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ISSUE 782 - OCTOBER 24, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 1: INTRODUCTION Branding your business is not the process of creating a cool logo and printing it on everything. A brand represents your vision, your values, and the over-all perception of your business. It’s your promise to your customers. It’s the honest identity that you portray to the outside world. People can see through gloss and charm. Have a true heart-to-heart with yourself when creating your brand. A good brand distinguishes you from the competition, creates customer loyalty, and increases the worth of the company. It is the heart of your business. A brand that has local and/or global recognition is one of the most valuable assets a company owns, whether you’re a big name or a small business. Brands don’t need to be known globally to be successful. If you own the local drycleaners, you only need to be a household name to the people in your community. Is your product the low-cost option with high-value? Or the expensive option with high-quality? Don’t try to be all things to all people. Figure out who your target audience it, and serve their needs. A successful brand has to be consistent – Not only in your signage, website, social media, online advertising, and printed materials, but also in communication, customer experience, and business personality. Where you advertise and what you communicate visually and verbally are also part of your brand strategy. Brand loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process of consistency and creativity to present your brand with integrity over and over and to prove yourself to your customers. That’s when you receive long-term relationships with customers. 5 people tell 5 people who tell 5 people…and before you know it, you have a following. Your brand is not just recognizable, it is respected and loved. Very successful brands create almost a cult following. There are people who only drive BMW’s, only wear Levi’s, only drink Pepsi, and will only buy Apple products. Why? People trust a name they know; they feel “hip” in a known brand; they have a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Rolex can charge more for their watches than a no-brand watch of equal quality because their brand represents prestige. If you wear a Rolex, people will assume you are rich, smart, successful, desirable and powerful. A local example would be that people will pay $80 for a Denver Broncos shirt that may have cost $5 to produce. They are buying a lifestyle, and a guarantee that thousands of people they don’t even know will treat them like family. People buy items because of emotion. Nike gets star athletes to wear their shoes, and customers transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. According to Fox Business, what not to do: Throw together a quick logo with clipart, rush to get your website up by programmers who have no design skills and are using canned templates, hire cheap employees to do core functions such as customer service, pick generic business card templates with little thought, and run inconsistent advertising. Make your brand something people can be loyal to. Consistent quality from you, brings loyalty from them. ISSUE 783 - OCTOBER 31, 2016 BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 2: RESEARCH YOUR COMPETITION The key to building a business is to be more successful than your competition, right? That sounds harsh, but the truth is that you must be better than your competition or customers will go somewhere else. The goal is to differentiate your business so that customers choose you. In order to succeed in this highly competitive world, you must know who your competitors are, know their strengths and know their weaknesses. What are your top competitors doing in terms of their website design and how do they present themselves to the world? What products or services do they offer? Are you better, faster, cheaper or have more variety than them? Look for some commonalities, and then identify where you can innovate and differentiate your business. Make your business stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to keep your business successful is by continually measuring and comparing its performance against your competitors. This is known as benchmarking. The aspects usually measured are quality, time and cost (better, faster, cheaper). Glean the best ideas from your top 10 competitors, and implement them in your business. Then glean the worst mistakes your top 10 competitors have made, and don’t repeat their mistakes. It would be silly to start from scratch and not take advantage of the tremendous amount of business successes and failures that are represented on the internet. Google search to find the top names in your industry. Know their websites, their products, and their message. Websites of your competitors are great places to gather all types of important information from product lines or services, pricing, history of the company, bios of the staff, etc. Check out their company reviews on Yelp and CitySearch. Compliments and criticisms of your competition are invaluable to you. Glean information from their Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to see their message and their advertising to consumers. Keep up with their new product releases or new services and what events they are attending or hosting. Attending industry trade shows, exhibitions, and conferences are great ways to get to know the competition. Visit their booth and gather verbal information and brochures. Note what types of people are visiting their booth so you can get an idea of who your target audience is. Talk to your competitors. Be friendly - they're competitors not enemies. Besides, you may benefit from having a relationship in the future -- for example in collaborating to grow a new market for a new product. Joining industry associations, and joining Facebook and LinkedIn Groups are great ways to learn about who your competitors are and what they're offering. These groups have forums where competitors actually share ideas and stories of accomplishments and failures. Speaking to your customers is one of the best and cheapest ways of gathering real information on the competition. Ask what they liked and didn’t like about them, and why they were now coming to your business. If you gather enough of these types of stories, you will begin to get a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t in your business niche. The more you know about how your competition is being successful or how it is failing, the better you can mold your business to meet your customers’ needs. Keeping tabs on your competition is a great strategy for growing your business. The idea is to win (not steal) customers away from your competitors, and you can only do that if you meet customer needs better, faster or cheaper than your competitors. ISSUE 784 - NOVEMBER 7, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 3: DETERMINE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE You can’t be everything to everyone. To effectively build your brand, you must first determine the targeted audience that will purchase your product or service, and then tailor your marketing to reach them. Get specific. Figure out detailed behaviors and lifestyle of your consumers. For example, your target may be tech savvy millennials, moms working from home, or even specific groups like Italian ping pong players who love pizza. It is imperative to know your audience – the people who will be buying your product or service. And then make your brand identity something that they can understand and relate to.
