The amount of available media today is explosive. These platforms can greatly benefit a brand, or send marketers searching for a positive response. To keep your brand active and influential in this new media age, understanding the goal is your first step. Guest writer Elliot Martinez, a freelance tech writer, offers you 4 basic essentials to give your brand a fighting chance.
Segment Your Target Market
Consistent brand messages tailored to a specific demographic yield the most success. Once you define your target market, it is important to dissect it. Targeting segmentations of your audience will likely help your brand connect more and lead to consumer loyalty. One branding giant doing this successfully is Toyota. The auto maker has focused on the family segment with commercials driving an emotional appeal; the vehicles are shown being passed down from generations and keeping Toyota in the family.
Brands with a persistent message earn a loyal following. The brands I love have reached me through all the other market noise. This is a scary commitment for many brands, but a risk worth taking if you are in it for the long run. Really understanding your audience in each piece of branding will help you take more chances and receive a more genuine response. Do you know who your target market really is? Who are you talking to? Ask yourself these questions every time to help your brand be heard.
What’s the Message?
This is the most important aspect for any brand. With all the different forms of communication available today, your brand message can easily be misinterpreted. You must be able to convey the same, identifiable message whether it is through a 30-second TV spot, a Facebook ad, or 140 characters. There is no shortage of social media platforms to share your message, and your brand must understand what works best for the message you’re trying to send.
Nike is a master at keeping the message consistent throughout. Their message is captured by the “Just Do It” slogan, which is perfectly tailored to fit both their audience and the brand’s personality. The Nike swoosh logo is also consistently a part of each and every campaign. Alternatively, some brands, like Geico, have not heavily implemented social media campaigns, nor do they have one unifying brand representative (Gecko, Caveman, Kash, etc.), yet still remain successful today. Keep in mind that this is not the case for every brand.
If your brand is struggling to stay relevant, breathe some life into it by altering your message or coming up with an interactive campaign to get your consumers involved. Find which media platforms work best for you and stay persistent. Provide clever brand tips and responses to your consumers. Create clear objectives for each month or quarter and work to accomplish these. Using tools like HootSuite or Google Analytics will help you gauge your brand voice while you are tracking your efforts in ROI.
How Do You Follow Up?
Marketing never sleeps. The Internet keeps conversations going, for the good and the bad. Make sure your brand is active in the conversation post-message and not just watching the action take place. Having quick counter points or supplemental media is huge for consumers. Give consumers a call to action. Brands like Doritos have done a great job in keeping consumers active; from online voting campaigns to partnerships with Taco Bell, there is a constant brand presence. These efforts help consumers feel involved and keep your brand above the rest.
Just Keep Swimming…
Now it is time to take a look at your brand. your brand. Ask, is your brand connecting with its audience, or are you missing on the message? (Tweet this!) The brand environment is more competitive today than ever before. Never be afraid to take a chance with your brand but be aware of your activity and consumer responses.
Photo credit: Marcus Povey on Flickr
About the Author:
Elliot Martinez is a Business graduate of the University of South Florida. He is currently working towards his graduate degree and covering all tech topics as a freelance writer.
