Are You Doing These Three Things to Improve Your Brand Image?

As corporate competition ramps up and the fervor for new clients continues, brands are consistently on the lookout for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition, grow their online following, and build up their bottom line. Yet, in the frenzy to stand out, are you neglecting to perform some of the essential key steps it takes to help your brand distinguish itself as relevant, approachable and a thought leader in your industry?

Today, let’s take a look at three basic tenets of brand leadership and how you can implement them today.

1. Know your target customer.

You understand the ins and outs of your own company. You’ve taken the time to define a brand persona, compose a mission statement and list out your visions and goals for both the short and long-term future. That’s an important first step and one that any company, from an SMB to a Fortune 500 enterprise, should take. Yet, how well do you really know your target customer?

These days, it’s not enough to simply say that you’re selling to “everyone.” Unless you’re a household name already, chances are only a specific crowd has heard of your business and only a fraction of that community is patronizing it. Get to know these people as best you can. Find out what makes them tick, what their likes and preferences are, why they’re coming to your brand over anyone else’s and what incentives can help them stick around.

Alternatively, if you’re just starting out and haven’t amassed a single paying customer yet, think about who your ideal target customer is. Chances are, if you’re a toy designer, you aren’t marketing to the elderly. If you’re a woman’s swimsuit designer, 55-year-old males aren’t your target demographic. Keep in mind who would get the most use out of your offerings and be the most interested in them. Then, seek to center all of your marketing and outreach efforts primarily toward attracting and retaining their business.

2. Develop actionable content.

You’ve heard it said that “content is king” and that sentiment is exactly right. Content marketers around the world will tell you that one of the easiest and quickest ways to demonstrate your authority, grow your following, and connect with interested partners and prospects is to develop and distribute interesting and informative content.

From blog posts to white papers, you should be consistently creating data that speaks to the knowledge you have within your given industry. Doing so not only keeps your brand name front and center and in the forefront of your followers’ minds. It also gives you the platform to connect with other like-minded professionals who can expand your network and bring you more exposure through opportunities including guest blog posts, backlinks to your articles, and more. Moreover, if you have a solid online presence that’s regularly updated and refreshed with new and innovative data, you’re able to start improving online advertising efforts, which can help you earn a profit from your digital marketing campaigns.

The key to using online content to build your conversions: Make it actionable. If possible, end your blog posts or articles with a Call-to-Action that encourages readers to take the next step in your sales funnel. This might be to join an e-newsletter list, click on a related blog post, or subscribe for mobile updates, depending on your industry and content type.

3. Get social and stay that way.

While it’s imperative to create compelling online content, that’s only half the battle. Next, you should be actively participating on social media so your community has a convenient way to find you, communicate with you, follow and share your updates, ask you a question, learn more about upcoming events, and more.

This isn’t a recommendation to go out and join every single social media network out there. Doing so could actually hurt, rather than help your business. Rather, find the platforms that make the most sense for your company, and strive to become active on there. For instance, if you’re a photographer, event planner or other type of professional in a heavily visual sector, you might consider opening up an Instagram account to showcase your services. Or, if you’re a business and marketing executive, you might lean more heavily toward a more corporate-oriented platform such as LinkedIn.

Regardless, don’t just open up your profile and call it a day. Be sure to check it daily, post at least a few times a week, respond to comments and follow others in your circle. Doing so lets clients and partners know that you’re engaged, tech-savvy and responsive to their needs.

As you continue to build your brand, keep in mind that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll need to work at it daily, adjust to trends, and constantly tweak your approach to make sure you’re meeting the demands of your target audience. While there are myriad ways to stand out, some will serve you better than others, and these three steps are paramount to building the type of long-lasting, forward-facing foundation that your business needs to succeed.