Brand Positioning

Brand Positioning: How to Differentiate Without a Complete Rebrand

/in , , , /by

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, businesses must refine their brand positioning to stand out without undergoing a costly and time-intensive rebrand. But what is brand positioning in marketing, and why does it matter? This article explores strategies to strengthen brand positioning through customer insights, competitive differentiation, and messaging consistency—core elements we often refine in our brand strategy services.

Understanding Brand Positioning

Brand Perception

Brand positioning is the strategic process of establishing a unique and valuable place in the minds of your target audience. It defines how your brand is perceived compared to competitors and influences customer decision-making. A strong brand position clarifies what sets you apart and fosters long-term loyalty.

Learn more about: How to Develop a Brand

 

Strategies for Effective Brand Positioning

1. Leverage Customer Insights

Understanding your audience is the foundation of strong brand positioning. Conduct surveys, analyze customer feedback, and track engagement data to determine what your customers value most. These insights help shape messaging that aligns with their needs and expectations.

Example: A skincare brand finds that customers value science-backed ingredients over luxury appeal and emphasizes this in its messaging.

2. Conduct a Competitive Analysis

Assessing competitors helps identify market gaps and positioning opportunities. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses, brand messaging, and customer perception. Use this information to craft a distinct positioning strategy that highlights your unique strengths.

Example: If competitors focus on affordability, your brand might emphasize premium quality or superior customer service.

3. Strengthen Brand Messaging Consistency

Consistent messaging across all channels reinforces brand identity. Ensure your website, social media, and marketing materials align with your positioning statement. A clear and compelling message helps customers understand your brand at a glance.

Example: Apple consistently emphasizes innovation and simplicity, reinforcing its brand position across all touchpoints.

4. Emphasize Competitive AdvantagesBrand Components

Your competitive advantages differentiate your brand from competitors. Clearly define the specific benefits your brand offers that others do not. This could be exceptional customer service, innovative technology, or a unique company story.

Example: A luxury hotel might highlight its personalized guest experience as a key differentiator.

5. Adapt and Stay Relevant

Market trends evolve, and brand positioning should adapt accordingly. Regularly reassess your brand’s relevance to ensure it meets current consumer expectations without requiring a complete overhaul.

Example: A traditional retail brand may adopt an omnichannel approach to stay competitive in the digital age.

 

Final Thoughts

Brand positioning is not about reinventing your brand but refining its perception. By leveraging customer insights, competitive differentiation, and consistent messaging, businesses can enhance their positioning without the need for a full rebrand. A well-defined brand position builds customer trust, strengthens market presence, and drives long-term success.

Learn more about: How Branding & Marketing Work Together

brand development

How To Drive Brand Awareness

/in , , /by

Awareness, as we alluded to in our first article Using The Right Media Mix During Each Stage Of The Buyer’s Journeys, is a two way street. On the one hand your potential buyers become aware they have a problem that needs a solution, and on the other you as a marketer must boost brand awareness in order for them to find you, your content, and consequentially your products or services.

Let’s explore what is brand awareness is?

What is Brand Awareness?

Brand awareness refers to the extent to which consumers are familiar with and recognize a brand. It measures how readily a brand comes to mind and how well consumers understand what the brand represents. In other words, how well do they identify with your brand name, its characteristics, your logo, or other things that strongly correlate to the products or services you offer. And while many major corporations have a significant hold on their respective markets with their branding, how can you as a marketer drive brand awareness? Let’s take a look.

How To Drive Brand Awareness?

Keywords and SEO

Your blog is the destination you want all prospective buyers to land on during their awareness stage, and keywords and SEO may as well be the road map to get them there. Getting found through search is the cornerstone of inbound.

As a matter of fact, the top 3 search results typically get 50% of the clicks which is exactly why you should strive to get your search results to the top of search engines. The search engine optimization game; however, is more of a marathon than a sprint and instant results likely won’t see your brand become the cream of the crop in the long run.

Correctly keywording your blog posts and your site as a whole will improve your company’s overall credibility which will in turn create trust between your brand and your site’s visitors. Additionally, SEO gives you a quantifiable, trackable avenue for your marketing by helping you see real data from your search results. For more on the nitty gritty of how SEO can boost your brand awareness, check out our blog post for how to optimize website for great results.

Keywords themselves will only get you so far, so let’s take a look at how to tie your target keywords into meaningful content via blogs.

Also Read: How Your SEO Benefits From A Long Term Strategy

Blogging

brand awareness

For small and large businesses alike, driving brand awareness starts with a healthy group of focused, educational content pieces in the form of your brand’s blog. Any successful blog starts by finding a topic that people are interested in. Add in a few internal links, some CTAs, and you’re mostly good to go. Here are a few of expert tips to have a successful blog:

  • Proper Formatting – The meat of your blog is its content, so format it in a way that makes sense and helps your posts flow. Break the content up into short paragraphs for easier reading and intersperse some relevant offers and promotions throughout the body.
  • Attractive Titles – Titles should accurately and attractively reflect the body of the blog post. Keep your titles between 50 and 60 characters for search engines.
  • Pretty Pictures – Add some relevant pictures to your post to make it more eye-catching. Be sure to alt text the pictures in your blogs to help boost SEO.
  • Links and CTAs – Internal links help keep users on your page and help them take in more of your expertise. CTAs help convert visitors to leads through well-designed landing pages with offers as the end result for the user.
  • Consistency is Key – Regular blog posts with fresh content will keep your subscribers coming back to your brand. Start with one quality blog per week then expand as you feel comfortable.

