Figuring out the optimum branding strategy for your business or enterprise can be very difficult to do on your own. There are many essential factors to keep in mind when approaching such a monumental task. Who is your target audience? What social media platforms will you target, and how consistent will you be? Branding is more than fancy logo design. A brand is a perception of a product. The focus of branding is securing that perception is optimum for your company. Even if you’re not actively marketing your brand, that perception will still exist, or worse, won’t exist at all, so it’s up to you to shape how you want people to feel.
What is the identity of your brand (mascot, logo)? In this article we are going to tackle some of these essentials in six of the best tips for building a cohesive brand.
1. Social Media Presence
Building a social media presence is crucial to building a successful brand in this day and age. More people are looking at social media than ever. Cross-platform promotion is vital to getting your business to as many eyeballs as possible. Publishing posts on a schedule is vital to building an audience on these platforms, which can be admittedly difficult. Having posts ready to go is a great way to counteract this. Once you have your accounts step up, it’s vital to stand out from the crowd, which leads us to our next point.
2. Unique Voice
What differentiates your brand from the myriad of other ones out there? What’s the unique angle you are taking? Try writing humorous social media posts, or post cryptically in a way that draws other people in. It’s not enough in this day and age to just post your products and hope for adoption. People need to be enticed, drawn into your brand. Finding a unique voice is beneficial in this regard. Instead of just selling your product, tell an engaging story in your posts. Stake your claim in your niche market, and stick with this tone of voice, to build familiarity with your customers.
3. Know Your Audience
Who are your customers? How do they speak to one another? What makes them tick? Who are the “low hanging fruit” in your demographic, the ones most likely to buy your product? These questions are all important, and answering them will push you that much closer to having a successful brand. One way of finding the answer is to follow potential buyers in your niche, see what their buying habits are, and what motivates them to buy.
4. Research the Competition
There are different types of competitors in marketing. Some are what’s known as direct competitors, who offer the same or similar product as you that services the same niche. Indirect competitors have a similar product but are servicing a different niche within your market. It’s important to figure out who these brands are, take bits and pieces from what makes them successful, and ditch the parts that make them fail.
5. Logo Design
Your logo or mascot is the very first thing consumers will interact with when they stumble upon your brand. It’s important to make sure its striking, unique and relevant to your product. You also must use this logo across all of your platforms, on your product, and on your websites, so it sticks in consumers’ minds and they associate it with your product.
6. Excellent Customer Service
People want to feel like they are interacting with a human when they purchase a product. Make sure to write personalized notes in your social media posts, and use a human, warm tone on a first name basis when interacting with customers. Building a two sided relationship with customers, as opposed to a one sided one, will keep them coming back for more. You could even go above and beyond, and add a personal touch by mailing them letters of appreciation for purchasing with custom printed envelopes.
Building a social media presence where you consistently post on a schedule, having a unique voice that tells a story or puts a unique spin on presentation, knowing who you customers are and what makes them tick, maintaining a consistent logo across all platforms, and adding a personal touch to customer service, will take your brand far. Developing a successful brand takes time, dedication, and planning. If you follow these tips, you will get there easier than without them. Best of luck on your branding journey!
Article Submitted By Community Writer
