Wednesday, October 12, 2016

How People Want To Learn About Brands

How do people want to learn about your brand? It’s a question that marketers have struggled with for years. But, if you want to spread brand awareness and attract new customers, you can give these six techniques a try.

 

Hear it from brand owners

It’s no secret that the biggest brand advocates are the owners of the business. Could you image Microsoft without Bill Gates, Apple without Steve Jobs, Virgin without Richard Branson, or Tesla without Elon Musk? Of course not.

When the owner passionately shares their origins, struggles, advice and why they believe their products or services are the best, customers form a bond with that individual since they trust that this individual has their best interests in mind.

If you’re a brand owner, start writing blog posts, write for another publication, get in front of a camera, and make sure that you’re active on social media. These are all proven ways to become a trusted authority figure, spread brand awareness, and connect with your audience.

 

Connect with influencers, customers, and review sites

A majority of customers site word-of-mouth recommendations and reading online reviews as the most important factors when making a purchase. For example, 74% of customers listed word-of-mouth recommendations as a key influencer, while 84% of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family, colleagues, and friends about products.

Brand’s can connect with influencers to help them spread brand awareness and build trust. Back in May 2016, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hired DJ Khaled, who has been dubbed “The King of Snapchat,” to share his favorite Vegas spots to his 6 million followers who are mainly in the 21-30 year-old age demographic. The two-day Snapchat takeover resulted in more than 400,000 views and 25,000 engagements for the VisitLasVegas channel.

Outside of influencers, make sure that you mentor your social channels and review sites for both negative and positive reviews. Remember, that one bad review on Facebook or Yelp could be seen hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Responding to these reviews and customers give you the opportunity to not only interact with customers, but also gather feedback on how to make your business better.

 

people

 

People want to know that someone is listening to them

This leads to my next point. People want to know that someone is listening to their problems or concerns. And, this doesn’t mean listening to what people are saying about your brand. It means that you’re listening to what they’re saying about your competitors.

Take for example when a customer discovered that T-Mobile didn’t charge extra for overseas data and then asked “What the hell am I still doing with AT&T?” on Twitter. That’s when T-Mobile jumped into the conversation by having a team member tweet, “You know there is an alternative to old-school wireless carriers, right? It’s called @TMobile, the #uncarrier”

After that the two companies battled it out on Twitter for the customer’s service. But, the deal was sealed when T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere tweeted the customer directly. Not only did that convince this specific customer, others watching the battle unfolded also made the switch T-Mobile.

Use social media monitoring tools not just to listen for mentions about your brand, but also your competitors so that you can save the day for a customer’s who is having a bad experience.

 

Communicate clearly the brand’s message

In today’s fast-paced world that is saturated with content, how can you clearly communicate your brand’s message?

For starters, make sure that you’re authentic. People don’t want to be considered a dollar sign. Patagonia is a company that focuses on creating reliable products that their customers love. They don’t make false promises. Instead, their focus is building bonds with people.

You also want to show your personality, like the quirky Old Spice and Dollar Shave Club ads, and create relevant content, such as Lowe’s with their DIY home improvement videos. You could also have customers and employees create content, like behind-the-scenes photos or videos.

Ultimately, you want to show your audience who you are, what you stand for, and how you’re different than your competitors.

 

Be inspirational

I’ll keep this short. People want to be inspired.

Using Patagonia as an example, again, the outdoor brand has crafted the following mission statement; “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, [and] use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

The company share content like horrifying environmental stats and donates 1% of sales to an Earth Tax, which supports environmental organizations around the world that take down dams, restore forests, protect endangered species, and promote sustainable agriculture practices. To date, the company has donated more than $70 million.

 

Try a new and creative approach

Don’t be afraid to hesitate to be innovative and try out new tactics. The New York Times has embraced virtual reality by using a free app and Google Cardboard to give its audience a new experience.

People may have never read the print version of the newspaper, but a younger audience is more than familiar with apps and Google Cardboard, so that may want to see what this whole New York Times experience is all about.

 

Back to you

What would you add? Let’s get the conversation going. I’d love to know what you think. Please use the comment section below to share your view.

The post How People Want To Learn About Brands appeared first on GetResponse Blog - Online Marketing Tips.

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