Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Top 10 Brand Tips for 2014

With the dawn of another year, it’s time for brands to pull up their sleeves, so to speak, and plan and implement effective brand strategies to stand out among the competition. Here’s my list of ten tips for businesses of all sizes – small, medium, and large – to build strong brands for 2014 and beyond.

Brand Tip #1:
Consistency is the name of the game – all printed and online messaging must have the same look, script, and voice to create quick brand awareness.

Brand Tip #2:
Ask all employees to state your brand promise. If they cannot, then train them, and also add brand awareness as part of your new employee onboarding.

Brand Tip #3:
Consider if an eBook would be an effective marketing tool for your brand to showcase your competitive advantage or to provide valuable assistance for your customers and prospects.

Brand Tip #4:

How connected is your brand to your customers? Does your brand have a digital footprint on social networking sites? Are specific sites more appropriate to your industry than others? And how does social marketing align with all other marketing initiatives?

Brand Tip #5:
Tell your brand’s story with customer-centric examples and success stories.

Brand Tip #6:
Identify KPIs (key performance indicators) so that you can measure the strength and reach of your branding campaigns.

Brand Tip #7:
Do you want brand advocates, influencers, or ambassadors? Start with your employees.

Brand Tip #8:
What does mobile mean to your brand, and how have you incorporated mobile into your marketing mix?

Brand Tip #9:
According to a recent survey, 83% of Americans want brands to support philanthropic causes. Does yours?

Brand Tip #10:
Re-evaluate your product/service, target audience or audiences, and competitive positioning on a regular basis.

What would you add to this list?

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Image Credit: http://instagram.com/thatmarketinglife


This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.

2 comments:

  1. Great points Debbie! I particularly like point two- I've never seen this in any other article before but now that you have mentioned it, it seems all too clear; a brand is never better represented then by its own employees so if they all aren't on the same page then there will be an immense struggle!

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