Not every business turns into a brand. When people don’t come to you directly, search your name online, or chat about you, then you’re still just a business, not a brand.
A business morphs into a brand when people actually look for you, already knowing what your product or service will look like, sound like, or feel like. It’s when they can vibe with its identity—when they see it as a buddy, a partner, a community, or a culture. That’s what defines a brand.
Embarking on a new business venture often comes with the understanding that achieving brand status requires time and resources. Consider Apple and Nike, for example. They were just your everyday businesses when they started. But with some killer branding strategies, they climbed to the top of their game and won over a whole lot of hearts.
You might think it’s a long shot to be like these big-name brands, but we’ve got a secret for you. These companies didn’t just stumble upon customer loyalty. Nope, they used some smart moves to make their brand identities rock solid. So, let’s dive into some of the tips and tricks they used to make it happen.
1. Focus on The Smallest Viable Target Audience
Sure, it’s tempting to market to as many people as you can, but a small group of audience can actually bring you more benefits and results.
Here’s the deal: a tight-knit audience that’s genuinely into your product and your brand is more likely to buy again and spread the word to their friends and family. That’s some free PR and marketing coming your way, all thanks to this small, dedicated group. Plus, it’s way easier to reach a smaller pool of people, especially if you understand their personalities, worries, and wishes. And that’s where demographics and psychographics come in.
Demographics are usually the first thing people think about when defining their audience. But you can take it to the next level by also focusing on psychographics. We’re talking about dreams, aspirations, struggles, political views, and more – the stuff that goes deeper than demographics and can give you a better idea of how people might act.
Both demographics and psychographics offer you a window into who your smallest group of audience will be. And you’ll also have a clear picture on how to market your products to them.
2. Consistent and Visually Pleasing Brand Image
Nothing communicates your brand image better than visual content. This includes pictures, typography, color palettes, font hierarchy, logo design, videos, and more. While visuals alone don’t make a strong brand, they’re a great starting point to shape how your audience perceives you.
When it comes to logos, newbies shouldn’t rely solely on icons. For a budding business, using just an icon makes it tough to advertise your brand name and services – mainly because customers have no clue who you are yet. So, start with a wordmark or a combo of a wordmark and an icon. And when picking an icon, think about something unrelated to your product, like an apple (Apple Computers), a window (Microsoft), or a bull’s eye (Target). This way, you’ll have a better shot at standing out in your industry compared to choosing something more obvious.
For typography, select a typeface that reflects your brand’s personality. If you want to come across as luxurious, go for a serif typeface. If you’re after a modern, clean, and minimal vibe, a sans-serif typeface is perfect. Even more options are available such as decorative or stylistic typefaces for a wide variety of specific branding goals.
Every visual element you choose for your brand needs to be carefully curated to tell a cohesive and captivating story. If not, your target audience might feel disconnected from your brand. And an inconsistent brand just doesn’t seem trustworthy. So, make sure every color, font, image, and style is consistent across your website and social media posts.
3. Don’t Always Go After Direct Marketing, Maximize Brand Marketing Too
Loads of marketers tend to overlook the parts of marketing that aren’t easily quantifiable. They end up chasing only direct marketing strategies since things like CPM, CPE, and PPC can give you measurable returns on investment.
No doubt, that’s essential for short-term gains. But when it comes to the long haul, brand marketing has to carry its weight. It’s a separate marketing strategy that focuses on not selling but informing, connecting, and educating. This needs consideration too because if you’ve got a weak brand identity, you’ll always have to rely on Facebook Advertising and other paid channels to bring customers in. That’s why you need to mix in some brand marketing strategies, for example: content marketing, social media content creation, seminars, and forums.
These approaches might not show results right away, but they do help spread the word about your brand and its underlying message, emotion, personality, and features to the folks you’re trying to reach.
If you give it time and your brand really clicks with your audience, they’ll start hunting you down, even if you’re not putting your products in their faces. So, don’t forget to work brand marketing into your master plan for long-term wins.
4. Create Tension and Offer a Solution to That Tension
In marketing terms, tension stems from the feeling of missing out or lacking something. If someone feels left behind because there’s a newer, better product that their peers are using, that creates a healthy tension for them to try this fresh brand.
Crafting tension is a smart marketing strategy because, without it, your target customers won’t feel the need to break their habits and patterns to risk buying your brand. If you’re new to the scene and there are established brands already, chances are your target market is using and has adapted to those brands well before you came along. So, to get them to buy your products, you need to generate a little tension for them to overcome.
Examples of tensions include situations like using a productivity tool they think is great, but their friends use a different one. They may want to share their tool, but can’t because most of their friends collaborate on another platform. They’ll have to try this new tool and find out what they’re missing – tension from FOMO (fear of missing out).
Another instance is a coffee product built around the idea that coffee is for people who take their time in the morning. Those who rush through their mornings won’t drink this coffee, but those who cherish their slow mornings will adore this brand. This creates tension between different groups of people.
Other tensions can relate to fear, concerns, distress, anticipation, and more.
5. Craft Authentic and Resonant Stories
Many businesses focus on spreading the word about their offerings, often resorting to direct selling or aggressive advertising like announcing discounts or urging customers to try their products. It’s rare to find brands that tell a story – a narrative with a character, a climax, and an ending. Why? Crafting such stories takes time and effort, and it’s much easier to simply make a statement about a product’s benefits.
However, if you want to excel in branding, you must find, create, and share compelling stories. Marketing through storytelling is a powerful way to show people that your brand isn’t just about selling things; it’s also about sharing something they might find interesting or relatable. Stories help dissolve the negative associations with advertising and marketing since people generally dislike being sold to. A well-crafted story that empathizes with and addresses their concerns might open them up to considering your brand.
6. Sell emotions, too
It’s true that you’re selling products or services, but most people buy them for the emotions they evoke. People don’t just buy a particular brand of watch because they need to tell the time – that need has long been met by various watches and technologies. They want to buy a specific brand of watch because it elevates their status, makes them feel attractive, serves as an investment, or brings them happiness.
So, when selling something, be sure to market not only the benefits and advantages of your product but also the underlying emotion that comes with its purchase.
By doing so, you’ll tap into deep desires that are an integral part of human nature. You’ll subliminally convey that while other watches may tell the time more effectively, none can evoke the same emotions as your brand.
When used correctly, the human emotion can yield substantial returns in the long run. Just be cautious, as people don’t want to feel manipulated or played with, especially when they’re vulnerable. If they sense they’re being exploited, the opposite of your intended outcome could happen. Instead of gaining devoted customers and brand loyalists, you may find your customer base dwindling.
Final Thoughts
A winning brand is built on authenticity. Now and forever, the key to gaining loyal customers lies in presenting a genuine identity that’s rooted in empathy and understanding. This is how businesses evolve into entities with personalities, ultimately transforming into brands.
When you establish a brand that people trust, they’re not only more likely to buy your products or services, but also to voluntarily share their experiences with neighbors, friends, and partners. This organic word-of-mouth promotion is a testament to a strong brand identity.
So, strive to create an authentic brand that resonates with your target audience. Take the time to weed out inauthentic strategies you might have, and replace them with an honest take on your market’s concerns, queries, challenges, dreams, and hopes. In doing so, you’ll enjoy the benefits of customer loyalty and the power of personal recommendations.