While these tips are great foundational resources for your blog, tying them to your keywords is crucial to getting found organically via search engines. Once you’ve found a long tail keyword or group of keywords that work for your blog, it’s important to use those words naturally (generally 3-5 times) throughout the body of each blog post. Also, link similarly keyworded content to the keywords you use and connect the web of your websites SEO.

Social Media

The final piece to brand awareness as it pertains to your buyer’s journey is social media. While social media is the last piece of the awareness puzzle we’re mentioning, it may very well be the first place your buyers land when seeking information to solve their problem.

Social media sites are some of the most indexed by search engines on the entire world wide web. With hundreds of millions of posts daily by businesses and individuals alike, social media is a crucial hub of activity for your content and your buyers. In all likelihood, ceteris paribus, your brand’s social media sites will be scrolled and indexed before your brand’s blog or website which makes brand awareness through social media all the more critical.

Posting on social media is an art and a skill that can be honed by knowing your buyer personas, what social media platforms they use, and what your goals for social media are especially as it relates to driving B2B sales. Tailoring your messages within those confines will make sure that the things you’re publishing are on point, relevant, and capable of converting interested parties into leads. Lead conversion in social media means attaching a meaningful CTA or offer to each of your posts to give your potential buyers the chance of becoming more aware of your brand through offers.

Also Read: When Are the Best Times to Post On Social Media?

Next: Lead Nurturing During the Consideration Stage

In our next article we’ll move further down your sales funnel as we examine what happens during the consideration stage of your buyer’s journey including leveraging drip emails, marketing automation, and remarketing to move your buyers into the decision making stage.

hiring a full service advertising agency

Creating Advertising Strategies That Work

/in , , , , , , /by

Advertising is an integral ingredient in marketing for building a successful business. It’s how you make your business, products, or services known to your target audience. You must devise creative advertising strategies if you want your customers to choose your products or services over the competitors’.

While there are many ways to advertise, your chosen strategy must fit your brand objectives. This post looks at some advertising strategies in marketing and guides you on creating one that works for your business.

Defining an Advertising Strategy

An advertising strategy is an action plan that aims at the following:

Your advertising strategy is part of your comprehensive marketing plan. They must align with your company goals and objectives and can be a mix of digital and traditional marketing channels. These are the two broad categories of advertising strategies. Traditional marketing entails using media like:

  • Television ads
  • Billboards
  • Prints ads
  • Direct mail
  • Street teams

Digital advertising tactics include the following:

  • Social media marketing
  • Email marketing campaigns
  • Content marketing
  • Search engine optimization
  • Pay-per-click advertising
  • Social media marketing
  • Influencer marketing

Steps to Creating Effective Advertising Strategies in Marketing

Having the most effective advertising strategy in marketing takes time to achieve. You must continually fine-tune your approach to determine the advertising methods that best engage your customers.

If you’re starting or want to overhaul your current advertising strategy, here’s a template you can use:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Your advertising strategy should be about reaching out to the people interested in purchasing your products or services. Consider the specific demographics of this target group, including the following:

  • Their gender
  • Age
  • Attitudes
  • Personal values and attitudes
  • Income levels
  • Occupation.

With this information, you can create a buyer person or a fictional representative of the target customer base that your business wants to reach. The consumer profile of your target audience can give you an abstract idea of what your customers want. You can use this to shape your advertising message.

2. Determine Your Advertising Objectives

Once you identify your target audience, ask yourself why you want to advertise. There could be different goals to achieve through advertising, such as boosting sales, promoting newly launched products, or increasing website traffic. It could also be to create awareness about a product’s benefits.

Having clarity of purpose is a crucial step forward in the direction of creating an effective advertising strategy. Your marketing objectives can also inform your choice of advertising platforms, as different channels have varying outcomes.

3. Create Your Advertising Content

Once you determine what you want to achieve through your advertising strategy, it’s time to create content that helps you achieve this goal. Some factors to help in your content creation strategy are the following:

  • Having an SEO strategy such as voice or video search for local and mobile SEO
  • Keyword research for more insights into what your customers want to see
  • Having a blog or website that you regularly update with relevant, educating, and engaging content
  • Creating attractive landing pages that trigger a sales funnel for your business.

Influencers and content marketing agencies can help you craft relevant content that enables you to put your brand message out there. Forging partnerships with these professionals can help you reach your target audience in ways that automated content advertising strategies cannot.

4. Choose Your Advertising Platforms

In choosing your advertising platforms, consider those most helpful in reaching your target audience. In this digital era, only a tiny percentage of businesses will consider traditional marketing channels as their primary platforms. Digital advertising platforms are more likely to reach a broader audience and have a greater return on investment.

Consider incorporating a mix of advertising channels to test their viability for your business. Online marketing provides an array of advertising strategies, as previously mentioned. However, if you’re new to advertising, you’d rather stick to a few channels first.

Once you accumulate enough analytics and data from the channels, you can determine their effectiveness and consider branching out to other platforms. After testing the results, you can create a vibrant mix of responsive media for an effective advertising strategy.

