The world changed the moment Internet or as it was popularly known back then- The World Wide Web was born almost 25 years ago. In this quarter of a century, technology and digital have been at the forefront of massive change- some great and some not so great but nevertheless we need to understand that this is not just about the present but actually what has been shaping our Futures in a manner that is overwhelming at times for us all. Our lives at the same time have become more integrated online than at any other time in History.
We interact with each other online via social media, email, and forums; we conduct business via complex, data-driven channels and innovations; and the culture we encounter online is fundamentally linked to that we come across in real life.
Where do brands, businesses, companies sit in all this? The IoT (Internet of Things) is a factor that cannot be ignored and brands big or small have to understand what Digital Transformation truly means! Many businesses are yet to even begin the steps which take them well beyond the basic website or the social media posts.
An ongoing consistent strategic approach to your brand actually evolving with digital as one of the major aspects to credibility visibility and growth is the Key here.
Let’s take a look at some simple but very key strategies that can make you and your company the champion that drives change in the digital world.
BRAND POSITIONING-
Your brand needs to communicate digitally to prospects and customers what it offers in terms of products/services. It also needs to be clear in its communications on why you are a better option as compared to your competitors- who are very easy to find with just a few keywords on a search engine.
Google is the single most used search engine in the world and this means there isn’t much between you and your competitors when it comes to your audiences.
One of the key aspects as a brand owner/marketer is to define the value proposition from your customer’s point-of-view and your digital assets need to walk this talk- through original content, key visuals and its key messages on social media profiles, blogs,online community forums etc etc
So this means your brand and it’s product/service can actually drive change from the front and center by harnessing Digital tools that sync up with your brand’s vision.
Any Brand that bases its value proposition on key factors of:-
Purpose
Values &
Relationships
Is the brand that will stand the test of time in this Digital Era.
Purpose= Highlights the raison d’etre for your brand to exist. Why should any customer want to consider your brand- This ‘WHY’ is the Heart of what your brand’s ethos reflects by being true to what is needed for your audience. How does it change their Life? Bringing this purpose to fruition by tangibly looking into the brand’s unfolding
and using certain strategic digital marketing tools like SEO, PPC can work wonders in communicating this purpose to the world.
Values= Being Genuine, Transparent, and Agile to respond to your customer’s demands or complaints are the Values that bring a brand to prominence. What the world values your brand in is hard to slot and it is always about the tangible Vs the intangible. Values stand the test of time and are actually from the inside out of any brand/company.
Relationships= Any brand that engages to build a relationship with its audience is the brand that more and more people want to connect with. To show that you truly care about your customers, your audiences and most importantly the relationships within the brand- the team is very powerful advertising by itself. Communicating this via – reviews, testimonials, engaging audiences with the brand’s team are some ways to build a consistent digital presence.
BRAND AWARENESS-
How much can you really say about your business in a little newspaper column? Or a one-minute long TV ad?
Gone are the days when a brand used to struggle to communicate awareness about it’s business in a print ad or a TV ad. Whether you are advertising or not, Digital platforms not only reach out to more of your brand’s customers but builds awareness of your brand 24/7 non stop! Compared to the extravagant amount of money some big brands pay for being seen in newspapers, magazines etc, any brand can spend substantially less on digital marketing to build awareness and yet at the same time be able to accurately measure ROI (Return on Investment)
With digital marketing you can instantly know if a campaign is working or not. Traffic can be measured with Google Analytics in real time by monitoring statistics, such as your conversion rate, demographics of your audience, profit and bounce rate.
In digital marketing you can advertise in multiple channels with display ads, SEO, social media, video reach and more. Your budget can be modified to run a campaign, or it can be modified to what you can afford at the time. It is flexible and can be managed ‘live’ so you can make adjustments as you go along: if it’s not working – change it!
This in a nutshell has the capability to massively boost your brand’s awareness and also advertise to your targeted audience.
BRAND PERSONALISATION
Develop Content that meets your customer’s needs= Keeping up with changing online behaviour is key to Brand personalisation. This simply means creating content that engages, invites interactions and builds long-term trust and credibility. Speaking to your customers as individuals and not as faceless nameless algorithms, using digital behavioral marketing and tracking brings your customers closer to the heart of your brand. Making online shopping experiences relevant to your customers by using targeted email marketing campaigns is fast and effective. Customer experience innovations on digital platforms can garner immense loyalty and your brand becomes a part of their lives. A journey that both the brand and the customers go on together.
BRAND CONSIDERATION
Most Marketers believe that using ‘Emotions’ is key to getting more customers for your brand.
In fact in a survey done in the UK in 2017 that analysed emotional performance for marketing campaigns what stood out primarily was this- Best performing emotions according to that survey were Achievement (You have Hit the big time by buying this product or service), Exclusivity (You are on the List), & Anxiety (Drop everything and engage with the brand right now!)
But this is not true Brand Consideration and such FOMO (Fear of missing out) tactics do not last long or play out well in the long run. To stay relevant in the digital world consistently any brand that builds steady awareness and actually considers the primary needs of its audiences are the ones that see more people flocking to their brand.
Most brands across the globe have easily fallen into this trap whereby they have ‘emotional hooks’ to ensnare their audience but such a short-term mission of only garnering sales at any cost actually drops the brand’s long term credibility once the game is up even though seemingly it could last a while considering a brand’s cycle.
As with all things- everything moves in a cycle and this is important to bear when it comes to your brand’s digital growth. An integrated Digital strategy supports your business, your team, your customers and your growth. Also Digital being Responsive in real time has the power to give you greater insights into how your brand is perceived in the world out there. We are all custodians of our lives, our work, our relationships and this Custodianship extends into the Digital world where we bring more Awareness to be more considerate with how we market our products, services and thus help chnage the world in a manner that is serving to everything instead of keeping it myopic and self-serving.
Be the Champion that drives this Change!
Are you going to lead this change? Are you a leader or a management consultant or a company that would like to know more on how to bring about a model that is capable of bringing this future to the present. If so get in touch with us. Our brand founder and author of this blog Chetan Jha is leading not just change but also innovation across the board through best practises that echo compassion understanding and reflection. To know more, email us: [email protected]