Any marketing graduate can tell you why brand recognition is vital within a crowded marketplace. Staking your claim to a part of the market through branding is based on how a company positions itself.
While there are a few established strategies that work, there are many more that can be functional but don’t get as much exposure. Some of these can be quite important in helping a business show off its individuality, shirking the trend of brand-building that other companies have popularized.
Below, 16 members of Forbes Agency Council explore a few of the often-overlooked strategies that can help businesses build their brand and forge their identity in a saturated market.
Members share some overlooked, but highly effective strategies to boost your brand.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Be Consistent In Your Branding
We see so many clients launch products or businesses and fail at keeping a consistent brand look and feel. Since they aren’t designers by trade, they often use different logo variations or colors, and sometimes even different fonts on their printable material/website/client handouts, etc. Simple oversights that can help keep that brand uniform on all channels. – Blake George, BMG Media Co.
2. Get Your Brand Tone Right
Brand tone is key! I don’t mean the way your brand talks, it’s about sound. Think about the sound of a Harley Davidson or AMG – their unique exhaust is part of the brand experience; when you hear one, you know who made it. Netflix also knows the benefits of brand recognition through sound, with its sound of arriving at your account or signup. Sound can evoke reactive memories of the brand. – Jonathan Forrester, emmersion – Branding and Creative Agency
3. Get Involved In The Community
Advertising does not have to be just about creating ads and buying media. You can use your brand to get involved in the community – show how you are giving back and helping get everyone through current crises. Being visible and showing your true values is a great way to boost and build brand value. – David McGarry, Automotive Internet Media
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
4. Amplify Customer Voices
Customers don’t just pay for products; they are also important brand advocates who tell the story of your brand. Brands should invite customers into the conversation, amplify their voices and give them the tools to advocate to their own audience of followers. Brands that take the time to ask their customers what they think and why they support their brand will reap the benefit. – Aliza Freud, SheSpeaks, Inc.
5. Leverage Online Reviews
I’m amazed at how many companies still don’t understand the power of online reviews. They can make or break your business. Google searches for your industry keywords, in most cases, position review sites very prominently. Get your happy customers to post positive reviews and it will boost your brand. – Scott Baradell, Idea Grove
6. Focus On Building Thought Leadership
Focusing on research-based thought leadership is a powerful way to be the “trusted source” in your space. Rather than creating generic content which can dilute and even lower the perception of your brand, providing unique angles and providing data-based insights can have the opposite effect. This results in more sharing of the brand’s content and, hence, better positioning of the brand. – Zamir Javer, Jumpfactor
7. Promote Customer Stories
As communicators, we know the power of stories. Encouraging your best customers to share their stories that include how you’ve helped them overcome challenges is a great way to build brand recognition in a credible way. In fact, many customers are eager to talk about you. By tapping into your customers’ networks, you can reach a broader audience quickly through a source they already trust. – Valerie Chan, Plat4orm PR
8. Partner With Other Brands
Create key partnerships with other brands that are in the same niche as you, and carve out a local space. You’ll cross-pollinate your audiences with half of the effort. A single event can yield massive results for both brands. – Kelly Samuel, Kelly Samuel
9. Be More Visible
A huge amount of work and strategy may go into creating a brand, but what you do to get that brand noticed can be even more important than just creating the elements. You should take every opportunity to get your brand seen by customers. By putting out memorable moments in both the digital and real-life world of your customers, you can be sure that your brand will not leave their minds. – Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
10. Invest In Digital Advertising
An often-overlooked strategy businesses can use to boost their brand is to invest in digital marketing campaigns. Running effective digital marketing campaigns across social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google is a targeted, trackable and cost-efficient way to build brand recognition in an increasingly crowded marketplace. – Jonathan Durante, Expandify Marketing Inc
11. Make Education A Core Brand Feature
Offer valuable learning experiences. Education is a great way to partner with your brand audiences’ passions and dreams. While creating more chances to sell, it deepens relationships at each stage of the customer journey and increases brand authority and knowledge leadership. Increased brand satisfaction generates stronger advocacy and helps build a growing, recognition-boosting fan base. – Harley Cannard, Amz Automation Australia PTY LYD
12. Share Your Expertise Freely
Some business owners are too reluctant to “give away” their knowledge or time unless they see a direct benefit. Taking the time to answer questions from a lukewarm lead or to mentor a young professional in your field can pay huge dividends in reputation and branding. – Hannah Trivette, NUVEW Web Solutions
13. Make A Bigger Effort To Connect
I believe companies in today’s world should make a bigger effort to connect one on one with clients. Calling in to check on your clients can make them feel looked after and provide new sales opportunities. Using automated text message sequences or messenger sequences that allow you to personalize your message with your client’s name also helps you create new revenue-driven opportunities. – Alex Quin, UADV
14. Be Creative With Your Visuals
Visuals are vital for the company’s image. Be creative with your videos and images you share with your target audience. Being creative is what intrigues people – it may sound easy but that’s the key to your company’s success. – Cagan Sean Yuksel, GRAFX CO.
15. Leverage Video Broadcasting
As a response to the closure of physical trade shows and conference events, I am witnessing the utilization of livestreaming audiences to new heights. Brands are producing larger, more engaged audiences and at a lower cost through video channels. Furthermore, a database of prospective partners is developed during the pre-launch, live, and recorded distribution who are awaiting future content. – Jason Fishman, Digital Niche Agency (DNA)
16. Create A Truly Helpful Newsletter
Create and send out an awesome, consistent and truly helpful email newsletter. Most newsletters are pitches and offer little in the way of objective and helpful content. Doing the opposite – a newsletter that truly helps the reader – generates incredible loyalty over time. – Amith Nagarajan, rasa.io
Go to Source
Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