5. Audit the Results and Keep Improving

Launching an advertising strategy is only the beginning of your business promotion strategy. You must also analyze and refine the various advertising methods you use. A/B testing is one of the approaches you can use. It entails showing different types of ads to similar customers. Then, you can gauge the messages with better click-through rates. Investing more in ad messages with higher click-through rates can yield better returns for your business.

Your marketing team should constantly be on its toes to review marketing campaign metrics. Consequently, it should engage in relevant targeting to reach a broad audience. Assessing and refining advertising strategies is an ongoing process as long as your business operates.

Effective Advertising Strategies in Marketing Are Crucial to Your Business Success

A business without a well-structured advertising strategy in marketing will fail because it lacks a systematic method of reaching its customers. An advertising plan creates brand awareness and tells your customers why they should choose your products or services, not your competitors’.

Creating a strategy that works and withstands the test of time can be complex, but the steps above can help you get started. With time, you can fine-tune the plan to add more steps depending on what works best for your business. You should eventually be able to automate your advertising strategy for marketing and reap from the investment.

call to action phrases

Powerful Call-to-Action Phrases to Increase Clicks

/in , , , /by

Are you looking to increase your conversion rate? Call to action phrases are an essential part of the conversion process, but what kinds of CTAs should you put on your website? CTAs should be simple yet effective and catch the attention of your visitors.

The formula for a successful CTA page title consists of combining such sales buzzwords as “free,” “discount,” “offer,” “gift,” and “guarantee,” with action-oriented words like “click,” “download,” “request,” and “send.” Putting together a strand of words to entice clicks sometimes doesn’t get the job done, though. Therefore, as a marketer, think of what strikes you as a buyer: emotion.

Humans are oddly emotional creatures and are the only ones who tie those emotions to money. Hence making many of their purchases subject to the emotions invoked by marketing which is exactly why call to action phrases are so important. This isn’t a secret to marketers either, but leveraging that knowledge and coupling it with your brand’s content can be a little tricky.

 

The Best Call to Action Phrase Building Tips

CTAs can be as simple as “click here” and “download now,” but can have an infinitely more powerful meaning by adding a few simple words and giving the reader the benefit of what they are getting from the offer.

  1. Include a possessive determiner such as “your.” The possessive aspect of the CTA makes the reader feel as though that piece of content or your offer is already theirs to be had and in their back pocket.
  2. Briefly outline the benefit of the content. Add what your website visitor gets from clicking your CTA. This almost acts as a miniature landing page. For example, instead of saying “click here” use a phrase like “click here for your free white paper.”
  3. Use action words and urgency to encourage clicks. “Limited downloads,” “limited time,” and words such as “now” and “quickly” will enhance the sense of urgency for your users to click on your brand’s CTAs.

Actionable CTA Phrases

Actionable CTAs leverage words like “now,” “here,” “click,” etc. Meanwhile, using an action word to draw the reader into the CTA gives them that emotional sense of action and satisfies that human demand for immediate satisfaction. Getting content “now” versus “get it in a week” will drive more clicks onto your good CTA Phrases.

Call to Action Buttons

Keeping in mind some of the tips above, let’s take a look at how using actionable words can make a simple CTA far more powerful. We’ve bolded some of those key terms, but have a little fun. Remove some of the bolded items and see what that does to the phrase. Keep in mind that you can insert any content type or offer in the brackets to fit your brand. Here are a few examples of actionable CTAs:

  • Download Your [Content] Now
  • Click Here for Your Free [Content]
  • Join Now and [Get 30 Days Free]
  • Download Your Free [Content] Here
  • Start Getting Your Free [Content] by Clicking Here Now
  • Click Here for Details About the Best [Service/Product] for Your Company

Also Read: 5 Types of Landing Pages To Increase Your Lead Conversion Rate

Urgent CTA Phrases

For most of us, the essence of time can very well be the thing that either helps us make a decision or turns our “eventually” into never. Your buyers are the same way, and giving them a little nudge into a sense of urgency. This can be just what they need to click your CTA, capitalize on your content, and ultimately buy what you’ve got up for offer. Adding some personal touches (in the right context) can further drive that sense of urgency for your buyer.

Limited-time offers, limited-time discounts, first-time buyer discounts, and limited supply all tend to push buyers a little closer to the buy button in their shopping cart. This can be a great way to improve your CTAs. In the case of content and CTAs where the downloads themselves are free, your prospective buyer has virtually nothing to lose. Here are a few urgent CTA phrases that are sure to light the proverbial fire under your buyer and increase clicks:

  • Download Your [Content] While Supplies Last
  • Act Quickly Limited Downloads Available
  • Hurry, This Free [Content] Offer Expires Soon
  • Secure Your Spot Today! Limited Spots Available
  • Only X Days Remaining to [Sign Up, Download, Attend]
  • Take Advantage of this Limited [Content] Today Only
  • I Urge You to Download this Limited Time Offer

Want to attract more leads? Also Read about Attraction Marketing!

Exclusive CTA Phrases

Adding urgency to a call to action phrase can sometimes seem a little pushy, especially to some C-level managers and business owners. Meanwhile, another equally crafty way to make your CTAs appealing to your target audience is: exclusivity. Exclusive offers give readers the feeling that they are a part of or at least offered a deal that no one else is in on.