You wouldn’t market skateboards to the elderly, nor would you market walkers to millennials, right? What does your target audience need to be happy? Finding this information is actually not very difficult. Read the newspaper, flip through some magazines, watch television, and visit places where people socialize: bars, performances…etc. Which media platforms do they prefer? – Then check those media platforms for patterns in behaviors. Likes and dislikes. Even a small survey carried out within your own company can provide relevant information. If you don’t know who your target audience could be, analyze your current audience. Make a list of people interested in your product or service already and then list their likes, dislikes, location, age, income level, needs, etc. If you don’t have current customers to analyze, research your competition’s customers. Check out the About Us and Products / Services page on their websites and figure out who they are and how they project themselves. Create a Target Audience Definition Statement. This statement should connect together these three things:
“[Your Business Name] created [Your Product or Service] for [Your Target Audience] so they can [Your Product’s Purpose].” “[Websites by Robyn] created [quality websites] for [small businesses] so they can [afford to have a professional website on the internet].” Everyone knows the movie line “If you build it, they will come”. Marketing your product or service is exactly like that. Find out what your audience needs, create it, market to that target audience, and they will become your customers. It is important to revisit the process of defining your target audience every few years. For example, who knew platform shoes would come back for the younger generation? Millennials love wine tasting…and that used to just be for wine snobs! Check your “target audience list” in a few years to see which groups of people may be popping into your radar. ISSUE 785 - NOVEMBER 14, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 4: DETERMINING YOUR BRAND QUALITIES According to Forbes Magazine, in order to make your brand successful, you must have these characteristics: Audience Knowledge, Uniqueness, Passion, Consistency, Competitiveness, Exposure, and Leadership. But before you can apply those characteristics, you must know your Brand Qualities – what makes your brand better than other brands that offer the same type of thing? Delve down deep and figure out what your product or service offers, that no one else is offering. Focus on the qualities and benefits that make your company unique. Give your target audience a reason to choose your brand over another. Start by defining your brand. List your brand’s unique attributes. What is it you wish to achieve and how can your brand help you attain it? What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? It could be better customer service, better return policies, easier ordering, nicer employees, etc. There will always be brands with bigger budgets to purchase advertising. Don’t get discouraged. There are always customers who will choose your brand over theirs because of “something”. Your job is to figure out what that “something” is. Is it bigger, better, faster, less expensive, more functional, more flexible, more colorful, more anything than its competitors? Does your brand give people security, pleasure, or a lifestyle? Do you meet deadlines and delivery dates? Do you follow up after delivery? Do you include extras, or go above and beyond the ordinary? Do you find ways to add value? Ask yourself these questions: Is your brand fun, serious, a cutting edge idea, a traditional idea, accessible and affordable, upscale, modern, high tech, classic, traditional, personal, friendly, corporate, professional, spontaneous, high energy, bold, helpful, innovative, healthy, rebellious, spiritual, dependable, adventurous, elegant, sassy, masculine, feminine, clever, helpful? Be brutally honest in your research. Don’t dress it up more than it is in order to raise expectations, because that will only result in broken promises. People know that “too good to be true” is usually just that. You want to present a brand that is spectacular, not unreal. Create trust with honest branding — be clear who your company is and be true to the values that drive it every day. Aim to build long-term relationships with your customers. Your brand should have a “hook”. Your hook is the essence of your branding, that aspect of your product or service that you know is a sure shot. Your brand should feel authentic and genuine. It should have a clear message and it should be true to that message. Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes and live them every day they come to work. Your brand is only as good as its weakest link. If shipping misses a deadline, if the receptionist is rude, if quality control slacks off….all of this reflects on your brand. Unhappy customers will not come back, and they will warn others. Your brand qualities MUST be upheld. What if the Red Cross stopped helping people in need? What if Ikea stopped being affordable? What if Burger King didn’t let you “have it your way”? Consistency with your brand’s message is critical. Be positive and confident in your brand’s value! ISSUE 786 - NOVEMBER 21, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 5: CREATING YOUR BRAND'S BUSINESS VOICE Creating a "voice" for your company reflects your brand personality. This “voice” should be expressed in all business communications and advertising (online and offline). Is your brand friendly? Is it sassy? Is it ritzy? Is it controversial? Is it nostalgic? Speak