Your brand is by no means small, but you’re definitely no Amazon. Hey, only Amazon is Amazon, right? Still, when you’re living in a world of Apples, and Coca-Colas, and Facebooks, any brand that doesn’t stack up can feel tiny.
You already have what it takes to drive your brand to the next level. You must, or you wouldn’t be where you already are. Now is the time to harness those special advantages you have so that you can edge out the competition—even competition as big as Pepsi, or Hershey, or Kellogg’s.
What are these advantages? Let’s explore.
Deep Customer Insight
Believe it or not, your customers have told you everything you need to know about them to make them loyal for life. If you’re paying attention to everything they say, then you’re on your way to breaking through to the next level with your brand.
Consider how the branding giants manage to maintain customer loyalty. What do they have that you don’t, besides an outrageous marketing budget? Absolutely nothing. You have access to the same data points they do; you just have to know what you’re looking at.
For instance, do you know which of your website visitors have been to a particular landing page on your site? Do you know how many of those customers asked for more information or completed a purchase? How many of those who completed a purchase have been to other landing pages on your website? Have they requested more information on those other products or services that you offer? Maybe it’s time to dig deeper into your metrics and start extracting that information on a daily basis.
Let’s consider your social media accounts. How many of your followers have clicked through your ads to landing pages on your site? Have they used the new Facebook emojis to show their delight with your marketing materials? You have access to their emotions right there in your social media accounts—you just have to take advantage of the knowledge they give you.
What about your email marketing? Do you pay attention to which of your leads are opening the emails? Do you know which of the emails tend to spark a particular reaction, such as clicking through to your offer or even making a purchase? Some of your buyers will reach to Version A, while others don’t make a move until Version B. You should segment your buyers according to their behaviors, and not just according to their demographics, age, or gender.
Emotional Connection
Buyers today are always looking for brands with which they can feel a connection. That connection has to be authentic, too. While younger buyers are certainly more sensitive to the authenticity of brand stories they see, Generation X and Baby Boomers have gotten tired of the same old pushy tricks.
Now, these buyers want to know the true “why” behind what you do, and they want to feel that “why” in everything you do. They want your reasons to connect with their reasons. They want your reasons to solve their pain points. And if you can make them laugh, cry, overcome fear, or soothe their anger while doing so, then your brand will be well on the way to breaking through to the next level.
Use These Advantages to Continue Creating Value
When you fully understand your buyers’ motivations through their actions and their emotions, you can continue to create products and services that bring real value to their lives. By using your metrics, you know which of your products and services your customers are already buying. If they’re not buying, you know which of your products you need to tweak or replace for better results.
You can see their reactions when you launch new products, which helps to refine and improve future offers. Social media helps you stay on top of their comments, questions, and shares. It’s all right there in front of you, if you know where to look and how to use the information you glean from your website and accounts.
Want to driving your brand to the next level? We’re here to help. With a fusion of marketing and branding services, we make sure your customers connect with your brand on all levels, from the head to the heart to the wallet.