We see these sorts of lead-generation tactics across multiple retail platforms. These deals are both confined to time and exclusive to members only. Whether or not your particular brand is a retailer or not we, as consumers, have been trained to jump on those exclusive offers available only to the elite. This can work with your best Call to Action Phrases as well. Here are some useful exclusive CTA phrases:

  • Join Our Mailing List and Get Exclusive Content
  • This Offer is Only For Our Subscribers
  • Sign Up for Exclusive Offers only Available to Subscribers
  • Request an Invitation to [Join, Sign Up, Get Content]
  • This [Content, Offer] is Only Available to [Subscribers, Members]
  • Download Now for Exclusive Access

Responsive CTA Phrases

Naturally, every call to action keyword should aim to generate a response from your target buyer. While practically any of the CTA phrases we’ve outlined could be categorized as either “actionable” or “responsive,” we think it’s best to separate the two. Actionable CTAs lead users towards a specific action, such as clicking, downloading, subscribing, etc. At the same time, responsive CTAs invoke a sense of two-way conversation.

With that said, the CTA phrases below will elicit a response from your potential lead: think feedback, a reply, or a point of contact. These types of CTA phrases should hopefully open up a dialogue between you and your potential buyer and allow them to start the conversation. Here are a few examples of responsive CTAs:

  • Talk to One of Our Experts About…
  • Get a Free Consultation and Talk About Your Business Goals
  • We’d Like to Hear from You: Talk to a Specialist Today
  • Let Us Know What You Think
  • Contact Us Today
  • Contact Me
  • Don’t Hesitate to Get in Touch With Us

Craft Your Own CTA Phrases

As we’ve mentioned, the sky really is the limit to crafting attractive content-focused best Call To Action phrases. Experimenting with them is one of the great ways inbound marketing can help marketers learn more about their tactics. What’s important to keep in mind is that your buyer is the focus of any CTA or piece of content you craft. Without a doubt, targeting those CTAs is crucial for the success of your content initiatives.

a line of gen z playing with their phones

Marketing on TikTok: Strategies to Engage the TikTok Generation

/in , , , , /by

In the world of marketing today, a new generation has emerged—the Gen Z, or “TikTok Generation.” With the youngest entering their teens and the oldest approaching 30, this digitally native, socially conscious group has become a powerful consumer force. Marketing on TikTok offers an exciting way to reach them, but this generation is notoriously hard to engage. However, with the right strategy, you can cut through the noise and create genuine connections that make your brand stand out to these young consumers.

1. Understanding the TikTok Generation

The TikTok generation grew up fully immersed in technology and is considered the first true digital-native audience. For them, social media is more than a content-sharing tool—it’s a lifestyle and a central hub for news, entertainment, learning, and connection. Thus, to reach them effectively, brands need to be present, engaged, and focused on building real connections on these social platforms. Remember, authenticity is key: the TikTok generation wants content that feels genuine and speaks directly to their lives.

With this in mind, let’s explore some strategies that can help brands engage meaningfully with this audience on TikTok and beyond.

2. Leverage Influencer Marketing

Influencers hold a significant place in the hearts of the TikTok generation. From celebrities like Hailey Bieber sparking trends with a single post to micro-influencers with dedicated, niche followings, influencers offer a direct path to Gen Z’s attention. And if a big-name influencer doesn’t fit your budget, micro-influencers are a fantastic alternative; their audiences are often loyal and highly engaged, ready to act on trusted recommendations. The key is finding influencers who align with your brand’s image and giving them creative freedom. While providing basic guidelines can ensure brand alignment, avoid trying to overly control their process. Letting influencers create content in their authentic style builds trust and gives your brand a more relatable, human touch.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by rhode skin (@rhode)

                                          Hailey Bieber Instagram

3. Prioritize User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is the heartbeat of TikTok. For the TikTok generation, peer recommendations and real-life stories carry more weight than traditional ads. Encouraging your audience to create UGC through hashtag challenges, Duets, and other interactive features invites them into your brand’s story. For example, campaigns like Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” and Starbucks’ “White Cup Contest” show how UGC can generate massive engagement, especially on platforms where algorithms often prioritize this type of content. By creating challenges that are fun and easy to participate in, you’re not only inviting your customers to be part of the brand, but also empowering them to share their experiences, expanding your brand’s reach organically!

Coca-Cola – “Share a Coke”

 

White Cup Contest – Starbucks

Starbucks – “White Cup Contest”

4. Master the Art of Short-Form Storytelling

TikTok is built on the power of bite-sized stories. Think about the last time you picked up your phone—maybe even to read this. How many times did a notification, ad, or the urge of checking another app divert your focus?  Given today’s shortened attention spans, particularly among digital natives, it’s vital to catch your audience’s attention immediately—those first three seconds are crucial. Craft videos that quickly convey emotion, humor, or a unique perspective, and stay in tune with trending sounds, memes, and styles. Here’s a bonus tip: repurposing successful TikTok content on Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts can extend your reach without the need for additional production time, letting you engage multiple audiences efficiently.

