There are millions of brands out there, all vying for customers attention, so how do you keep yours from getting lost in the white noise?
1. Be prepared
Creating a great brand requires a huge amount of preparation & research. You will need to complete market research, competitive research, creative brainstorming, know your target audience thoroughly & go through multiple rounds of development before you get it right. While this process may be time & resources heavy, completing it properly & thoroughly is integral to success. Knowing exactly what your brand is & wants to achieve will stand you in good stead for the future & will immediately paint you as an authoritative & trustworthy organisation.
2. Get creative
In almost every areas of business, it’s likely there is someone out there selling a service or product that is almost identical to yours. This is why being original is so important to set yourself apart from the crowd. Relying on clichés or predictable sales talk will not only make your brand blend into the crowd but it may also come across as insincere. Instead, get creative with new ways of presenting & framing your product - the opportunities are endless.
3. Be sincere
People are more perceptive than you might think, & they will be able to tell if you’re not being honest with them or if your sole motivator is the bottom line. People invest in the personality of a brand, which is why it’s important to show your human side. For example, if you are conversing with customers via social media, it’s not enough to copy & paste a generic response, instead, you can engage customers by actually reading their comments & replying as you would to a friend.
4. Get your brand seen
You could have the best product & branding in the world, but it’s not going to mean anything if no one is exposed to it. For a brand to be utilised, it has to be seen & unfortunately, we can’t just sit there & wait for customers to come to us. Try to utilise a number of different marketing avenues in in both print & online media to see which advertising works best for your brand. This may require a rather large investment of time or money but trust us, the pay off will be worth it.
5. Foster a positive employee culture
Your employees are essentially the face of your brand so, in order for them to effectively represent the brand, they must be part of an office environment that accurately represents its values. For example, if you want your brand to be seen as fun, quirky & creative, that should be reflected in your office. No one is going to value your expertise in an area if it’s clear your brand doesn’t practise what it preaches.
6. Provide value
One thing that will always help a brand to stand out from the crowd is added value. Whether by offering a higher standard of customer service or better product knowledge than your competitors, customers will always choose a brand that represents value for money to them.
7. Stay consistent
If your brand has different logos or messaging spread across its advertising platforms, customers will probably get confused & therefore will not remember you as they don’t have a single image or tagline to connect to your business. Providing customers with a consistent experience of your brand will not only help them to remember you, but it will also inspire trust that you will deliver on the specific brand promise you are offering across all advertising platforms.
8. Be bold & innovative
The most successful brands are not afraid to take risks. Whether it be implementing new and cutting edge technology, or voicing their opinion on controversial issues. Indeed these actions may be polarizing, but, while they may distance some customers, they will also bring others in & likely create a loyal fan base for your brand.
9. Have a strong voice
The way you speak to your audience will largely depend on the information you collated in your initial market research, specifically who your target audience is. What is the best way of reaching this audience? How should you speak to them to promote engagement? It may be authoritative, chatty, witty or informative - whatever tone you settle on, stick with it. Your core clientele will come to recognise your particular voice & link it to your services.
10. Use personal brands
They may not be entirely necessary, but using personal brands as part of your advertising strategy can play an integral part in gaining the trust of potential consumers. Ever wondered why celebrities & influencers get paid so much to advertise brands through their personal social media accounts? It’s not just because of their massive following - although that does play a big part - it's because people trust people, faces, personalities & names much more than they trust brands or businesses. Think about it, you are much more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend than a salesperson.
If you want to know more about Branding & Marketing your business check out our easy to follow guides below;
