Brand Development Tips for 2013 – Generate More Business through Trust-Building Exercises
“Brand development” is often thrown around as a buzz word for companies that are looking to generate more business, but often there is no clear definition for the brand creation strategy or goals. If your company is looking to diversify its market next year, increase service offerings or product lines or even begin a brand creation strategy, keep in mind that the first step of any shift in the brand perspective of your target market can affect business negatively as well as positively. The trust factor between you and your customers is crucial to the success of any brand development exercise to effectively generate more business.
What Is Brand Trust?
Before you embark into new frontiers with your business, you need to get your target market to trust you and what your brand offers them. That requires several steps right out of the gate, built into a solid strategy with a specific goal in mind.
When your target market trusts you, they feel more inclined to turn to you when they need what you offer them. Sound simplistic? It is.
Think about some of the larger brands that have successfully expanded their product line– let’s say, Sears.
The “Come and see the softer side of Sears” campaign was hugely successful. It moved the market perspective of a brand that was largely known for their tools, appliances and technology offerings into a space that offered better clothes, home furnishings and “softer” home products. How did they do it?
They maintained the trust of their target market while branding themselves as “softer” for the new lines they wanted to promote.
Check out one of the first commercials from their campaign.
How did they do it?
Sears was a brand long known for their tools, tractors, appliances, etc. Their department stores carried clothing, home goods and other “soft products” and they wanted to move further into that space. That meant refocusing their efforts on a different target market, in this case women, while still maintaining their male consumer base.
Trust Building Exercises For Every Brand
Even if you brand is not as well-known as Sears or have the foothold in your market they had, it’s possible to implement some reliable trust-building tactics for brand development that can give you the trust you need to refocus or expand your business.
Educational Content
Begin your trust building exercise by talking to your target market. Use educational content, blog posts, articles, tip sheets, whitepapers or videos to share your company’s view on your industry. Share what you offer your target market that differentiates you from the competition and why your target market should turn to you when they need your offerings. Consistency and Timeliness
Once you know what types of content you intend to share in your “new” brand creation efforts, selecting the right timeline is crucial. Each target audience is on a different timeframe. That said, be sure you’re reaching out to your audience when they are seeking information. Buyers today are fickle and have more than enough options at their fingertips. Hit them when their needs are felt most poignantly and do it consistently.
Maintain Focus
When you turn your focus to promoting new services or products, or want to reach out to a new market, it’s important that you not forget about your existing programs or audiences. Churning new sales for old won’t help generate more business, it will just change the type of sales you are making. So, be sure to keep talking to your current customers while you shift gears.
Brand development is an ongoing process in the lifecycle of any company. They key to using it to generate more business is to develop a specific strategy and quantitative goals before making a move. When considering your brand’s strategy for 2013, keep these points in mind.