This is my marketing motto: Consumers don’t buy what you sell, they buy what you believe in.

As simple as this sounds, this is our secret sauce.

When we started the process of looking for a brand name for our nutrition bars, we were looking for a name that had meaning and expressed why we started this nutrition company. Our bars are inspired by recipes from family and friends around the world. And, these recipes represent the traditions and joy of sitting around a dinner table with your loved ones. Simply enjoying good food, good company and good conversation. Without screens, just each other’s company and stories.

This is how we found the word “hygge” which we transformed into hůga to ease the pronunciation. Hygge is a danish word which roughly translates into English as “cozy moments”. Enjoying time with friends and loved ones.

This little word meant exactly what we believed in. Good food, good drinks, good time, good friends, and good conversation.

Our bars are packed with protein, fiber, quinoa, flaxseed, all natural, certified gluten free, non-gmo, kosher, no preservatives, and of course delicious –yet that’s not what we are selling.

Yes, our consumers want all that, but more importantly they want to know that we believe in. It’s not about the attributes or benefits, it’s about what you believe as a founder and as a company that will motivate people.

Tell your story

Many times founders are afraid to tell their stories and to make themselves and what they believe in, the protagonists of the message. This is the reason why content marketing has become so popular.

Obviously, social media is key to telling your story, tie your message around a content marketing strategy utilizing your web, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and lastly, work with a PR firm to amplify your message.

Don’t push the product

Since we launched Hůga, we’ve become obsessed with looking at other brands’ Instagram accounts. We have a set of brands that we constantly monitor on IG. Some good ones and some really bad ones. The good ones, we use as inspiration and the bad ones, as a filter of what we don’t want to look like. The bad ones are constantly showing off pictures of their products in all imaginable settings, making the product the protagonist of the message. And to cap it off, all they talk about on the ever more important caption, is the product specs or their weekly discount. No surprise why their engagement rates are very low.

Give your consumers something they would like to share with their friends. It must be something funny, something that helps them project that they’re smart or something that will help someone else.

Don’t be afraid to have the lead role in your messaging – yet more importantly, tell your consumers what you believe in, otherwise they won’t buy what you sell.