to your customers with a consistent “tone of voice”, whether you are creating advertising, a voicemail message, a video, or speaking to a customer at the cash register. Voice actor Tom Bodett ends the Motel 6 commercials with “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we’ll leave the light on for you.” This gives you an old fashion warmth as if Dad will personally be waiting for you to show up, take your luggage upstairs, and tuck you in. Tom doesn’t own Motel 6, he’s a voice actor. And they don’t literally “leave the light on for you”. His tone of voice is warm and his words are comforting. This is a perfect “business voice” for a business that offers sleeping accommodations. Notice that the “voice” isn’t just the sound of his voice – it’s his attitude and the words he says that gives meaning to the “voice”. A “rebellious voice” would work great for Harley Davidson, Red Bull, or World Wrestling Entertainment. An “adventure voice” would be great for the Discovery Channel or Jeep. FedEx would be corporate, reliable and technical. Coach, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dolce & Gabbana would be upper class, glamorous, and trendy. Your particular voice is dependent on your mission, audience, and industry. It’s how you communicate with your customers, and how they respond to you. Choose a brand voice that makes sense and resonates with your target customers. Your business “voice” will reinforce the business’ character so customers are aware of exactly what to expect from the product or service. Your business “voice” is the set of operating principles or values that guide behaviors and decisions within the company. With these foundational elements in place, you clearly outline the personality traits of your brand so that you can develop your products, identity, and communications. Take each of the brand personality elements, and build everything you do upon that “voice” so you keep everything about your brand cohesive and connected. Develop your business culture…and then do all of your hiring with this culture in mind. Miller Ingenuity CEO, Steve Blue, points out in his book “The Ten Million Dollar Employee” that it only takes one customer’s bad experience with one bad employee to sabotage a multimillion-dollar investment. Branding isn’t just about your advertising. Your team must exude your brand “voice”, from your CEO, to your accounting department, to the kid at the cash register. Don’t try to mimic the look of chains or big brands. Try and carve out your own distinctive identity. Customers aren’t looking for another cookie-cutter company who offers the same thing as everyone else. They are looking for an experience tailored to their needs, backed by genuine personal interaction. Make your personality stand out in every aspect of your brand building. Be consistent with your brand personality across all points of contact, whether online, offline or in-person. What distinguishes brands from each other is their unique “voice” – the tone and mood that directs how they act and interact. Developing a distinct brand voice is key in building brand awareness. ISSUE 787 - NOVEMBER 28, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 6: CREATING YOUR BRAND'S MISSION STATEMENT A mission statement defines your business’ purpose for existing. It will mold every other aspect of your brand building. Create a clear expression of what your company is most passionate about. The Starbucks Mission Statement: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” “Honest Tea seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our products, with sustainability and great taste for all.” Procter and Gamble’s Mission Statement starts out great, but ends a bit self-serving. Of course, you want to create sales and profit for yourselves, your employees and your stock shareholders. But in my opinion, to show true integrity in your product or service, your financial success is the natural outcome of providing a product or service your customers love. Procter and Gamble’s Mission Statement: "We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world's consumers. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit, and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders, and the communities in which we live and work to prosper." “Sweetgreen is a destination for delicious food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values. We source local and organic ingredients from farmers we know and partners we trust, supporting our communities and creating meaningful relationships with those around us. We exist to create experiences where passion and purpose come together.” We all know the Nike tagline: “Just Do It.” But do you know their mission statement? Nike’s mission is: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. They focus on all types of athletes using Nike products to be their best self. Nike goes even further with their mission, by adding a footnote to the statement: “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. Think about how wide their target audience becomes with a disclaimer like that! Remember though, Nike has been around for decades and has spent millions on advertising in order to risk tackling a target audience that big. Start small with your branding, and remember to focus on your target niche audience first. With time, your brand loyalty may grow enough to expand your reach. The IKEA mission statement is “to create a better everyday life for the many people. We make this possible by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home-furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.” You can be as serious