you’ll easily showcase what you have to offer.
2) Confusion kills
The key to great branding is clearly showing how you can help people.
“We'll help you improve your [insert basic human desire]”.
It needs to be obvious.
Because time is a form of currency. Possibly the greatest form of currency we possess.
People don’t want to spend their time on something that won’t help them.
And if they don’t understand how you can help them…bye bye.
Off they go. Onto the next.
Most new brands have terrible messaging, especially in the personal brand game.
My old branding was terrible. It said something to the effect of, “Writing | Psychology | Mindset | Random thoughts on walks”
Wtf does that give you, the viewer?
Why should you listen to what I have to say?
I was all over the place.
Why would someone spend their time on your brand if they don’t know what they’re getting out of it?
Be intentional about which desire your brand is about.
Your copywriting, branding, design, video scripts, newsletter articles, tweets, IG posts…all of it should be cohesively framed around your 1-2 Basic Human Desires.
If you sell anything, your offer should be rooted in language around a human desire.
If you have actual customers, that means your offer probably already is rooted in one of them because people are buying from you, but I’d urge you to think about how you can double down on it by making the desire abundantly clear in your messaging.
So what are mine?
If you read last week's article, you'll know that they are...
Happiness: help people find what they love doing and make content around it
Wealth: help people get to paid to do what they love doing by learning the skills of writing, video, branding, and monetizing.
But, that's a lot of words to describe what I'm here to help you do.
"Brevity is the soul of wit" - William Shakespeare
Yup, Billy Shake. Bet you didn't see that one coming 😉
3) less words → more impact
Through many iterations, I reduced my messaging around Happiness and Wealth to a simple 4 words:
be happy.
make bank.
Now, when someone pops over to any of my profiles or my website, it’s right there for them.
- be happy → “I probably could be happier, I really don’t love my job.”
- make bank → “I’d love to make more money to buy back some freedom”
"But how do I do those things?"
- By turning your interests into income without quitting your job to go “all-in”.
"Okay that sounds great, how do I do that though?"
- By Mastering All the 4 Elements of the Digital World: writing, video, branding, monetizing
“i’m in. where do i sign up?”
See how it’s almost like a funnel from wide to specific?
be happy. make bank. → interests into income → Master All 4 Elements
It casts a wide net by using the base level of the 4 Basic Human Desires, and then offers a plan to make those desires come true.
Action Items
- Target 1-2 Desires: Choose one or two of the four desires that align with your brand’s mission. Don't try to cover all four at once, because…
- Confusion kills: Make the desires clear and obvious in all your communications. From your profile bio to your website copy, make it unmistakable what you offer.
- Use less words for more impact: Simplify your message. Less is more. Aim for brevity and clarity to ensure your audience immediately understands your what you can give them.
By aligning your brand with The 4 Basic Human Desires and making your message clear and concise, you’ll create a deep connection with your existing audience, and also reach way more people.
Stay tuned for the final part of The Rebrand series, where we tackle the iconic black/white/rainbow colorway.
See you next week :)
-Ryan Ward
