Many aspects of a business contribute to its success or failure, but a detail often overlooked is brand identity. While it might sound rather fluffy in comparison to fundamentals like product development, sales, and customer service, branding has always separated the great businesses from the average.
In fact, in the current social media-obsessed world, the power of a brand has never been greater. Everyone from influencers to heads of state and multinational corporations is leveraging their brands to win customers or supporters, establish themselves in the cultural zeitgeist, and dominate their competitors.
However, improving your business’s brand isn’t easy. It requires plenty of factors to fall into place before you see results, and even then, it is a constant struggle to stay ahead of the competition. Thankfully, there are several ways you can grow your brand relatively quickly – without wasting time deliberating on which approach to take. To help you improve your business brand as quickly as possible, here are some implementable tips.
1. Improve your website
Improving your website is one of the most crucial actions to improve your business’s brand. There is no point putting in hours of work on your social media strategy and marketing efforts if all they do is lead prospects to a frustrating, difficult-to-navigate, slow, and ugly website.
To improve your website, you should start with navigation and accessibility. Improving web accessibility, such as through overlays, is an ideal initial step. But what is a website overlay? Essentially, it’s a feature on your website that improves performance, functionality, and accessibility. It can be anything from a pop-up message or chatbot to a CTA prompt, among many other useful features and widgets.
Have helpful overlays in place throughout your website, and your site’s user experience will soar, taking your brand image with it. Additionally, accessibility-boosting features for people with disabilities are important to implement. Not only does this improve site accessibility and performance, but it also ensures your site legally complies with equal access in countries like the US.
2. Build a social media presence
The backbone of your business brand is undoubtedly your social media presence. Without it, you will struggle to position yourself as a unique voice in the market. Of course, social media accounts have long been regarded as a necessary evil by many companies. Still, they shouldn’t be seen as a chore but an opportunity.
When you post in a personal, honest, and lighthearted tone, you will allow your customers to see your brand in a different light – less like a corporate machine and more like a friend. When you do this, you will build a more personal connection between your company and your followers, which will spill into other aspects of your brand’s reputation.
3. Develop a community
Following on from the previous point, you need your social media following to become a full-blown community. This means your members actively interact with your content, share content of their own about your brand, and interact with other fans and followers, irrespective of your input.
To do this, you need to start by determining who your ideal customers are. This includes demographics, interests, and pain points. When you know who you are trying to appeal to, it will make creating content and strategies far easier and much more successful.
You should also add a considerable amount of value to your audience. Providing educational resources, blog posts, tutorials, video content, and other long-form content will demonstrate your expertise and help your followers improve their lives without asking for anything in return.
Furthermore, you should consider partnering with influencers who have an engaged following in your target audience. Ask them to promote your business and engage with their followers on your behalf. Influencer marketing works because you can tap into a trusted brand with an existing audience that overlaps with your target audience. When the influencer shares your products with them, it will make it more likely that they will trust your brand in turn.
4. Differentiate your brand from the competition
The best business brands stand out in the market by distancing themselves from everyone else. These brands think differently, create unique content, and aren’t afraid of calling out the weaknesses of their competitors. Ultimately, to stand out, you need to work out what your USP is.
Your USP is the unique aspect of your business that sets you apart from others in the market. It could be a special product feature, a specific benefit you offer, or a set of values you uphold. Identifying your USP will help you communicate your value proposition to customers and differentiate your business from others.
What’s more, understanding your competition is crucial in differentiating your business. Research your competitors and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. This information can help you identify opportunities to differentiate your business and offer something your competitors do not. By hitting their weaknesses, you will find it easier to attract customers and position yourself firmly in the marketplace.
Once you have identified your USP, use it to your advantage in your marketing and communication materials. Highlight what sets your business apart in your advertising, website, and social media channels. Don’t be afraid to playfully roast or interact with your competitors, as this will come across as authentic and comedic when done well.
In essence, having a strong tone of voice is about conviction. This conviction should always stem from your USP.
Also read: 5 Content Marketing Tips for Manufacturers