or quirky as you like. Speaking of quirky, this mission statement from Warby Parker Eyewear uses words that reflect a young and daring personality: "rebellious," "revolutionary," "socially-conscious." In one sentence, they take us back to the root of why they were founded while also revealing their vision for a better future. “Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially-conscious businesses.” To write your own Mission Statement, begin by clearly defining why you started your business in the first place. Give this careful thought. When you are able to nail down one to three sentences that describes exactly what your vision is for your product or service to provide to the world around you, you’ve got a Mission Statement that is truly from your heart. It will be amazing to you how defining your Mission Statement will help mold everything about the way you run your business. ISSUE 788 - DECEMBER 5, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 7: WHAT IS YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH? Have you ever asked someone about their business and had them hem and haw, stumble through a vague, incoherent description, or take 10 minutes to explain it…..leaving you wishing you had never asked? A skill that every business person should have is to explain precisely, efficiently and clearly what their business is all about and be able to sum it up in 1 minute or less. Tell all the highlights, and leave their interest peaked. This is called an “Elevator Pitch” – a story that you can tell someone in the time it takes for an elevator to go up 4 floors. When it comes to crafting a compelling story, use your consistent “voice” that you created for your brand. You want your “Elevator Pitch” to sound sincere, not meditated and memorized, so practice it in front of your family until it feels like second nature and flows with your personality. Tweak your pitch with different highlights so that you are not repeating the same message every time. Sound excited about what you are saying, and others will get excited too. Make sure you’ve got something interesting, relevant, and memorable to say. People love brands that don’t simply offer a product, but can weave it into a story. Storytelling in branding invites potential customers to imagine themselves as part of the story of the brand. Creating an “Elevator Pitch” gives you an opportunity to deliver a short and sweet summary of your brand, and make a direct emotional connection with potential customers. What you say should be clear and strike an emotional chord with the person you are talking to. Don’t just address what your product can do…but why it is important to your customer. A successful pitch is where the other person relaxes and says “Interesting. Tell me more.” Depending on the person you are speaking with, you can craft your story so that particular person can resonate with it best. You may create a different pitch depending on the demographic of your audience. One great way to do this is “The 3-Step Story”. 1. Mention a problem that many people face. 2. Explain the pain people feel from that problem. 3. Show how your product or service solves the problem. Example: 1. You know how dark it is when you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom? 2. You get out of bed, slip on your slippers, and inadvertently run into a wall or step on the cat. 3. Well, I invented slippers that when you put them on, LED lights on the front of them automatically turn on and light your path to the bathroom. Another style would be like this example: “Have you ever bought your vitamins online?” (Wait for answer.) Well, Vitamins ‘R Us is the #1 national distributor for all vitamins online. We sell all the top brands for 30% off retail store prices. And better yet, the shipping is free.” One more word of advice. Know your business. There’s nothing worse than hearing a fabulous elevator pitch, then asking a question, just to find that they were just reciting lines and actually know nothing about the business. ISSUE 789 - DECEMBER 12, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 8: CREATING YOUR LOGO STEP #1 The most important part of brand building is the creation of your company logo. This graphic will appear on everything that relates to your business. It will become your calling card, and the visual recognition of your company. Be willing to invest the time and money to create something exceptional. How much you are willing to spend is an important question that must be a part of your strategy. Hire a professional designer or creative agency with branding and identity design experience to help you create your logo. It is one of those foundational expenses that will pay off huge in the end so don’t get cheap when it comes to creating your company logo. A designer’s expertise will ensure that you get a unique and timeless logo for your business. They can develop your brand guidelines and ensuring consistency for future applications of your logo and colors. They will create your logo horizontally, vertically, with dark and light backgrounds, sized for businesses cards all the way up to building signage, in black and white for newsprint ads, and in high resolution for magazines and brochures. Get help. Branding isn’t easy. Don’t do anything all by yourself. Even if you are exceptionally gifted in design, writing, administrating and all other branding related tasks, give yourself room to rely on the experience and advice of others. Your brand can only benefit from this. Your brand needs a distinctive look in order to stand out and make a strong impression. Everything from the font to the colors to