Entering a new decade is an excellent time to take stock of your brand. In fact, every month, every year, it’s important for businesses to focus on creating a meaningful, lasting impact in consumers’ minds. How can you ensure it’s your business that potential clients think to contact, instead of your competitor’s?
The digital age has facilitated an influx of competitors because accessibility has become so easy. Start-ups and business owners can now achieve much greater visibility at a far lower cost than ever before, and without the need for professional skills or qualifications. Targeting potential clients online is now within everybody’s grasp because the digital culture has taught us how to market ourselves as individuals. It’s only a short step to knowing how to do it for our businesses.
For your business to stand out and become memorable in the minds of your audience, you need to go beyond basic aesthetics. Consumers increasingly choose brands with a clear purpose and values, good social consciousness and genuine authenticity. Successfully communicating these virtues depends on marrying a strong and consistent visual identity (the visual representation of your brand) with an effective ‘brand voice’ (how your brand speaks to your customers).
Building a strong, impactful brand isn’t a ‘set-and-forget’ function. It doesn’t happen overnight and what your target audience responds well to will evolve over time. Constant re-evaluation of your brand, its marketing strategy and materials will ensure you stay up-to-date and relevant to your target audience.
Research has shown that consumers decide how they feel about a brand in under a second and it takes between 5 and 7 impressions to remember a brand. To refer to you, you need customers to remember your business when a conversation arises. How? By creating a powerful brand. If your business name and visual identity are strong and consistent, people will have greater recall.
Another way to generate brand awareness is to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Publish thought-provoking blog articles, share valuable content and post regularly on social platforms.
Successfully implementing a branding strategy that positions your brand as a leader within your industry will not only attract more customers but will attract more qualified and eager job candidates. If your business fosters a culture based on values and trust, where employees understand the brand’s mission, the result will be greater employee engagement, better customer service and loyal brand advocates.
Business owners mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking that rebranding is a band-aid for already occurring performance issues. Brand evaluation should be a proactive measure for businesses wanting to expand, take advantage of future opportunities and preemptively protect against new market challenges.
In the Shire, word of mouth is extremely important in building brand visibility and generating sales. When people spread the word about positive experiences they’ve had with Shire businesses, the result is not just credibility, but greater community spirit and increased prosperity.
What efforts are you making to keep your brand visible, up-to-date and top of mind with your target audience?
If you need help with branding, get in touch with Emily Olguin from Emroy Creative Group by clicking here.