From Lyft's Pink Light to Wendy's Sassy Tweets, Strong Brands Stand Out. Make Sure Yours Does Too. If your branding comes off as boring or follows the same patterns, coloring and messaging as your competitors, you probably won't get the results you want to see.
By Morissa Schwartz Edited by Amanda Breen
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Excellent branding is imperative if you want to have a thriving business. See golden arches? You know it's McDonalds without even reading the word. If you see a pink oblong light in the back window of a vehicle, you know it's a Lyft. When you see an apple with a bite taken out of it, you know it's not a PC.
That is why knowing your audience and being clear on who you are and why they should work with you are crucial. Here are some top tips on how to get your brand to stand out.
Hire the right people
One of the most important aspects of any company is the ability to hire the right people. However, many businesses miss the mark when it comes to hiring people who will bring new and necessary skills to the company's brand. Instead of looking at the background and proven history of a potential employee, they base their assessment on which candidate has the most celebrity and big-name connections.
Sometimes, instead of looking at connections, the hiring manager will consider how successful the candidates were in their past positions. Look for candidates with transferable marketing and business skills instead of relying on whom they know. Connections are great, but if the person doesn't know how to utilize and implement a strategy with his or her contacts, what is the point of having him or her? Someone who knows how to create relationships and then use those relationships to further the company brand is much more of an asset and can make all the difference when attracting potential clients.
Related: Why Branding Is Even More Relevant to Businesses Today?
Offer more to your customers
Your customers, especially repeat customers, are your company's bread and butter. They are the ones who will determine whether your company is a success or a failure. Creating a customer experience that provides high-quality services or products with substantial benefits will build brand loyalty and trust. One of the most significant ways to develop this trust is by offering free products or services. These services can include free consultations, giveaways or sample products, or a money-back guarantee. When customers can experience something for free, they tend to return because you have already gained their trust.
Speaking of rebates…
Invest in rebate marketing
Another way to offer more to your clients for less is to provide cashback rebates. This method is particularly effective for newer brands or companies looking to promote themselves. Deal-promotion sites help brands market and advertise rebates to potential online shoppers. These platforms instruct customers to purchase their products on Amazon, Walmart and other online marketplaces. When they confirm their purchase using the order ID, they reimburse for up to 100% of the purchase price. The idea is to get customers familiar with your product and generate word-of-mouth marketing. Shoppers' ability to get cashback rebates will entice them to buy, especially when purchasing the product from a platform they trust. Once they buy the product, your product's branding and quality will speak for themselves, thus creating brand loyalty and excitement. Plus, when sites like Amazon see high sales to these sellers, they will rank them more highly, leading to more organic sales for them. It's a win-win.
Build relationships
Being authentic and offering your customers more services are great ways to build a relationship. Building relationships is one of the absolute best marketing strategies you can implement in your business. Relationship marketing allows you to create long-lasting partnerships with your clients so they continue to come back. They are also more likely to recommend your business to their friends, attracting more clients to your company. These methods turn clients into repeat customers for years on end — and some even into personal friends. It also leads to referrals for future business.
Related: 9 Tips for Creating an Awesome Brand
Continually improve yourself
While focusing on your customers is necessary to have a successful marketing campaign, you also need to focus on yourself. Whether you are trying to adapt to trends, public opinions or changing technology, it is essential to constantly improve yourself and your business. You can take business classes or consistently do a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) analysis on your company to ensure you are moving with the times. Some businesses do a complete update of their entire website every two to three years to serve customers' changing needs and ensure they have the best user experience at every touchpoint.
Get punny
Building relationships and getting your name out in the industry through rebates are great marketing strategies, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get a little creative. Many brands have found success in creating puns out of their name, putting together comical advertisements and gaining popularity through their humorous voices. These work especially well on social media. Who hasn't enjoyed Wendy's sassiness on Twitter? Puns and other comical techniques are helpful for catching, engaging and converting customers' attention into sales.
Getting your business the attention it deserves can be challenging, but there are game-changing strategies to help make your brand stand out. By focusing on your customer relationships, investing in your company outreach and getting creative, you can carve a piece of the market out for yourself and your business too.
Related: 4 Branding Strategies Every Startup Founder Should Know About
