There are many competitors out there regardless of which industry you are in. There are millions of businesses selling the same list of products or services. The question is, how do you set yourself apart from your competitors?
Think of how products like Panadol is associated with a painkiller or how Colgate is for toothpaste. How about Oprah, a personal brand that does not even need a last name, an icon for inspiration and self-help, the person who coined the ‘aha’ moment used all over the world. These are some of the examples of brand marketing done right.
Unlike ‘regular’ marketing, brand marketing is not focused on sales. It is a type of marketing whose end goal is to increase public awareness, and more importantly, focusing on building long-lasting relationships with your target audience.
Here are some steps for you to take to come up with a great brand marketing strategy:
1. Identify and understand your company’s vision and brand purpose
Create a list of features or characteristics that you want your brand to be known for. Think of the value that lies behind your brand and the vision you have moving forward. What is it that you want your brand to be known for? Describe it as if it were a person. Are you funny? Light-hearted? Your personality will determine your brand voice (the way you speak to your audience across all of your communications)
Without goals and brand mission, your brand marketing strategy will not be focused and may lack direction. It is important to know what you want to achieve in the long term.
Once you are able to pin down your vision, you will be able to come up with a brand marketing strategy that will communicate these characteristics to your target audience through various marketing channels.
2. Research your target audience
Create a buyer persona. A buyer persona is a comprehensive picture of your perfect buyer. It will help you create an emotional connection with your audience. When crafting a buyer persona, ask yourself these questions:
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How old (age range) is this person?
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Relationship status?
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Where do they live?
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What is their job? What do they do for fun?
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Educational background
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What was their last purchase and where did they last shop?
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What do they need from my product or service?
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If you already have existing customers or users, it’s time to poll them and find out who they are.
Answering these should help you get an idea of who you are aiming to communicate with your brand marketing efforts.
3. Brand Visual Identity
The next step is to come up with a visual identity that best expresses your vision.
Do some research in color psychology (the subconscious messages that different colors give off) and what different color combinations mean when they are paired together. This will help you determine which color is best to convey your brand vision effectively. People often need to recognize your brand through different sets of visual elements such as symbols, logos, typography, colors, packaging, etc.
4. Create an emotional connection with your customer
It is vital to establish an emotional connection with your customers. Provide the best service possible, care about your customer’s satisfaction and create brand marketing campaigns that will evoke emotions. Creating an emotional response is vital for your success and to establish brand loyalty.
5. Stay consistent
Invest in something that has longevity. You do not need to reinvent the wheel every time you want to come up with a new brand marketing strategy. In fact, doing so may cause more harm than good because inconsistency and extreme changes will likely confuse and alienate your customers.
The same goes for voice consistency across channels. Whether you are talking to your audience on social media, via a print ad or a video, you want to make sure your voice always sounds like your brand. You may have seen and heard your communications and messages hundreds of times, but your audience probably have not.
Case study – McDonalds
According to numerous studies, McDonald’s is one of the most recognized brands around the globe. Their brand marketing strategy relies heavily on brand consistency. Their golden arches logo is known everywhere and is instantly recognized and associated with feeling happy.
Even though they always face stiff competition from their rivals that stagnant their growth, overall they are still doing well. This success is due to an effective McDonald’s brand marketing strategy and understanding of changing consumer needs. They are very innovative in their offerings, taste, and supply chain network.
McDonald’s have kept their brand identity and product consistency for over 60 years while making thoughtful and on-brand improvements. Their logo has stayed relatively the same and the marketing taglines has endorsed the same message: we make you happy.
Brand marketing is an ever-evolving subject spanning many areas of expertise: business management, marketing, advertising, design, psychology, and others. The importance of brand marketing for your business’s success is undeniable. It is recommended to take care of it in the early stages of product/service development to build a brand that will be recognized by customers now & forever.
Hashtaqs provide branding and marketing advisory solutions by conducting a brand audit and diagnosis to understand the branding and marketing gaps in the business to meet your business objectives.
Hashtaqs uplifts business through brand transformation and marketing advisory and implementation online and offline, internationalisation through business matching and community development.
Our consultancy work is supportable with the funding scheme of up to 80% for local businesses. Contact us for a consultation at +65 8868 1418 or email us at [email protected]. For more info, visit www.hashtaqs.com.