5.Data-Driven Marketing on TikTok

Behind TikTok’s playful exterior lies a powerful repository of analytics that can be leveraged for precision marketing. Tracking engagement rates, shares, and watch time can reveal which content is resonating and help refine your approach. Testing different ad formats—like In-Feed ads, Hashtag Challenges, and Branded Effects—lets you pinpoint what Gen Z finds most engaging. Marketing on Tiktok is all about creativity, making the platform an ideal testing ground for new ideas while also providing clear, measurable insights to guide future campaigns.

Also Read How Creativity and Data Driven Marketing Help Develop Marketing Campaigns

6. Building Community through Engagement

For the TikTok generation, social media is a space for self-expression and community, not just for following brands. Direct interactions—whether responding to comments, engaging in live videos, or creating Duets—show that there’s a human side to your brand. By fostering community and collaboration, you’re not just marketing a product; you’re building genuine connections. You can also collaborate with other brands that share similar audiences, joining forces for campaigns that amplify your message and broaden your reach. In today’s digital landscape, a loyal, invested community will be your brand’s strongest advocates.

Also Read Brand Marketing Strategy: Community and Advocacy

7. Connected TV and Streaming Ads for the TikTok Generation

connected tv image

Let’s step away from social platforms for a moment and explore another often-overlooked channel: Connected TV (CTV). CTV refers to any TV that connects to the internet, allowing users to stream content from platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and Roku. As users continue to migrate from traditional TV to streaming, CTV ads and ads on streaming platforms offer new ways to reach Gen Z. With CTV, brands can blend storytelling with precision targeting, capturing attention on a larger screen and at a time when users are more receptive to content. By pairing TikTok’s creativity with CTV’s focused reach, you can build cross-platform strategies that resonate with the TikTok generation wherever they are.

Marketing on TikTok is about more than just catchy videos. It’s a strategy rooted in authenticity, creativity, and a community-focused approach where your brand’s personality can truly shine. Gone are the days when brands could rely on being at the center of the customer journey; today, the people are. Embracing these shifts and connecting with Gen Z on their terms is essential to staying relevant and influential in today’s market. So, what’s stopping you from taking the leap?

20mins consulation-1

 

 

AI driven strategies

Do You Know Your AIQ? Key AI Marketing Strategy Insights for Every Marketer

/in , , , , /by

AI is no longer an emerging trend—it’s a core component of advanced AI marketing strategy. But how familiar are you with leveraging AI to optimize your campaigns? Think of your AIQ (Artificial Intelligence Quotient) as a measure of how effectively you incorporate AI into your marketing efforts. 

 

In this article, we’ll explore how you can boost your AIQ by understanding six of the most powerful applications of AI:

Ready to explore your AIQ? These strategies will guide you on your journey!

Key AI Marketing Strategies

 

1. AI-Powered Personalization: Tailoring Experiences for Every Customer

AI personalization strategyAI’s ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time is revolutionizing how brands personalize customer experiences. Particularly, you can leverage AI to analyze user behaviors and preferences, allowing your brand to deliver content that truly resonates with your audience—think of how Spotify curates your music playlists or how Netflix recommends movies. But today’s AI goes further than just product suggestions; it focuses on crafting a unique journey for each customer. Whether you’re sending personalized emails, tailoring website content, or providing individualized offers, AI helps ensure that the right message reaches the right person at just the right time. Have you explored how AI might enhance your personalization strategy and foster stronger connections with your audience?

2. Predictive Analytics: Data That Drives Actionable Insights

AI doesn’t just analyze past behavior—it takes things a step further by predicting future trends and customer actions. With predictive analytics, AI digs into historical data, identifying patterns that help marketers anticipate customer behaviors, like churn rates, buying habits, and product demand. You might think, “Well, predictive analytics has been around for years.” That’s true. What AI does differently is that it really supercharges the process, analyzing millions of data points in just minutes. This leads to faster, more accurate decision-making, giving marketers an edge in optimizing campaigns and strategies. For example, tools like HubSpot’s predictive lead scoring help prioritize high-potential leads, streamlining efforts to focus where it matters most. In this way, instead of relying on manual data analysis, AI now does the heavy lifting for you, making decision-making more efficient.

3. Sentiment Analysis: Measuring Customer Emotions at Scale

To maintain a strong reputation and build lasting trust, understanding how your audience feels about your brand is crucial. That’s where AI-powered sentiment analysis steps in. What is sentiment analysis? It’s the process of using AI to analyze customer feedback, social media activity, reviews, and other textual data to determine the emotional tone behind the words. This gives you actionable insights, allowing you to adjust your messaging and offerings in real-time. For instance, if customers start expressing dissatisfaction with a product or service, AI can flag the trend early, giving your team the opportunity to address issues before they escalate. Ultimately, this ability to read customer emotions on a large scale enables marketers to create a more authentic, customer-first strategy.

4. AI-Driven Ad Optimization: Precision Targeting in Real-Time

Ad campaign strategy

When it comes to optimizing your ad campaigns, it’s no longer just about trial and error. Instead, AI takes the guesswork out of ad targeting and budgeting by making real-time adjustments based on performance data. More specifically, AI-driven platforms tap into data like user behavior, engagement metrics, and demographic information to determine where and when your ads will hit the mark. On top of that, these platforms are always fine-tuning things—adjusting bids, placements, and creative elements—to help you get the most value from your investment. The end result? Smarter spending, higher engagement, and better overall ad performance!

