In today’s world, it is absolutely crucial to become a memorable brand if you want to be successful and be noticed by those who are going to buy from you. Starting a new business is something that almost anyone can do with very little start-up capital or even very much experience, and although this is a good thing in general terms (and you may have taken advantage of the fact yourself), that does mean a lot more competition than ever before. One of the ways you can ensure that you stand out and climb above your competitors is to create a memorable brand. Here are some of the best ways to do it.
Be Customer Focused
The phrase ‘the customer is king’ is something that definitely needs to be kept in mind when creating a brand and a business behind it. There is truth to this old adage; the customer is a powerful being who has the choice where they are going to spend their money and put their faith. With so much choice, the customer is able to do exactly as they want, and that’s why your brand needs to be exactly what the customer wants as well. Anything less than the highest quality standard or product or service is going to push that customer into the arms of your competitors, and it will be all but impossible to win them back.
Before you can begin to think of the customer first, you need to know who they are. Carry out a good amount of market research to determine who is going to be spending their money in your business, and you can then tailor your products and services to their needs. You can also create a marketing campaign that speaks to their problems and solves them. If your customer feels listened to and acknowledged, they will want to come back to you time and again.
Be Active On Social Media
Every business owner should know that they need to be on at least one social media platform (and possibly more than one, depending on where their target market spends most of their time), but there is much more to building a memorable brand than just creating an account and posting on it a few times a week. What you really need to do with your social media presence is to be active and engaging.
This means not just focusing on your own accounts, but joining groups, following interesting people, commenting on posts and pictures, and generally getting involved in the wider community both in your area and your sector. The more active you are, the more people will get a sense of who you really are, plus you’ll be noticed a lot more and organically pick up likes and followers in this way, all of which will help you build your brand and make more sales.
Have Great Content
Once you’ve constructed your blog and have social media accounts ready to accept its link and your brand is everywhere, you need to make sure the material on your blog is worth people’s time to read. You must make it entertaining while also ensuring that it is relevant to you and your company. Always include a call to action at the conclusion of your blog article to remind readers that you have precisely what they need to solve the issue you detailed in your piece. Even if you’re on your own website, people need to see your contact information; providing them as much information as possible will make it easy for them and make them think good of you and take the next steps.
Of course, content means various things to different people, and while a blog often consists of hundreds of written words, that does not have to be the case when you write it. Instead, you could use largely photographs with helpful subtitles or perhaps a video. If you choose this option, having experts help with corporate video production is a great option to ensure good quality. At the end of each week, you could combine all of your social media postings into one piece of content and create a narrative out of them. Do what is best for your brand and company, as well as what is best for you. If you combine all of the features, you will discover that your blog nearly promotes itself.
Branding Is Key
When it comes to creating a memorable brand, the brand itself – how it looks, what it means, who it appeals to – is a vital component to get right. You can be doing everything you can to help your customers and engage more on social media and many other things, but if your brand is not immediately recognizable, it won’t be memorable, and this is something you need to work on.
Speaking to an expert branding company is the first step to take if you’re serious about making your branding work for you and become something that people know and trust. They will be able to talk you through the different options and explain why one idea will be better than the other for the results you want to achieve.
Once you have your branding in place, use it. It should be used everywhere you can because you want people to recognize it. Simply placing it on your website is not enough – try to add it to stationery, paperwork, vehicles, signage, business cards, even custom clothing if it’s going to help people notice who you are. The more you get your logo out there and seen, the more it will be recognized, and even if people don’t need your products or service right now, when they do, they’ll instantly think of you.
Take Risks
Running a business is all about taking risks, so why not do the same when it comes to creating a memorable brand? Of course, any business risk must be a calculated one – you’ve worked too hard for too long to let it all fall apart now – but that doesn’t mean the results won’t be worthwhile.
When we talk about taking risks with your brand, we mean taking the time to experiment and decide exactly what it is you want your brand to say about your business. Research the different prominent ideas and see what is going to fit your needs and requirements. Sometimes a risky branding idea can be exactly what is needed to make all the difference and become memorable.
A Clear USP
Strangely as it might seem, one of the fundamental parts of creating a memorable brand isn’t the brand itself; it’s the USP behind that brand. Your USP – unique selling proposition – is what truly makes your business different from anyone else’s. If you can distill that USP down into a logo and tagline, you can make a memorable brand that helps to build your business and beat all the competition you will find along the way.
There will be approximately 543,000 businesses that launch this month, and you need to be different from all of them. The best – perhaps only – way to do this is to work on your USP and put that into your branding. You will then be unique and different, and potential customers are sure to notice that. To find your USP, you need to think about what you do differently from anyone else. If you can’t think of anything, even after taking time out to do so, then you’ll need to create something because a business without a USP is sure to get lost in the crowd, even with amazing branding.
