7 Ways to Improve Your Brand in 2020
Now that the holidays are over, everyone is hitting the ground running ready to embrace the new year/decade. It’s a big year that promises to be full of national (presidential election) and global (Olympics) excitement.
It’s also a great time to build the brand of your business. Think about what amazing times in which we live. Gone are the days of companies broadcasting their ads and hoping for the best. Now we have incredible insight (through data, social media, and digital ads) and the opportunity to know more about our target audiences than ever before. Even better, we have the ability to know what is working and what needs to be modified to be more successful.
With that in mind, here are the 7 ways you can improve your brand in 2020:
- Target Audience – Your products and services are not for everyone. If you approach your marketing with the intention of reaching ‘everyone’ then you will actually connect with ‘no one’. Map out the demographics and psychographics of your target audiences (you can have more than one – primary, secondary, tertiary – but not 10) to truly define who your target audience needs to be. The more you know about them and what their likes/dislikes are, as well as their fears and needs, the better chance you have of finding commonalities and ways to connect with them.
- Specific Message – Develop specific messages for each of your target audiences. Use what you know about them to make the message as targeted as possible. Don’t talk to the entire group – talk to one specific person. Tell them the story that will connect with them and motivate them to act. Building a brand is all about an emotional connection so don’t focus on features – instead, provide benefits. Don’t talk to them logically – appeal to them emotionally.
- Points of Differentiation – You know your organization is different but your audience doesn’t even know you exist. It is crucial that you clearly define how you are different and, more importantly, how that differentiation benefits your target audience.
- Touchpoints – There are so many different places where you can share your marketing messages – tv, cable, streaming, radio, podcast, satellite, newspaper, magazine, billboard, direct mail, digital advertising, social media advertising, and more. Literally thousands of options that can quickly become places to waste your marketing budget. Instead, you need to proactively plan your approach to best invest your precious resources.
- Strategic Brand Plan – Planning ahead is a must. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks of your job and then the end of the week arrives and you realize you haven’t accomplished so many of the goals you set for the week. Instead, create a strategic brand plan that will enable you to be proactive and more effective.
- Content Creation – Your content is your emotional message and tool of connection with your target audience. Make sure your content will share the best of your products and services in a way that will connect with your target audience. Don’t get sideways with too many features and spend your time talking about yourself. Make your message relevant to them. Tell their story.
- Thought Leadership – You are an expert at what you do. Share that knowledge in a way that will serve as a magnet attracting your target audience to you. This is your best bet to really connect and captivate your potential customers.
Over the next 7 weeks, we will go in-depth on each of these and provide more insight into how you can really optimize your opportunities. We are in a time of great choices, but also, at times, too many choices. Don’t be overwhelmed. Follow these guidelines to make the best choices of how to invest your time and money to build your brand in the best ways possible.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can really improve your brand, check out our Brand Builders Series and register for the workshops that can help you build your best brand. The upcoming topics and dates are:
Brand Plan 2020, Jan 16th: Instead of winging it and reacting to every opportunity that presents itself, plan ahead and be prepared to best invest your time and money in a way that will really grow your brand. Click Here to Register
Social Media, Jan 31st: Learn how to analyze every possible option, choose the tools that are best for your organization, and then how to really leverage those opportunities. Click Here to Register
Startup & Small Business, Feb 12th: Everything you need to know to get started in the best way possible to build the strongest brand for your organization. Click Here to Register
Nonprofit, Feb 27th: If you are focused on how to connect with stakeholders, donors, advocates, and more then this is the workshop for you. This is all about how to target and build a bond with the people most likely to be connected to your cause. Click Here to Register
B2B, Mar 11th: Businesses that sell products and services to other businesses are nothing like the marketing approaches taken by consumer-centric retail businesses. B2B organizations focus on how to set up and leverage their database, integrate with their website, and leverage a solid sales process to generate inbound leads. Click Here to Register
Retail & Hospitality, Mar 27th: Dealing with the public is a challenge and this workshop will give you the steps to build your brand while dealing with so many different touchpoints, online reviews, and the frustration of competing against vast online shopping options. Click Here to Register
Financial & Legal, Apr 9th: Some industries are tougher than others and financial and legal has some of the biggest challenges. This workshop is concentrated on how to build a brand in these competitive fields. Click Here to Register
Trust-Based Selling, Apr 17th: Gone are the days of telling people what they want to hear dupe them into buying whatever you are selling. If you don’t build trust in an authentic and real way then your sales process will fail. Leverage your website, CRM, collateral materials, and more to share your knowledge and build a thought leadership campaign and sales system that works. Click Here to Register
Healthcare, May 7th: As healthcare changes rapidly so does their marketing. Be prepared with a plan that will work for your organization as your audience becomes tougher to reach. Click Here to Register
Strategic Brainstorming, May 21st: Bring your challenges and leave with solutions. Share your recent marketing efforts and receive strategic branding analysis on how to improve it. Click Here to Register
Content Creation, June 11th: Learn how to use your iPhone to take better photos, create compelling videos, develop sales materials. Don’t let your great ideas be limited by bad marketing. Learn how to make your material look professional. Click Here to Register
Social Media, June 25th: Learn how to analyze every possible option, choose the tools that are best for your organization, and then how to really leverage those opportunities. Click Here to Register
Register soon to take advantage of the Early Bird price discount. If you aren’t sure which workshop(s) to choose, click the link and read the descriptions or get in touch with me to talk through the options.
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RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.