5. Content Creation: The Balance Between AI Automation and Human Creativity

Businesses of all sizes can leverage AI as a supportive tool to enhance content creation—whether it’s generating ideas, producing drafts, spotting trends, or improving SEO strategies. As a result, marketers can shift their focus toward high-level strategies like creative development. However, it’s important to note that while AI streamlines these processes, it’s not without its limitations. For instance, AI can sometimes miss the mark on tone, making content sound impersonal or robotic. Issues like content quality or accuracy can also arise. To avoid these pitfalls and ensure the content feels genuine and aligns with your brand’s voice, human oversight is still crucial. After all, it’s about finding that sweet spot where technology and creativity work hand in hand!

6. Dynamic Pricing: Staying Competitive with AI-Driven Flexibility

AI’s ability to process data in real-time is a game-changer for dynamic pricing strategies that can adapt on the spot. Whether it’s shifts in supply and demand, changes in competitor pricing, or customer buying patterns, AI helps keep your prices competitive while maximizing profits. This is especially useful in e-commerce and retail. For example, if an item isn’t selling well, AI can lower the price in real-time to stimulate sales. This way, you can quickly respond to market trends and optimize your revenue. While AI dynamic pricing offers immense benefits, it’s important to also consider the ethical implications involved. To successfully navigate this future, businesses must prioritize transparency, fairness, and consumer trust. In this way, you can harness AI’s power to not only drive sales but also build lasting customer relationships and achieve long-term brand success!

Boosting Your AIQ for Marketing Success!

AI is fundamentally reshaping marketing, making processes more data-driven, precise, and efficient. By embracing AI marketing strategy—like personalized customer experiences, predictive analytics, sentiment analysis, and dynamic pricing—you can elevate your AIQ and keep your brand ahead of the competition. So, what role does AI play in your current marketing strategy, and what additional steps can you take to amplify its effectiveness?

Also Read Considering The Pros and Cons of Using Artificial Intelligence In Marketing

Next-Gen-Marketing-2024_CTA

 

b2b branding

Using Your Brand Story To Reach Millennials In Business

/in , , , /by

Millennials are the largest generation in the workforce today and they’re taking on important leadership and decision-making roles. In fact, nearly half of all B2B researchers are Millennials.

As a group, Millennials change jobs much more frequently than previous generations. So every six months, you may find yourself having to reintroduce your brand to a whole new group of buyers.

How do you convey your brand’s core values and competitive advantages in the best light to reach this younger generation of buyers?

In order to connect your brand with today’s prospects and customers, make storytelling a part of your content creation and messaging. Effective storytelling not only captivates Millennials but also strengthens Brand Development by conveying your brand’s values in a compelling and meaningful manner.

Stories Are Memorable

A good story creates lasting impressions of your brand. Stories distinguish your brand from the competition, and consumers are going to remember emotion, characters, and conflict from a story longer than they will remember facts about your product or service.

To put it simply, if you tell a good story that emphasizes who your brand is and what your brand believes in, people will remember it.

Stories Are Easy To Understand

Brand stories are effective, because they inform in a format that readers already know and understand. Stories are made up of three basic components: beginning, middle and end. When developing a brand story, think about those components in terms of the past, present and the future. The past highlights the challenge or the problem that your brand set out to solve. The present showcases how you solve that challenge. And the future demonstrates your success and suggests continuation of that success moving forward.

Click here to learn what brand development is and how it works.

Stories Create Trust

Millennials are more likely to connect with a brand when they believe in that brand’s core values. When Millennials are researching a purchase, they are looking at dozens of different companies, each time wondering, “Why should I buy from you?” If you engage those buyers, and answer that question with a story that is built around your core values, then you’ve built an emotional connection and the trust of that customer. 

Stories Show Your Brand’s Personality

Is your brand fun and quirky? Serious? Hip? Thought provoking? Innovative? Intellectual? Dedicated? Whatever it is, your story should reflect that.

Your story should highlight your personality and showcase what is different and unique about your brand. It should demonstrate your values and what motivates and inspires you. This will bring your brand to life and create a human element that allows customers to develop an emotional connection to your brand through effective Brand Communication.

Stories Are Sharable

Strong brand stories will spread through social media. Enhancing your story with visuals and videos will expand the reach of your story and make it even easier for others to share.

Current research shows that 62 percent of Millennials are more likely to buy if a brand engages them online. Sharing your brand story will help build relationships between your brand and the growing group of Millennial buyers.

story branding

What’s Trending in Marketing for August 2024

/in , , , , /by

Welcome to our August 2024 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing trends and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing trends and reports in summer 2024.

Increase in Subscriptions

Subscription-based services have been becoming more and more common lately, and are expected to continue to grow in popularity. These services provide companies with recurring revenue. Subscription-based services also increase customer value, and can be used to incentivize higher engagement. Consumers especially value subscription offers that are tailored to customer preferences. Read more.

Lowe’s is Rebranding

Lowe’s is rebranding. The home improvement retailer is now calling its retail media network “Lowe’s Media Network.” They will be launching four new channels this year: direct mail for install services, in-store audio, paid search, and email. Lowe’s will also be expanding placements on their app. Read more.

