7 Cracking Brand Strategies Everyone Should Know

Brand is so much more than design… it’s the perception of your company’s value in the eye of your customer. Don’t F#$k it up!

 

Digital marketing. Branding. Marketing strategies.

Every business, wants to be a Big “Brand”, but what does that mean?

Brand is one of the most common words used in marketing…

One important fact is that not everyone who uses the word brand understands its meaning.

Companies, who try to adopt branding strategies without understanding its value and true meaning, winds up failing miserably.

Branding is so much more than designing a logo and building a website.

What is Brand?

A brand is actually how the customers perceive your business, product or service.

Creating a successful brand is a slow and continuous process which demands a clear and complete understanding of your target market. It involves systematic and strategic planning and execution. Once you succeed in positioning your product or service as a brand in your customer’s mind, you need to start working on sustaining that position.

A good brand is considered one of the most valuable assets a company can have.

For example, when you think of soft drinks the first thing that comes to your mind is Pepsi Or Coca Cola, toothpaste means Crest or Colgate, that’s the power of branding.

Creating a brand is the ultimate way to reach your customers and build a long-term relationship with them.

What is Brand-Building?

Brand building is a process of generating awareness about your products or services.

This is achieved by using various digital marketing strategies and tactics including advertising, etc.

Effective brand strategies utilize digital marketing methods which help in the brand building includes:

• Designing a website to give the user a unique experience
• SEO and content marketing
• Marketing via social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Forums, etc.
• Paid Advertising
• E-mail Marketing

Together, these digital channels form a pathway to reach your target customers.
However, to build a brand, you need to work out an effective brand building strategy. Below we have discussed some of the most important Brand Strategies that would help you in establishing your business as a true brand in the mind of your customers.

1. Always Look for Long-term Relation With Your Customers

Earning consistent profits is the only thing that will make your business successful.

Your customers are the only source to earn those profits. A successful businessman will always aim at building a long-term relationship with the customers. In today’s competitive world retaining customer is much more difficult as compared to attracting new ones. Studies have proved that existing customers have more potential for buying your products and services as compared to new customers.

Moreover, one satisfied customer may bring 10 more new customers. Word of mouth is quite an effective way of marketing in both traditional as well as digital marketing. The best part it doesn’t involve any cost.

You should focus on retaining your existing customers. Once a customer fell in love with a brand, they get connected to it. You can nurture this bond by starting a loyalty program. You may even give discounts and offers to your loyal customers. Try sending emails or phone messages on your loyal customers birthdays and anniversaries. This would make them feel that you care about them and they would feel more connected to you.

2. Be Clear About Your Brand Objective

The very first step of building a brand is to have a clear Brand objective.

Laying an objective will give you an idea regarding what you want for your business. It would also help you to set a goal.  Once the objective and goals are set, you can plan your branding strategies accordingly. This will also give your employees a clear understanding of their role in achieving the laid objective. Having clear objectives would also help in customer retention. As your existing and loyal customers would be able to see your plans for the future and they can see the benefits of staying with you.

3. Build a Brand Message and Elevator Pitch

The main motto of building a brand is to make people aware of your product and services.

To reach your customers, you need to create a brand message. This 1-2 lined message should be intricately connected to your brand. It should tell people who you are, what makes your product/service unique and why should people care about you. A brand message should be simple, clear and easy to understand. It should give people a reason to connect to your brand emotionally. A brand message should be customer-centric and not product-centric.

4. Create a User-Friendly Website and Go Online

Owning a website forms a crucial part of Digital Marketing.

Your website would act as a direct connection between you and your customers. Design of your website should be informative, user-friendly and easy to navigate. Another important thing that should be given utmost priority while designing a business website is its ‘content.’ Make sure the content posted on the website is unique and relevant, Avoid posting irrelevant content on the website as it would not only break customer’s trust but would also have a direct effect on your ranking on search engines. Remember, designing a website is just the starting, to sustain your success you need to update your  website and post fresh content continuously. This would keep your customer’s interested in your website.

5. The Power of Social Media

The most important and effective channel of brand building is Social Media.

In the past few years, it has become one of the most effective ways of reaching the existing as well as, potential customers. Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc. have brought buyers and sellers on the same platforms. It provides you space where your customers can contact you directly and vise a versa.  A step further, they have also created a platform where interested buyers can contact existing customers to ask them about their views regarding your products or services. Hence, you need to give special attention to social media channels. You should build up strategies to create a positive image of your brand among the users. This can be done by replying promptly to all your customer’s queries regarding your brand, etc.

6. Ask your customers for review

Digital marketing is quite transparent in nature as far as customers response is considered. Where positive reviews and feedback would get you more customers, one negative review would have a great impact on your business. In order to build a brand, it is important to consider customer reviews about your product and services. Taking customer feedback on a regular basis would help you identify the problems at the initial stage, and you can work to overcome those issues. This would not only help you in building a good quality product and give excellent service to your customer but would also deepen your bond with your customers. Customers always love businesses which listen to them and take issues raised by them seriously.

7. Communicate with Your Customers More Effectively

Communication plays a very important role in building and sustaining relations.

Listen to your customers. Take their feedback. You can communicate with your customer through, e-mail, social media channels, live chat, customer service centres, etc.

Brand building is a step by step process. Once a brand is established it can take your business to new heights.