It has never been easier to launch a brand in the market. If brands harness the power of social media strategically, they can reach their audience in huge numbers in a very less amount of time and money as compared to older times. With the advent of digital media, the sky is the limit.
But for articulating a successful brand-building strategy, there should be well-defined answers to questions like:
Why do this business and the brand exist in the first place?
Why should the customers care about your brand?
What’s the mission of the brand?
As Jeff Bezos once put it, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room”.
Since there have never been more brands in the market than there are today, the power lies with the consumers, and they are the brand ambassadors.
The brand today needs to lead conversations and discussions which are people-centric to increase brand engagement. People talking about the brand in the online and offline space is what builds a brand today. Starting from Investigative searches before buying or searching for any brand to Reviews of brands on e-commerce sites and social media etc forms the buying decisions of your consumers.
So, Brand Development strategy in the digital age is no longer about the Exposure of your brand among your target audience. It is about the experiences and interactions they have with your brand. The basic principle of social media for brands is to be able to curate content which is shareable and too focused on sellable. Shareable content is usually a useful, knowledgeable, or emotional piece of information which the consumers will remember your brand for.
But it’s an age where marketeers must be careful and need to attain a balance, to not neglect the fundamentals of brand strategy while capitalising on the exciting opportunities available on the new digital channels to engage with their customers.
A coherent strategy across all digital platforms and channels is important, as neglecting the same can lead to a fragmented brand message on ever-increasing channels and dilute brand equity. So, a blend of authentic and traditional brand strategy with new packaging which flows and flourishes in the digital world leading to engagements and positive conversations around the brand is the key. The brand story told by the customer is the best in today’s time.
Repackaged fundamental rules for branding in the Digital Era:
- Research and stand out from your competition in your marketing strategies. So, communicate clearly about what stands your brand apart and what is the USP of your brand.
- Live up to the expectations. Deliver what you promise.
- Emotional Connect. An authentic product which meets the demands and needs of the customer is important and is a good brand, but a customer will indulge in engagements and will stay loyal to a brand if there is an emotional connection.
- Coherent brand communication across all channels. A consistent message at every touch point will make the consumer remember your brand the right way.
- Understanding your Audience thoroughly and crafting the strategy in sync with their behavioural patterns will ensure the success of your branding campaign. Times have changed and today while making a buying decision customers go through many touch points and heavily rely on digital interactions, word of mouth, point of purchase environment etc. So, the research and understanding of CDJ (Consumer Decision Journey) plays a really important role and can be a deciding factor in your campaign’s success.
There are 4 stages of CDJ:
Selecting brands in 1st stage by – Inputs from peers, influencers/ Online product reviews.
Buying the brand.
Brand Experience, if enjoyable they will advocate.
If they bond with the brand emotionally, they will indulge in engagements and act as your brand ambassadors.
- Stay present on all the digital platforms and capitalise on them as per your research. It can be blogs, social media, news sites, E-Commerce or related industry websites, Emailers, Mobile app ads etc. Finding a way to interact and engage with customers with your communication in today’s time’s two-way conversation is the mantra for any brand’s success.
- Create content which stirs emotions, which is educational and guides customers rather than direct sales.
End-of-the-day marketeers need to remember that just like in traditional times Consumer was the king, he is still the king with even more powers to express what he feels for your brand in the digital landscape. So, brands must deeply understand this and design their strategies around comprehensive research of competition and consumers with the leverage of digital media platforms to drive engagement and provide prompt service to attain unwavering customer loyalty. If one forgets this, everything else becomes a lot harder.
While as per times we are propagating digitally first we should continue with things the old-fashioned way and should strike a balance with outdoor space branding, events, and experiential marketing, as consumers get to see our brand wherever they are.
And last but not least the approach with which any marketeer works should be flexible. With the thought that nothing is certain, and everything is open to change, the marketeers will always be ready to harness the new trends with their fresh ideas.
