Remarkable Brands
You have the creative concept and aesthetic for your marketing campaign figured out. And, you think it’s highly original and moving…and it’s going to convert audiences into customers.
But – before you begin producing the content, make sure the track is well laid and your campaign won’t fall over at the first hurdle. Make sure you’ve strategically created your marketing so you can authentically connect with your target audience and propel your brand to success.
Start by asking yourself – what makes your audience unique? As a group, and as individuals?
If you want to authentically connect with your audience, you must understand how to relate to them. This includes understanding their preferred communication methods, and language that attracts and engages them.
How do you do this you may ask? You start by profiling them. Understand the demographics and psychographics of your audience and then shape your communication into a style that reflects your audience. The more you understand your audience, the better positioned you are to form a meaningful relationship with them – and, better serve them with your product/service.
You may wonder how this relates to your marketing specifically? Well, one of the key purposes of marketing is to capture attention. And, how do you capture the attention of your audience? That’s far easier to answer once you know more about them. When you understand your audience, your marketing efforts switch from hoping to grab the attention of people across the market, to focused endeavors only where your target audience hangs out. And, that’s where true traction begins.
Learn how to humanise your brand persona so you can authentically connect with your audience in our blog 5 brand fundamentals you haven’t nailed yet.
Your brand positioning is one of the most important things you can define. Key things to ask yourself include:
- where does your brand sit within the market?
- how is it priced in comparison to your competition?
- is it aimed at a specific audience?
- does it serve a niche market? And, who are they?
- are there gaps in the market you could fill with a slight adjustment to your brand/product?
All of these questions (once answered) help refine your focus – and, vitally reduce the noise for people trying to find your brand to solve their problem. Plus, knowing the answers to these questions, gives your brand the best chance to stand apart from your competition.
When it comes to marketing, it should always center on your audience and focus on relating to them on a more personal level (see Audience Profiling above). This builds a connection with your audience that your competitors may not have. To successfully and efficiently execute this, you need to have an in-depth understanding of the things that make your audience human. As we know, to be human is to be unique.
And, once you understand your audience’s unique humanness, you’ll know how to speak to them in a way they relate to. The things you say, the way you say them and how you communicate all form your brand’s personality. When you have a deep understanding of your audience and you’ve shaped your brand’s personality around it – then your marketing efforts are focused, precise and encompass the right ingredients to cut through the market noise and resonate with the right people.
Your brand’s language and voice can make or break your efforts to connect with your audience. If you attempt to speak with your audience in a tone and language they don’t relate to or don’t associate with the product/service you’re promoting – nine times out of ten, what you say won’t register. More importantly, your audience will see you as more alien than familiar.
So, how might this happen in the real world? Say a prospective customer stumbles across your brand on Instagram. They like the visuals so they go to your page and click a link to take them to your website. Your website quite rightly promotes your product, and all the features and benefits...but in a voice and language the customer can’t relate to. In under a second that customer has clicked away taking with them their sale, and their potential social share/interaction and word of mouth referral.
At the end of the day, your marketing efforts can be summarised as driving awareness of your brand in your given market. You’re driven by shaping the perception of your brand in the minds of your target audience with a goal to influence their buying choices.
A messaging strategy is critical to the success of connecting and engaging your target audience. Your brand’s messaging is the individual key messages that you want your audience to understand about your brand. These need to be clear and consistent. Take time to figure out your optimum messaging, focusing on your deep understanding of your audience – what motivates them, what frustrates them and what tips them over to taking action.
You can also explore messaging strategies further in our blog 5 brand fundamentals you haven’t nailed yet.