Today’s businesses face much greater challenges than they did even five years ago. Business trends are constantly evolving, affecting everything from consumer preferences to industry standards. As a result, both big and small brands must adapt to the shifting competitive landscape. To survive and compete with rivals, one must not only concentrate on offering high-quality goods or services but also run effective branding campaigns.
In the current market environment, branding your company can be challenging. With our list of creative branding tips, we aim to make it simpler for you. But first, let’s take a brief look at what branding entails and how the idea has evolved over time.
Top Creative Branding Advice for the Achiever
The act of giving a company a specific design or symbol in order to advertise its goods and services is referred to as branding in the dictionary. While this used to be a fairly accurate definition of the term “branding,” it is no longer appropriate. Many people still only care about a brand’s visual identity, such as its name, logo, packaging, etc. Although they remain a crucial component of any branding strategy, the concept has significantly changed over time.
Today, branding encompasses the entire process of identifying, developing, and coordinating the accumulative traits and deeds that influence stakeholders’ perceptions of a brand. The goal is to market your company in a way that sets it apart from the competition. Even though it may seem straightforward, developing a modern, cutting-edge branding strategy calls for solid market knowledge and expertise. Here are some practical tips for doing it.
- Maximize social media usage.
Our lives have become so much more exciting, fun, and eventful as a result of social media. In addition to uniting people on a global scale and fostering a sense of community, it provides a powerful platform for businesses to advertise. Instant communication with the audience is made possible, and social media influencers, who are frequently available for brand collaborations, were born as a result. There are many ways to maximise social media for your brand, from running a referral programme to sharing stories on Instagram. Try one or more of these creative branding ideas.
- Consider a referral scheme.
A referral programme is a word-of-mouth marketing technique that rewards your current and past customers for referring your goods and services to others. Whether the offer is a freebie, a limited-time discount, or a free item with every purchase, if it is compelling enough, people will promote your brand.
- Work with a different brand or account.
Working together with a company or account that is similar to yours but isn’t a direct rival can be beneficial. A larger and broader audience, increased social media buzz, increased brand value, and (occasionally) shared resources are some of the biggest advantages of brand partnerships. Start a joint project or simply share relevant posts on your social media accounts to promote each other.
Try making creative videos instead of your usual static Facebook and Instagram posts. Video not only conveys your message more effectively and more engagingly, but it also gives you more time and room for creative expression. They not only make your content more interesting and engaging than static content, but they also help your audience learn more about your goods and services and increase brand awareness.
As viewers discover and find value in your videos, they’ll also share them on social media, boosting web traffic and engagement rates. You can always seek the aid of a reputable branding agency if you find it difficult to produce creative video content.
- Check out Facebook Live.
Thanks to their high rate of engagement, ability to hold viewers’ attention, and improved SEO rankings, videos have unquestionably come of age in this generation. Users can share live-streaming videos using their smartphones or other mobile devices with Facebook Live Videos. All Facebook users who have an active profile or page can use this feature. Facebook has introduced an algorithm that elevates videos in the news feed so they are visible naturally, taking into account that viewers are more interested in watching videos than images.
Additionally, consumers can interact with your brand in real time with live videos (unlike images), building brand loyalty and trust. Live Facebook videos are spontaneous and unrehearsed in contrast to your regular product or service videos, which provide tidy and detailed information about your company. They foster a more personal connection and improve client retention. Facebook is unquestionably the best platform for going live and promoting your business, with more than 2.2 billion monthly active users and 8 billion video views each day.
- Consult chatbots on Messenger.
Client communication must be prompt when it comes to business sales, marketing, and support. Furthermore, chances are that if you take too long to respond to customers (for whatever reason), they will lose trust in you, become impatient, and switch to another company. This is precisely the situation where AI-powered chatbots are helpful because they can automate customer communication and greatly enhance the support process.
Studies show that 35% of consumers want to see more companies use chatbots to improve customer service. Instant response, consistent responses, one-on-one client conversations, multilingual chat, and 24/7 accessibility are some of the biggest benefits of using chatbots. Use your chatbot to provide informative content about your business to your followers, or switch it into a personal shopping assistant with personalised product and service suggestions.
- Choose “YouTube Marketing.”
There are many different channels and platforms available for digital branding. While it’s fun to explore Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, having a YouTube channel is the best way to market your videos and boost user engagement. Everyone enjoys watching videos. Videos are a compelling aspect of our lives, from movies and Facebook videos to subscription-based streaming shows. Videos should be a part of your creative branding strategy given their rising popularity. The following are some of the main advantages of YouTube marketing:
- Adhere to minimalist styles.
Forget the times when company logos, banners, and brochures needed to be colourful and have ornate lettering. Nearly all well-known brands, from Puma to KFC, are implementing clear, straightforward designs for both their print and digital promotions. Even startups are following in their footsteps and swearing by a simple, universally appealing brand image. It enables you to present your goods and services to the audience without being excessive. The term “minimalism” describes the use of only the most fundamental visual components, such as a straightforward sans-serif font and a limited colour palette.
