In today’s business environment, blending in just won’t cut it. To be successful, you have to stand out. But what can you do today to change that?
The secret lies in branding.
Your brand is not just about color schemes and logos–yes, these are a part of it but your brand goes much deeper than that.
Read on for some branding tips that will get you noticed and bring more clients in.
1. Define Your Brand
The first step for success lies in defining your brand. Once you’ve done this you’ll set the foundation for an effective marketing strategy.
When defining your brand think beyond your products. Think about your target audience and where you can reach them–whether direct mail, social media, email, or all of the above.
You’ll also want to consider the user experience they are expecting. This will guide you in defining your brand.
2. Ask Your Customers For Feedback
Truth is you’re going to see yourself differently from the way your audience sees you. To find out exactly what they’re seeing, you should survey your customer base and have them tell you.
Maybe your views will be aligned, but maybe not. It’s also possible that all of your customers will say different things. If it’s consistent feedback, you’ll know you’ve achieved brand alignment.
Your customers are the ideal sounding board. Take their feedback and make any necessary changes to get closer to the way you see your company.
3. Use Your Logo to Build Brand Awareness
What’s the one thing the major brands have in common? Think Target and McDonalds. They’re recognizable simply from their logos. Target’s bullseye, McDonald’s golden arches. People see these and instantly know what the brand is.
You can become instantly recognizable within your industry by staying consistent. If you incorporate a certain color scheme or your logo into everything you do, eventually, consumers in your niche will know it’s you…simply at a glance.
4. Design with the Long-Term in Mind
When you design your logo, make sure it will stand the test of time. Your logo and business brand is not the place for trends.
If something isn’t going to hold up in 5-10 years, do yourself a favor and nix it in favor of something more lasting.
5. Use Brand Awareness Strategies
To really get your brand out there you need to spread the word. Be in every place your target audience is. Whether Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and more, you want to make sure they see you.
Attend trade shows and give out swag with your logo on it. You can also send out branded packaging. Visit this website to see some cool packing tape branding ideas you could use to really get noticed by your prospects.
6. Be Clear About What You Do
Have you ever visited a website and had no idea what the company did? Maybe they were trying to be too clever with their taglines or they were using inside lingo you didn’t understand.
The lesson here is to say it simply. Just way what you do. People won’t want to decipher your brand they want to be able to glance at your content and know exactly what it is that you can do for them.
Seeing as how you have mere seconds to make a great first impression, getting straight to the point matters.
7. Consider the “Why”
To get really clear on your message and what you do, do as Simon Sinek says and ask yourself “why.”
Why do you sell the product or service that you sell? Keep in mind Sinek’s wise words “people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”
8. Get Really Good at Social Media
Social media isn’t just a place for college students to converse anymore. It’s a major strategy in the business world (for any business) and one that needs to be focused on.
If you want people to not just talk about you, but to refer you to their friends and colleagues easily, social media is the place to do it. Find influencers in your space and see if they’ll share your content with their audience. This could result in massive exposure for your brand.
Come up with a strategy and post regularly. Find out which channels your target audience is using, whether Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or other and start building your presence on that channel.
9. Don’t Forget the Power of SEO
When people search for products or services related to yours, are you showing up on the first page of Google? If not, you’re missing major exposure.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for getting your name in front of people who never knew you existed. Optimize your content with keywords that are most associated with your brand.
Use these keywords naturally in your content. You can also build backlinks by guest blogging for publications in your industry.
10. Blog Regularly
In addition to guest blogging, you want to make sure you’re updating your company’s blog regularly.
Mix up the topics you provide and make sure you’re releasing high-quality, relevant content for your audience. Stay up to date on industry trends and share those with your audience as well. Doing so will establish you as a thought leader in your industry and help build trust with the community.
Start Applying These Branding Tips in Your Business
Building an effective brand doesn’t happen overnight. It will take time to cut through the noise, but if you approach it with a strategy and a clear definition of your brand, you will start to set yourself apart from the competition. Follow these branding tips to get there quicker.
Ready to learn more? Check out the rest of our blog site for other tips for businesses.