Branding

Branding 101

PHASE 1: CREATE A STRATEGY

A well-defined and executed brand strategy affects all aspects of a business and is directly connected to consumer needs, emotions, and competitive environments. It’s the combined components of your company’s character that make it identifiable. The biggest misconception about brand strategy: Your brand is not your product, your logo, your website, or your name. In fact, your brand is much more than that — it’s the stuff that feels intangible.

Many marketers consider branding as more of an art and less of a science, we’ve broken down seven essential components of a comprehensive brand strategy that will help keep your company around for ages.

Purpose functional vs intentional:

Functional

This concept focuses on the evaluations of success in terms of immediate and commercial reasons — i.e. the purpose of the business is to make money.

Intentional:

This concept focuses on success as it relates to the ability to make money and do good in the world.

Consistency:
The key to consistency is to avoid talking about things that don’t relate to or enhance your brand.

Emotion

People have a basic psychological need to feel closely connected to others, and that caring, affectionate bonds from close relationships are a major part of human behavior.

Flexibility
In this Hyperconnected world, marketers must remain flexible to stay relevant.

Employee Involvement
equally important for your employees to be well versed in the how they should be communicating with customers and representing the brand.

Loyalty
These customers have gone out their way to write about you, to tell their friends about you, and to act as your brand ambassadors.
Sometimes, just a thank you is all that’s needed. Other times, it’s better to go above and beyond.

Competitive Awareness
Take the competition as a challenge to improve your own strategy and create greater value in your overall brand
You are in the same business and going after the same customers, right? So watch what they do.
Sure, you probably sell a similar product or service as many other companies, but you’re in business because your brand is unique.

PHASE 2: DEVELOP THE CONTENT

No matter how effective technology platforms become in delivering content, people will flock to the same things that have always moved them. We are suckers for great stories —Marketing professionals know that no one can resist a good story, and they use it to their full advantage.

So, how can you create brand content that will move your audience without sounding like a self-centered salesperson? Look no further as we dive deep into content strategy below –

Informational Content: Provides information to educate and inform your target audience.
Different ways to create informational content –

Content to entertain
Content to educate
Content to inspire
Content to convert

Promotional Content: Promotes your company, brand, and individual products with the purpose of generating leads and sales.
Different types of promotional content –

Blogging
Video
Podcasting
Infographics
Email

PHASE 3: PROMOTE THE CONTENT

Facebook –

With Facebook Audience Network now reaching over 1 billion people every month, the social media platform is increasingly popular among marketers. It would be foolish to not take advantage of this platform to reach a desired targeted audience. Boosted posts are the easiest way on Facebook to promote your content.

Here’s why you should promote your content on Facebook:

Cost-per-click prices are low compared to other paid channels.
Targeting options let you reach many potential buyers.
Paid promotion expands the post’s organic reach.
Promotions are easy to set up and manage.

Twitter –

Understanding how to promote content on Twitter in a way that increases awareness and drives engagement isn’t as simple as it used to be. Organic reach on social media is gradually going extinct. It’s dropped on Facebook by over 50% in just two years and will more than likely face the same fate on networks like Twitter.

Track Engagement
Reach Out to Influencers
Use Twitter Ads & Paid Tactics
Develop A Posting Calendar
Format Tweets Correctly

Instagram –

Making sure that your feed stands out means understanding the platform’s best practices and evolving alongside Instagram itself. The visual space is becoming more and more crowded with brands fighting tooth and nail for more customers. As a result, it quite literally pays for brands to have as many tactics as possible to promote Instagram to their target audience.