The business world is always evolving, whatever the industry. An engaging brand has always been important to the success of any company, but consumer wants and needs change with every passing year. What might have worked for your brand in 2017 might not work for it in 2019. As we’ll discuss in this article, you have to keep returning back to the drawing board if you want your brand to really captivate the modern consumer. Here are some smart branding suggestions for any business in 2019.
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Use design that demands attention.
As we’ll discuss in this article, there’s so much more to branding than imagery, but there’s a lot of importance to the way in which your business presents itself to the market. You should start by developing a logo, a brand name, and a slogan that are all instantly recognizable. The immediacy of your branding is vital to its success. And you should strive for simplicity if you want to create a bold yet powerful design. Take a look at Apple, McDonald’s, and Ferrari. These are three examples of international businesses that have risen to the top of their respective industries. They all have logos that are known across the world. You instantly attach the half-eaten apple, the huge M, and the horse to each of the aforementioned brands. These are iconic images.
Even if your business never reaches the heights of those international corporations, it should aim to create a logo which is known by the target market. Make sure your branding is present throughout all forms of marketing, documentation, emails, business cards, packaging, and products that you create. If your business creates anything for the world to see then it should include your logo and brand name somewhere. You need to get current and potential customers in your marketplace to remember the image that represents your business. Branding is about having a widespread presence but also a consistent presence, and as your business grows it becomes important to utilize Widen brand asset management, as it will ensure this consistency by making sure the brand is represented across all marketing channels correctly.
Focus on your company culture.
Another smart way to improve your business’ brand is to focus on your culture. We’ve talked about the importance of presenting your business well on the outside, but you also need to think about the way your business functions on the inside. A flashy logo and bold marketing slogan are both things that might turn heads, but customers will quickly lose interest in your business if it can’t deliver on its promises. If you promise friendly customer service but your employees are all unhelpful and uninspiring then people will quickly see through your inauthentic branding. You need to be genuine.
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If you want to be the most professional business in the game then make sure you have the most professional team in the game. If you want to deliver friendly customer service then make sure your workers are friendly. You need to treat your team as well as you want them to treat your customers, in other words. Reward them for their hard work, give them perks, and make the office a nice place in which to work. Treating your team well will create a good company culture, and that’ll reflect in your brand’s outward appearance. If you can put smiles on the faces of your employees then they’ll put smiles on the faces of your customers.
Make a good first impression.
It’s probably not news to you that first impressions are everything in life. That’s definitely the case when it comes to the world of business. If you want your brand to really make an impact on the market then you need to make sure that it’s perceived favorably from the get-go. Think about your entire branding campaign. Ask yourself whether every single piece of marketing portrays your business in a good light. Does your website have a powerful landing page? Are your business cards bold and eye-grabbing? Do your online adverts get to the point in a concise and intriguing manner? Tidy up any aspects of your branding campaign that are sub-par. Brand consistency is essential to your success.
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You might also want to think of creative ways to make a good first impression. It’s not just about making sure your brand is consistently “good” across the board. How are you going to make sure that your business stands out? That’s the question we’ve been trying to answer in this article. Maybe you could send handwritten letters to big clients as a way of thanking them. This personal touch would not only make a good first impression but leave a lasting impression on customers. In a digitally-oriented age, the handmade approach can really make all the difference. You could also reward customers with discounts and coupons after their first purchase, but we’ll discuss that later in the article.
Conduct regular market research.
If you want your brand to be perfect then you need to conduct regular market research. The most successful businesses in any industry are tailor-made to their audiences. They’ve separated themselves from the competition. They’ve become industry leaders because they portrayed themselves as industry leaders. You need to really know your audience, and that requires more than knowing the demographic you’re targeting. If you’re marketing your brand at younger people then do you know what young people want from a business based in your industry? Run polls and surveys on social media. Create a brand in the image of your target audience.
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You should really be aiming to find a gap in the market. By conducting sufficient market research, you might be able to spot issues facing your intended or existing customers. You need to find out what’s wrong with your company and rival companies in your industry. That way, you can start to develop a solution that really sets you apart from the crowd. If your business is going to make sure its brand stands out in 2019 then you need to be unique. But you shouldn’t be different for the sake of being different. You should be standing out in a way that makes you relevant to the modern marketplace.
Make a statement that matters.
In the modern age, brands need some substance so as to engage the modern market. Consumers don’t connect with brands that are the face of money-hungry corporations. Obviously, every business needs to make money, but your company needs to stand for more than that. As mentioned earlier in this article, a good company culture can help to engage the target market, but you should also aim to make a statement that matters. Show that your team cares about more than making a profit. Maybe you could donate some of your earnings to particular charities. This would impress the target market. It might increase your sales because customers will be happy to purchase goods in the knowledge that they’re helping other people. You might even want to seek help from a business such as Explore Inbound to help you spread awareness of your brand. If you stand for something that matters and have a story worth telling then you should be promoting it through all available channels.
Connect with customers through social media.
One of the smartest ways to improve your brand in the modern age is to connect with customers through social media. Not all modern businesses connect with customers face to face (especially if you’re based online), but social networks provide the perfect platform to build relationships with both existing clients and potential clients. If you want to project an enticing brand then you should have a social media team (even if it’s just one employee) on the job of talking to people online. Simply having social media pages isn’t enough. You have to use them if you want to increase your online presence.
Answering questions, posting stories, engaging with current trends, and simply having friendly chats are all examples of ways to make your brand more appealing in the eyes of customers. You might not be able to force your posts to go viral, but businesses with a strong social media presence tend to make bigger waves in their industries. You might even want to get help from social media influencers to advertise your brand. If you can get the help of social media gurus who already have big followings then this will drive more traffic to your business and build brand awareness.
Reward loyal customers.
We’ve talked a lot about creating a brand that resonates with the target market and building relationships with customers online, but one of the best ways to impress customers is to reward them for their loyalty. Your goal is to create a growing client base. You want customers to stick around; that’s how your business and its brand will grow and develop a reputation in the industry. The best way to achieve this is to thank customers for choosing you. Give them freebies, discounts, and loyalty cards with redeemable points. If you reward your customers then they’ll be more likely to return in the future. They’ll value your business because you value them. That’s how to create a powerful modern-day brand.