Skin Care Pop-Up Event (With A Bus)

Neutrogena is hosting a Boost Bus pop-up event on August 31st and September 1st in Toronto. People will have the opportunity to talk with skincare experts to learn about skin vitality, protecting the skin, and hydration. The event will have games and prizes in addition to product samples. Read more.

Improving Your Marketing Program

6 Tips for Improving Brand Communication 

Brand communication is how your company communicates with their current and future customers. Good brand communication builds and maintains brand loyalty among customers in addition to setting your company apart from the competition. It is a core aspect of a company’s strategy and is important to the company’s success. Click here to learn six tips for improving your company’s brand communication.

5 Ways to Improve Your Display Ads 

Display advertising is a kind of online advertising that uses copy, images, and other visual elements. They come in many different formats like banner ads, video ads, interactive ads, and more. The benefits of display ads include brand awareness, visual appeal, performance tracking, and targeting capabilities. Click here to learn five ways to improve your display ads.

The Website Redesign Process- Why Content Comes First?

Redesigning a website is a time to boost the brand image, refresh the look and content of the website, and update all the product listings and sales offers. Learn why copy should be refreshed on your new and improved website, and how to do it. Read more.

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

Say Goodbye to Third-Party Cookies

Due to their users’ concerns about data privacy and protection, Google is currently phasing out third-party cookies. This will be finished in 2025. Being able to use third-party cookies to track user behavior across sites has allowed for audience segmentation and the use of targeted ads. To keep gathering consumer data without third-party cookies, offer rewards to users who give you their information and keep utilizing first-party cookies. Read more.

User-Generated Content

limited time offer

Consumers’ desire for authenticity on social media platforms has given rise to user-generated content. Many customers do not trust advertisements, but they trust content made by real people. In the past five years, search engine interest for “user generated content” has increased by 200%. Read more.

Ethics and Sustainability

Your product or service alone is no longer enough. Today’s consumers care about the values of the brand selling that product or service, particularly the values that pertain to social and environmental responsibilities. This has prompted brands to partake in and showcase ethical and sustainable practices. Read more.

Extreme Personalization

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing marketers to tailor digital experiences to individual consumers better than ever before. This personalization through AI will allow marketers to give consumers inclusive experiences. AI can also assist marketers in understanding their audiences and delivering content to consumers in local languages. Read more.

Give your website a makeover Get our FREE website redesign checklist here!
brand

6 Tips for Improving Brand Communication

/in , , /by

Brand communication is how your company communicates with their current and future customers. It influences customer relationships and shapes how the brand is perceived. Good brand communication can build and maintain brand loyalty among customers. It can also set your company apart from the competition. A good brand communication strategy will showcase your brand’s personality and your unique value propositions in addition to highlighting what it is that makes your products/services distinguishable from those of your competitors. It’s easy to see why good brand communication is important to a company’s success. Here are 6 tips for improving your company’s brand communication.

1. Focus Your Messaging On Benefits:

Consumers choose to buy products/services that will positively impact their life. Use testimonials or real-world situations that showcase other customers experiencing positive results. This allows potential buyers to envision themselves enjoying your product/service. Tell your customers how your product/service will help or benefit them rather than just listing off information about it. This will more effectively convince them to choose your product/service over your competition’s alternative. Many products/services offer similar features, but the way those features translate into tangible benefits for the consumer can set your product/service apart. Explaining how your product/service uniquely meets customer needs provides a convincing reason for customers to choose your product/service over those of your competitors. Making this differentiation is especially effective in crowded markets where there are a multitude of available options.

2. Keep It Consistent:

Visual branding elements help create the specific feeling and experience you’re trying to evoke from your brand. Keep your visual branding elements consistent across your social media posts, website, and all brand communication to increase brand recognition and build a cohesive brand identity. Visual branding elements include your logo, typography, imagery, color scheme, and more. Brand recognition can increase by 80% when you use a signature color. Having your visual branding differ across brand communication can confuse customers and look sloppy and unprofessional. The lack of cohesion can make it more difficult for customers to develop a distinct and lasting impression of your brand. It can also weaken your brand’s credibility.

Conversely, uniform visual branding elements create a sense of familiarity among customers. It also fosters trust and increases brand recognition. In order to maintain consistency when it comes to visual branding elements, you should create and follow a brand style guide that includes your logo, typography, imagery, color scheme, and any other necessary specifications. Doing so will make sure that your external partners, as well as your own team members, produce consistent visual branding elements to represent your brand. 

3. Strategically Select Distribution Methods:

Brand communication will do you no good if it is not distributed properly. When distributing brand communication (emails, posts, etc.), it is important to consider two things. One is the best way to distribute the content itself. The medium you utilize for disseminating your brand communication should align with the kind of content you are sharing. Social media should be used for sharing visual content, LinkedIn is best for sharing professional content, etc. Match your content to the appropriate platform to guarantee that your message is delivered in the most effective manner.

