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It’s one thing to have a great idea for a business, but building a brand is a whole other thing entirely. To get your great idea out there to the right people, you need good branding and there’s a lot that goes into it. Here’s what you need to know beyond the basics!
Photo by Anna Nekrashevich
Understanding Your Audience Beyond Demographics
It’s not enough to know the age, gender, and location of your target audience. You need to go deeper into their preferences, pain points and aspirations. Ask important questions to find out what are their values and what motivates them. This understanding will guide your branding efforts, and be sure that they resonate with your audience on a deeper level.
Consistency
Your brand should speak with one voice across all touchpoints, from your website to your social media, packaging and customer service. Consistency leads to both trust and familiarity, which makes it easier for customers to recognise and connect with your brand. If you’re new to branding then it’s so worth working with an experienced company to help you with the digital PR side of things. They can help you grow your brand as well as make sure it presents itself in the same way across all platforms.
Authenticity
We live in a world full of curated content and polished images so much so that it can be hard to work out what’s real. But authenticity helps you to stand out so be genuine in both your brand’s messaging and actions. Share behind-the-scenes shots of your process to help customers get an understanding of how you work, admit any mistakes that are made along the way, and show the human side of your brand. Share the journey, struggles, and triumphs that shaped your brand since a powerful story helps to create an emotional connection, turning your customers into loyal advocates of your brand.
Employee Brand Advocacy
Your employees are the face of your brand so encourage them to become genuine advocates of what you and they do by creating a positive work culture. You can do this by offering good training and empowering them to share their experiences authentically. Happy and engaged employees will naturally promote your brand both online and offline.
Sustainability
We’re all becoming more and more socially conscious, and consumers now expect brands to take a stand on important issues like sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Incorporate these values into your brand identity and demonstrate your commitment through actions, not just words. You can do this by carefully choosing your suppliers as well as the employees you hire, the materials you use, the processes you use and much more.
Building Partnerships and Collaborations
Collaborating with like-minded brands or influencers can help you to expand your reach and introduce your brand to new audiences too. Choose partnerships that work with your values and complement your brand image, this means creating mutually beneficial relationships where both you and the company or person you’re collaborating with come off well.
Great Customer Experience
Great customer experience is extremely powerful in a competitive market, so make sure that every interaction is seamless, personalised, and memorable. Hiring good staff and having the right software in place like reliable live chat and email ticketing systems can help you to achieve this.
Monitoring and Adapting
Building a brand is an ongoing process. Things change, so always be sure to monitor market trends, the feedback you get and your competitor activities regularly. Be willing to adapt and evolve your brand strategy to help you stay relevant and meet any changing needs of your audience over time.
Protecting Your Brand Assets
Intellectual property theft and brand infringement can be real threats in the digital age. Be sure to protect your brand assets (including things like logos, trademarks and content) through proper registration and enforcement measures. You’ll want to prepare for crises too, no brand is immune to crises, this could be a PR disaster or a product recall. A good crisis management plan that outlines your protocols and communication strategies can help mitigate damage to your brand’s reputation if this happens.