For instance, Burger King’s rebranding strategy now takes on a more understated tone. While the previous logo was louder and more colourful, the revised version uses only two colours (red and orange) with a simple design.
- Create an instant tweet.
With the help of the unique tool known as Twitter Moments, you can make slideshows, or “Moments,” from various tweets. This feature is mostly used to tell stories, disseminate news, or compile a list of favourite Tweets. Use customer testimonials in your branding tweets or include links to blogs that discuss your goods or services to boost credibility and influence. Additionally, you should make a Twitter Moment to show your followers what is happening at an event you are hosting or at a seminar you are attending. This will pique their interest and make it easier for them to relate to your brand.
For instance, you could make a demonstration video of your goods or services and save it through Twitter Moments so that anyone visiting your profile can easily see it. Be sure to incorporate answers to the frequently asked questions about your brand or product and also include some client testimonials.
- Launch a TikTok contest.
TikTok, a well-known social networking platform where users can share and edit videos, was introduced in 2018. Short comedic videos, lip-synching videos, and trending parodies are some of the most well-liked types of video content on this platform. A video can be optimised and made more searchable by adding a pertinent title, description, and hashtags after it has been created and posted.
The social media platform now uses hashtags in its “Challenges” feature, which invites users to participate in hot debates. You increase the likelihood that your video will be shared twofold when you take part in a challenge and post a pertinent video.
- Use a listicle video to publicise content.
Listicles are articles with bulleted or numbered lists that are usually organised around a single theme. List and article are combined to form the name “listicles.” Videos with the list displayed as a slideshow with upbeat music playing in the background are referred to as video listicles in this context. Even though many may find this branding format to be stale and tiresome, it’s still beneficial to use it in your company’s digital marketing strategy.
For greater social exposure, convert your standard post into a listicle video and place it at the top of your blog section. You gain two advantages from a single branding strategy because well-known search engines like Google prioritise pages with embedded videos higher in search results than those without. Given that these videos are typically brief, viewers will be encouraged to click on them and perhaps even share them because they won’t need to devote a lot of time to them.
- Order a customised hashtag emoji.
Although this approach isn’t for everyone and is a bit pricey, the outcomes are unquestionably impressive. You want people to start talking about something big when you’re announcing or launching it. Having a branded emoji appear in your posts is a great branding strategy, especially when used with the hashtag of your choice. When custom-branded emojis are used in advertisements, consumer attention increases by almost 10%. Consumer interest and emotional connection are increased by six times when combined with a promotional video.
- Make use of TikTok advertisements.
There aren’t many ads on TikTok yet because the platform’s ad feature is still relatively new. Less advertising means less irritability for viewers and a lower likelihood of “skip ad” clicks from TikTok users. Users are more likely to trust the opinion of a person they like and follow than a typical brand endorsement, which is a surefire advantage of this type of branding. TikTok is known for only displaying real, authentic content, which is another reason why this platform is effective for influencer marketing.
Business branding ideas have undergone a great evolution, just as everything does with time and changing environments. The marketing techniques that were effective even a few years ago may have lost their effectiveness today.
- Set priorities
Prioritizing the innovations that will help them maximise and expand their brand portfolio is the next behaviour brand innovators should incorporate into their strategy. Instead of getting sidetracked by microtrends that don’t represent enough sales volume to make a significant difference, concentrate on brand-led innovation.
Instead, brand innovators should pinpoint and concentrate on the bigger, “white space” opportunities, paying close attention to the size of the opportunity and the competitive environment. Consumers don’t think in categories, so neither should your brand; keep that in mind. New entrants to the market may end up being your direct competitors due to adjacencies and other unforeseen circumstances.
- Build
Now that you’ve anticipated customer needs and identified the most important growth opportunities, it’s time to develop concrete ideas that capitalise on the opportunity and are consistent with your brand. Keep in mind that not all trends and movements suit all brands.
Concentrate on concepts that push the boundaries of categories while remaining pertinent. Avoid being “safe and simple” by developing and expanding your brand’s product line using the frustrations of your target market as guidelines. Your brand innovations and initiatives should be distinctive from the competition.
Conclusion
Maintaining the identity of the brand (its essence, promise, and raison d’être) at all times, as well as consistency in the quality and in the codes of communication and style, is essential when putting an emphasis on innovation and market adaptation (although the message changes over the years).
For brands to keep their promise to customers, innovation is necessary. Innovation requires that brands have a purpose and meaning. The marketing department and the innovation department are linked by a brand. To connect the organization’s strengths with the desires and needs of customers, innovation needs the brand as a compass. You may contact DesignLab for more information or any query.