The importance of SMALL things

Thinking of small things and the importance they play in the big scheme of things has lead me here today. Take keys for example, they really are the epitome of the power such a small piece of metal (usually) holds in opening up the doors to a domain. Yes, I´m calling a house a domain.

Everything contained within your domain becomes accessible via a very tiny detailed cut plate of metal. This plate obeys to a shape that holds just the right amount of metal on just the right spots, to interact just the right way to produce the huge result that is maintaining safety, opening the possibility of access, and locking up the previous two, all summarized in something that fits any person´s hand palm, the holder of that small, such a small “thing”. One little bit of metal out of place, it will not work. One shaving too far, it will not work. — Makes one reconsider the importance of looking at a key as such a bearer of possibility in such a small amount of “somethingness”.

You see, to have a piece of information that holds so much detail in the exact right amount and combination, is what makes a key the ideal solution to open up a house´s door and grant access to that house. All of a house´s content is literally unlocked by the shape of one small otherwise insignificant piece of metal — just like branding.

Branding, like a key, is the process of opening up a door and creating access to a determined something as well. Like a key, it is crafted to a very specific opening, with a very well defined set of characteristics that will react to the key in a unique way, in order to achieve the desired access.

What branding does, is it creates keys for accessing the right kind of people (demographic), through a set number of ways (interactions), crafted to appeal to a very detailed someone (audience), to produce a desired result (build a connection). This process, usually called trust building, is more and more what business is built on today, more than ever so before. Building trusting connections plays a huge role in our very intrinsic nature, it´s the makeup of our evolution. We are hard wired to create distance with that or whom we cannot trust or see the possibility to do so. Conversely, when we think of making purchasing decisions, trust is ultimately what we base ourselves on to facilitate the rationalisation of why we buy what we buy, from who we buy. That´s what makes you prefer an iPhone to a better performing smaller more price efficient solution at the comm store.

So think about the ways you can build trust into your connections. Think about who will feel that connection with your business, make the extra effort to find out where they are and what they like. Insure you provide a positive memorable experience in doing so, for you will be remembered for it. Once you can do all the above, you will have created your very own key. You will have created your brand.

“A very little key will open a very heavy door.”
― Charles Dickens