What do some of the largest companies in the world have in common? They have all excelled at building memorable brands that connect with their target audience. A brand is more than just a logo put on various marketing materials. It encompasses how customers perceive a particular company. The distinction is important because a strong brand has staying power.
Think about the Golden Arches from McDonald’s. It’s a widely recognised symbol of perhaps the most popular restaurant chain. Consumers around the world know exactly what to expect and some may even make a detour after seeing the bright yellow arches. That’s the power of a strong brand.
Creating a memorable brand is just the first step as a business owner. Here we’ll look at how to ensure your brand is right for your target audience.
Research Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is at the foundation of an effective marketing strategy. If you attempt to reach everyone then your message will lack focus and likely fail to make an impression.
Gather as much information as you can about your target audience. Start by examining the products or services you offer. What age groups do they appeal to? What gender is your audience? What is their income level and what are their interests? The more you understand about your market, the better you’re able to create a more cohesive campaign.
Many social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have analytical tools available. Use these tools to fill in any gaps as you research your audience. Once you have a clearer picture of who you’re marketing to, the next step is to create a value proposition you can use in your marketing campaigns.
Think About the Value of Your Offer
The effects of emotion on consumer behaviour are well documented. Research has shown that consumers primarily rely on emotions than on information when evaluating brands. Tapping into these emotions then can give your brand even more of a competitive advantage but how?
Instead of rattling off the features and technical details of your products, connect those into tangible benefits that your audience can visualise. For example, here’s how Apple positions the cameras on its iPhone: “An innovative dual-camera system integrates the ISP, the Neural Engine, and advanced algorithms to unlock new creative possibilities and help you capture incredible photos.”
The average consumer may not understand technical terms like ISP or Neural Engine. But the last part of that statement lets them see what they can do (capture incredible photos). Think about the value your products or services offer and communicate that in your marketing materials.
Test Your Branding With Ads
You’ve done extensive research on your target audience and created a strong message that reflects the value of what your business offers. The only way to tell just how effective your branding is to run tests. That way you can evaluate the response and make changes as needed.
There is no shortage of platforms you can utilise to run a marketing campaign on – Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc. With each, you can not only create ads for your business but even have them delivered to an audience you define. Set a budget and let your ads run for enough time so you have more robust data to work with. You can even run split tests to see which versions of your ads deliver the most conversions.
Growing a brand takes a considerable amount of work. It’s not something that happens overnight as some of the largest companies in the world have spent decades cultivating their brands. Follow the steps above to better focus your branding efforts to appeal to your target audience.
