Brand and brand promotion are vital necessities for any business to scale high. While brand refers to the perceived image of the product you sell, brand promotion is the strategy to create that image. The better recall (positive association) a consumer has about a brand the better the position of the brand is. A brand helps you Generate a positive brand image along with brand values. This in itself means holding a strong position in the cognitive aspect of people, besides in the contemporary digital branding era.
As said by Walter Landor, “Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.” Therefore, brand promotion refers to the marketing strategy used to increase companies’ product/service awareness, increase customer loyalty, and sales – and overall increase companies’ value. This strategy is used by businesses to showcase to their customers why and how they are different from their competitors. It usually focuses on elements that can stand the test of time, although businesses do adjust promotions based on what is happening in the market. The efforts required to be effective with these techniques require that marketers be passionate about what they’re doing.
Brand Promotion plays a huge role in how your product is going to perform in the market, thereby increasing the brand visibility. Without doing the right promotion, you might end up not having proper exposure to your product in the market. Therefore we shall look into certain don’ts that one should avoid while doing the brand promotion.
1. Absence of Brand Guidelines
A survey performed by LucidPress (in partnership with Demand Metric) revealed that organizations with consistent branding experience have three to four times better visibility. Among the study’s 200 participants, 71 percent agreed that the ‘confusion creation’ in the market is the biggest negative impact of brand inconsistency.
A company lacking brand guidelines is bound to appear inconsistent, unprofessional, and untrustworthy. Professional brand guidelines on the other hand allow you to be cohesive and credible allowing you to put forward a consistent brand image. Hence brand guidelines should necessarily cover the following areas:
– How, when, and where to use the logo
– Tone, voice, and writing style
– Color schemes
– Visuals and imagery
– Fonts and typography
2. Prioritize bond rather than brand
Most businesses initially tend to exaggerate the material aspect by focusing on the brand and its features rather than developing a harmonious relationship with customers through various strategies.
The strategies may include narrating a story, sharing your experiences, and showing them how your product can help in solving their problem. Instead of highlighting the benefits and features, Use the story to change the game. It will cover all needed points along with developing an emotional engagement with your audience. Let your users know why your brand stands different among all.
3. Be extraordinary than ordinary
Everyone wants to jump into the world of business, and while most of them regret it, many others do the bare minimum. That is why that “excellent step” matters which no one else can take. Bringing innovative products to the table, trying and exploring new technology, etc can give you a strong edge.
Look out for places where customers are discussing their thoughts. In comments, you will get lots of people saying what they can’t find and that’s the goldmine for you. Therefore, instead of playing it safe, do something new, and be ready to fail.
4. Ignoring the Role of Influencers
Not working with influencers is one of the grave mistakes that contemporary business houses commit. Influencer marketing is a new trend of promoting your product. The majority of the customers tend to get attracted to the sayings of whom they like and believe the most. You can get in touch with influencers in your niche. Ask them to share their reviews or recommend the products to the audience. Not working with influencers is not just stopping you from getting in touch with a whole new audience. Also, it’s limiting your reach and blocking you out from your potential audience.
5. Neglecting Customer Experiences and Their Needs
Smart marketers never stop trying to understand exactly what their customer’s need. You know who your customers are, so why would you ignore their needs? Don’t try to force an idea or product on someone when it’s useless to them. There’s no easier way to annoy and turn away potential clients than by targeting the wrong interests.
If you’re not sure what your consumers want, do your research. If you’re still in doubt, listen to what their complaints are. Ask them to share their opinions in your website’s comments section, or create a poll. And then — most importantly — give them what they’re asking for.
Enhancing the focus on customer experience also requires resolving customer service issues promptly. Implement a system that can prioritize the customers first, like responding to emails within 24 hours or having a live chat feature on your website.
6. Not Creating Promotional Video of Product
Not using solutions provided by contemporary technology can lag you behind. One such method is Video marketing which can engage the laziest buyers too. It has been observed that people tend to get attracted to the visual aspects before them. So creating them can do wonders for you. It is always within budget and accessible to more than the majority of people through various social media platforms. You can use ideas such as guidance videos, benefits, features, and other important points. You can also add unboxing videos, showing the product’s overall look. You can show behind the scenes the history of the product.
7. Not Using New Brand Name
Sometimes your current brand is not efficient enough to promote your multiple products. Instead of using one brand name, you can start with a new one. The idea is to introduce your product with a new image so the customer can like it. As for you, choose the name that you think will fit your product and you feel confident that people will like it. Also, it will save you from wasting your money and time on something you feel won’t work.
8. Underestimating the Importance of a Logo
The logo is the face of the company. It’s the most recognizable feature of your brand. If you don’t do it properly in the beginning, changing it in the future may become a problem, especially when you haven’t fully established your presence in the market yet.
It’s also important to stick to a logo when your brand has already laid down its roots. Understand that a great logo isn’t just immediately recognizable but creates a lasting impression. It’s synonymous with the brand itself and a glimpse of the brand’s identity.
9. Mistaking Spamming As Promotion
Providing information is one thing but forwarding unnecessary information is not. One of the biggest mistakes you can ever commit in marketing is – Spamming your customer. The cases of spamming and bragging have become more prominent than before.
While doing brand promotion, make sure not to post automatic links, and spam your audience in the name of promotion. You are going to lose their trust and they will end up stopping following you.
10. Ignorance is not always a bliss
The world of marketing predominantly requires a keen business observant who knows his/her positives and negatives. Know your uniqueness and how you can benefit from it. Be vitally aware of what sets you apart from the masses when you do your marketing. Hone in on your strengths and idiosyncrasies, and use them to your advantage. Embrace your uniqueness and put it on the bullhorn, making people remember you not only for what you sell but how you sell it.
11. Sidelining the Reviews
In today’s market, people are surrounded by products from all possible sides making it hard for them to choose something new. Because of this, the customers have lots of questions and doubts before they get ready to try something new. Reviews are the most reliable option for them. It helps them to understand the product. Also, it gives assurance and a clear idea about what sellers are offering. 84% of customers trust the reviews and check them before buying anything. Ignoring them can destroy your business growth.
12. Not Tracking & Taking Records
Tracking and establishing records generate efficiency for any sector including business. Not doing so means you will lack perspective about the area of improvement. Keeping metrics and tracking the results of your market activities shows you the overall planning success rate. You can learn from your mistakes and improve. Also, you can know are new plans and strategies working for you. When you are promoting your product, make sure to keep everything on record. You can use the data for the next promotion too. Also at some level, it gives you ideas and predictions.
Conclusion
To be a successful brand, you want your customers to know you and your illustrative brand, but you also need to make them like and trust your brand perception. This holds particularly true as the marketplace grows increasingly more crowded and cutthroat.
A brand helps a business, a product, or a service better resonate with its intended target market. Keeping a positive, consistent, and effective brand is not an easy feat. Big businesses would spend millions on reinforcing their brand alone. But if you’re a start-up or small business, there are simple ways to make sure your identity and messaging are on point. It can be easy to avoid these branding mistakes and scale high. A strategized brand can expand brand loyalty and awareness, besides developing a professional image for your brand recognition.