the style should be carefully considered. Find your brand’s visual identity and be consistent with it on all print and in all media. Be sure to share everything about your business with your designer. They should understand your competition, your target audience, and the benefits and qualities of your brand. They should know the “voice” of your brand. Is it light hearted, funny, warm, professional or sassy? Your mission statement and your elevator pitch (both described in earlier articles) are the personality of your logo. A designer’s job is to incorporate all of your business mojo into one single graphic. I’m sure Cousin Vinny or Uncle Ben can draw up a nice idea, but remember that your logo is the single most important graphic for your business. Hire a professional. There are many companies that have artists who will compete for your business. You set the budget between $250 and $800, describe your company details, and then 50 to 200 designers send you designs. Check out: www.99Designs.com www.DesignContest.com www.HatchWise.com www.LogoMyWay.com www.DesignCrowd.com www.LogoArena.com www.Freelancer.com/contest ISSUE 790 - DECEMBER 19, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 9: CREATING YOUR LOGO STEP #2 A great company logo is distinctive, appropriate, simple in form, and conveys your intended message. According to CreativeBloq.com, you must follow the basic principles of logo design:
Study logos of other brands and learn what makes them succeed. Figure out the story they tell. For example, the Nike Swoosh was created by Caroline Davidson in 1971 and it's a great example of a strong, memorable logo, being effective without color and easily scalable. Not only is it simple, fluid and fast but it also has related symbolism; it represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, which is a perfect icon for a sports apparel business. Study these great logos and find out what made them successful by finding out their story -- Shell, Volkswagen, the NBC Peacock, Rolling Stones tongue logo. Avoid clichés such as light bulbs for 'ideas' and globes for 'international'. Sometimes the first things to pop into one's head when brainstorming, are the ideas that need to be discarded. Your design needs to be unique not cliché. See many cliche logos here: www.gtgraphics.org/genericlogos.html Also, be sure your logo design is not just copied and tweaked from another company’s design. Although, this shouldn't have to be said, it happens too often. A designer sees an idea that he likes, does a flop and color swap, and then calls the idea his own. Not only is this unethical, illegal and downright stupid but you're also going to get caught sooner or later. Do not use stock or clip art either — the point of a logo is to be unique and original. If you feel your designers have borrowed too much of their design, doing a quick and simple internet search will show the truth. Simply go to www.tineye.com, upload the design, and tineye will show you if it appears anywhere else on the internet. ISSUE 791 - DECEMBER 26, 2016
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 10: CREATING YOUR BRAND TAGLINE A company logo is often paired with a short tagline that is a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of the brand. Taglines carry your brand identity and promise where your logo can’t go, like your e-mail messages, word ads, voicemail greetings, and other nonvisual communication channels. Can you name these brands by their taglines?
Anyone in advertising can tell you that creating a great brand tagline is no easy task. Creating a tagline is a powerful exercise that forces you to concisely determine what unique purpose you have for your customers. Advice in crafting your tagline:
According to TaglineGuru.com, the 12 elements of a great tagline are:
It’s actually incredibly difficult to express a complex emotional concept in just a few words - which is exactly what a “tagline” of “slogan” does. It would be a good idea to Google “Best Taglines” or check out TaglineGuru.com to read a ton of taglines to get the wheels in your head rolling. If you own a larger company and have a budget to work with, hire a professional such as Eric Swartz (The Tagline Guru). He’s been described as a master word slinger, linguistic craftsman, persuasive communicator, artful storyteller, real world rhetorician, and an ad guy who writes copy in his sleep. ISSUE 792 - JANUARY 2, 2017
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 11: BRAND INTEGRITY IS CONSISTENCY Brand building never stops. This is the new way to grab the attention of customers. People use and wear brand name items, not necessarily because they are a better product, but because they feel cool and in the “in-crowd” when they are seen with a top brand product. People are buying a lifestyle. Branding extends to every aspect of your business. Your branding includes your logo, tagline, colors, personality, how you answer your phones, what you and your salespeople wear, your e-mail signature, and everything about your business. Branding is not just stamping your logo on everything and calling it a day. According to Dan Einzig of the Mystery Agency, the future of branding is fluid and engaging — respect your customers' intelligence by not giving everything away up front. Generate some intrigue and allow them to unearth more about your brand for themselves. This is the way to foster ambassadors who revel in telling other people what they have discovered. Your brand should be visible and reflected in everything that your customer sees (and doesn’t see). If a client walks into your office, your brand should be on