The other important thing to consider is the best way to distribute the brand communication based on who it is for. Understanding your audience is necessary to select the best distribution methods, as different demographics have different preferences receiving brand communication. For example, the best way for your brand to communicate with Baby Boomers is different from the best way to communicate with Gen Z.

email envelope

4. Use Images With Real People:

What would make you want to buy a bag of chips more, a picture of a bag of chips or a picture of someone with a huge smile on their face while eating some of the yummy chips? Images that feature real people create an emotional connection with your audience. They also help your potential customers picture themselves using your product/service.  To show consumers that your product will make their life better, show them pictures of people enjoying your product rather than a picture of just the product. An additional reason to use images that feature real people is that it makes customers more likely to perceive your brand as trustworthy, which fosters a stronger brand connection.

happy person looking at tablet

5. Pay Attention To Your Headlines:

Make your headlines compelling and clear in order to catch your audience’s attention. The ideal headline length is approximately 6-8 words. Headlines that are too short can be vague and confusing. Headlines that are too long are often skimmed over by readers, or ignored all together. A headline that is too long and packs in too much information also leaves nothing for the subheadline to do. This brings us to our next point.

6. Pay Attention To Your Subheadlines:

A subheadline should support the headline, and include details that expand on it. Again, do not go overboard with the length. If your subheadline is too long, you risk overwhelming your readers, causing them to skip over it entirely. The ideal headline length is approximately 10-30 words. This range keeps the text readable while also allowing you to provide details. Remember to avoid redundancy. Your subheadline should expand on your headline, not repeat it.

Brand communication is a core aspect of a company’s strategy. It influences customer relationships, shapes how the brand is perceived, and sets the company apart from their competition. Use the 6 above tips to improve your company’s brand communication.

brand development

What is Brand Development and How Does It Work?

/in , , , /by

A successful business depends on your ability to strengthen your brand reputation and generate brand awareness. To do that, you need to develop a strong brand. Your brand consists of a lot of different elements. Those elements combine to create a brand identity that separates your business from your competitors. Brand development is the ongoing process of creating and maintaining that brand identity.

What is Brand Development Exactly?

Brand development is a process of creating and differentiating your company’s image, products, and services from your competitors. It is like creating a promise to customers, and consistently delivering on that promise. With that in mind, the following are steps you should take to develop your brand:

1. Determine Your Brand’s Purpose

If you don’t know your purpose, neither will consumers – and that’s not going to help you when it comes to generating brand awareness. In order to set brand goals and to evaluate how your brand is performing over time, you will need to have a clear understanding of what your brand’s purpose is. Exactly why does your brand exist? What problems does your brand solve? Why should consumers care about your brand? A strong brand needs to have a well-defined purpose.

2. Differentiate Your Brand From Your Competitors

One of the things that define the strength of your brand identity is your ability to differentiate it from other competing brands. If consumers can’t tell the difference between you and your competitors, it means your brand is weak. Develop your unique selling proposition to help your brand stand out in a crowded field. Doing so will also help you craft your message. Being able to stand out is arguably one of the most important facets of a successful brand.

Read More: Developing A Brand Marketing Strategy By Determining Your Company’s Make Or Break

3. Identify Your Audience

The success of your brand will depend on whether or not you reach an audience that engages and relates with your brand. However, if you’re targeting the wrong audience, you will fail massively when it comes to building a strong brand identity and establishing a stellar brand reputation. If you don’t target a specific audience (as in, you attempt to reach everyone), your message won’t reach the right people. If you know who your audience is, you’ll be able to create content that’s more helpful and relevant to them, which will only help to boost your brand awareness and brand authority.

There are many ways that you can identify who your audience is. Use the information that you’ve collected from your opt-in forms and from previous customers. Use your social media data. Request customer feedback. All of this information can help you figure out the demographics of your audience as well as their wants and needs. Use this data to develop buyer personas, thereby allowing you to address every different segment of your target audience.brand development

4. Implement A Unique Voice

Your brand needs to be relatable to your target audience. As such, you need to incorporate what you know about your target audience’s demographics to develop your brand voice. The voice is the personality that you create for your brand to communicate with your audience. For example, Uber’s brand voice is considerate and direct. Old Spice uses a masculine and humorous voice. Nike has an inspirational voice. As you can see, the voice a company uses in all of its marketing and communication efforts defines a big part of its brand identity.

5. Create A Distinct Brand Aesthetic

The look of your brand needs to be recognizable as it will help to make your brand identifiable. The log is an important part of this. Some of the most successful brands in the world are recognized by their logo. For instance, the Nike swoosh or Apple’s apple with a bite taken out of it. These logos are so well known that they don’t even need the company name to accompany them. Keep in mind that aesthetic doesn’t just refer to the logo — it also refers to the type of font used to display your company name as well as the color combination associated with your brand. For instance, Facebook is associated with blue and McDonald’s with red and yellow.

6. Maintain Consistency Across Channels

The biggest mistake you can make is to make adjustments to your branding based on the channel you’re on. For instance, taking on a more serious tone on LinkedIn and then using a more informal and joking tone on Twitter. Or using different visual elements on social media than you use on your website. Such inconsistency will hurt your brand identity because your audience will become confused over who you are.

The importance of Brand development plays a pivotal role in the success and sustainability of a business. These are the steps that you will need to take to develop your brand. Keep in mind that brand development is a long-term strategy. Every marketing decision you make affects your brand and contributed to your brand’s identity, reputation, and awareness. As such, you need to take these steps to ensure that your brand development starts off with a strong foundation.