Every big brand started as an idea. A single person had to put pen to paper and begin figuring out what it was they wanted to accomplish with their brand. Creating strategy crucial to making any brand successful and in some cases it can be easily overlooked.
Whether your brand is an artist, musician, band, business or product, you have most likely planned out the steps that it will take to accomplish your goals. Brands know that without a valid and feasible plan of action, it is difficult to accomplish goals and remain profitable in the process. But more importantly, no plan is complete without strategy. Strategy is, in this case, the realization of opportunity. Without strategy, opportunities for your brand to be better, more profitable, more efficient, and more attractive to customers will slip past you. These opportunities give brands the momentum they need to accelerate into the marketplace.
All strategy aside, a great product remains central to any profitable brand; but without strategy even great products can fall flat on their face. Here are a few tips to kick-start your brand strategy:
1. Know Your Markets
The “s” at the end of markets is the key to this obvious pointer. In some cases, your brand will appeal to multiple audiences. It is the responsibility of the brand to be in touch with their audience and be able to identify who they are, where they live, what they sound like and what they want to buy. And if your target markets don not want to buy, give it to them for free. Money comes in time; there are millions of ways to monetize your brand, products, and content. But your brand will always benefit from a well-informed, dedicated audience.
2. Saturate Your Markets
Keep in mind that saturation does not mean over-saturation. It is the responsibility of the brand to constantly be creating enough supply to at least barely meet demand. If you are able to accomplish this, audiences can be satisfied while your brand increases it’s value. Content is key for up and coming brands. Maintain consistent interactions and expect your fans to make consistent referrals. Content creates a foundation for the integrity of your network, remember that no one wants to be a part of a broken machine.
3. Consistency Builds Brands
If audience engagement is about building a relationship with fan and brand, then fans need to know how to find what they want, when they want it, and where to find it. It is the responsibility of the brand to move this principle to the next level, giving their brand a clear aesthetic, quality content, and consistent message. For example, if your fans are more likely to visit your website or facebook, then to go to a familiar search engine like Google for the information they need about your brand; you can consider your brand strategy a success. The principle here is creating foundations for long-term relationships. Which is more valuable—An audience that will give you $0.99 once a month? Or an audience that will give you $70 at least once every year?
4. DIRECT Your Brand
Just a simple acronym to aid you in your branding cycles:
Define
Interact
Revise
Circulate
Triumph
By the time you get to triumph, you will already have defined your brand, interacted with your target markets customer base, revised the vision and focus of your online campaign, and circulated your campaign to customers all over the world. Cycling your online branding in this way will allow your brand to adapt quickly to changing environments, while keeping your audience motivated and engaged.
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Justin Glenn Davis is the Lead Strategist at Oniracom in Santa Barbara, CA. Follow him on Twitter: @JustTheDavis