display both in the environment and with personal interactions. Anything tangible–from business cards, to advertisements, to packaging–needs the stamp of your logo. When you design your website: incorporate your voice, message, and personality into content. Profile pages for social media networks should be branded visually, and with your chosen voice for engagement. Be consistent. Think of your outreach as being interconnected, like a body. The brand is the brain. Public relations, advertising, marketing, and sales are all extensions of that brain, and they must be coordinated and aligned. Make posters for the employee break room reminding them of the attitude of your business. Have consistent meetings with new and current employees and make it fun to become a voice for the business. The copy, design and language your team uses must always be based off of the brand. If possible, don’t use multiple designers or multiple copywriters. Find people who capture the essence of your brand and use them. Branding is not something that you can do haphazardly, it needs to be reinforced on a regular basis. Create a design standards guide outlining how to most effectively use graphic elements, including logos, colors, fonts, and photography. Create templates for the “look” of all print items, outlining specific formats for stationary, cards, website design, merchandise, advertising, and online videos. When a Target commercial comes on, why do you know it’s a Target commercial within the first 2 seconds? They don’t even have to show their logo or peep a sound. We have been trained by Target to instinctively know that the style of their advertising is exclusive to their brand. How do they do this? Answer: consistency. Target consistently uses white backgrounds, bold outfits with white and red touches, and models looking straight into the camera. Their advertising screams target for more reasons than just the brand name on the page. ISSUE 793 - JANUARY 9, 2017
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PART 12: CREATING SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND RELATIONSHIPS Don’t expect your brand to become powerful and well-known if you only pursue one or two social media platforms. You have to reach your audience wherever they are. Whether you are ready or not, it’s imperative that your advertising dollars and time be spent on social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Google Plus are where your customers spend their time. Choose the networks that best support the personality of your brand. You need to give your brand a soul by creating meaningful conversations tailored to specific buyer profiles. The one-size-fits-all theory doesn’t work anymore. We don’t influence people, we interact with them. Qualities such as trustworthiness, transparency, and empathy make your brand relatable. No one wants to be convinced to buy something; they want a relationship with a brand that they can trust. Social media fosters personal interaction and allows people to connect quickly with your brand, but more importantly, allows them to exchange and share their experiences and emotions concerning your business. People trust their friend’s opinions. If you want to create a long-lasting connection with your potential customers, get them involved in the conversation! Engage your brand in social media and establish eye to eye contact between your brand you’re your customers. Marcel Molenaar pointed out during Europe’s leading branding conference OnBrand’16: “The brand is no longer a property that solely belongs to you. Other people give meaning and value to your brand”. Give your loyal customers a voice. Encourage them to post reviews, or share your content. What should you post? “Content was king” in 2016, and it’s moving over in 2017 and now “Video is king”. The amount of content is growing tremendously and consumers tend to look for ways to block off the streams of information we need to change our view on the way we create content. The plain truth is that customers like to watch videos, whether for entertainment or informational purposes, and where the customers go, you must follow. According to a recent study by Cisco, 80% of the world's Internet traffic will be video by 2019. Social media platforms are turning to video, virtual reality, and live video streaming technology. The brand that masters the art of video will create the strategy of visual storytelling that hooks customers into a love affair with their brand. It’s also very important to keep in mind that we are spending more time on mobile devices than we do on our TVs or laptops. A big reason for that is our video consumption. A recent survey revealed that of the 82% of Twitter users who say they watch videos on a regular basis, a staggering 90% of them do so on their mobile devices! And it’s not just 20-30 year-olds who are turning to their cell phones for everything. Smart branding marketers will go where their audience lives – on social media. Expect to reach your audience on-the-go in 2017 – they will be on their smart phones. That’s where they are spending more and more time reading, shopping, watching movies and videos, researching, etc. Because of Google’s mobile-friendly shift in 2015, brands desperate to hang onto their search engine rankings have been optimizing their websites for mobile devices. If you haven’t done this, you will be left in the dust. Google revealed that more than half of their searches are initiated on mobile, and we expect that percentage to climb as users spend more and more time with their noses in their smartphones. |
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