Big companies have already made their mark on the summer and plenty more jumped upon the World Cup bandwagon.
Of course that’s been and gone, and if you’re a small business owner looking to climb the ladder then following the latest brand trends in marketing could be a way to catapult you into a consumer’s focus.
It’s certainly worth analysing what seems to be the go-to strategies this year, and applying them to your own business could well reap the rewards. We take a look at three musts for any company this year…
Go Mobile ASAP
It’s common knowledge that the mobile is becoming more and more powerful. But yet brands are very reluctant to prioritise the devices we more or less rely upon. Perhaps it’s time to change that.
And with good reason too. Websites that are fully optimised for mobile usage are likely to rank higher in search engines, with Google favouring mobile-friendly sites, particularly if they boast quick loading times. If you’re keeping Google happy, the likelihood is you’ll most certainly benefit.
Co-Branding with the Stars
We’ve seen brands like Nike sponsor some of the biggest stars in golf, which helped them become one of the biggest golf equipment brands on the market today. Other brands such as Full Tilt adopt sports stars like David Haye in an excellent way to emphasise the quality and competitive nature of their games. It is not just the big brands that take advantage of this, even small businesses can benefit from a piggy bag from another brand.
A fine example of this is the small UK brewery Robinsons. They teamed up with heavy metal band Iron Maiden to create a beer, that went on to sell a million pints in just eight weeks, and considering the Stockport-based brand produce on average just 13.3 million pints per year across all their brews, it has boosted their profits considerably.
Real Time Marketing: GO SOCIAL!
The use of social media is becoming more and more integral as part of marketing strategy. In the USA, 91% of B2B Marketers are using LinkedIn, whilst over 80% use both Twitter and Facebook. And that’s not the half, the likes of YouTube, Google+, and Instagram are all well used, and real time marketing is becoming a must in a bid to stay ahead of the competition.
Communicating directly with who you’re targeting is a big play in today’s age, especially since Oreo’s no infamous tweet sent out during the 2013 Super Bowl. Initiating conversation and essentially cutting out the middle man when talking to influencers will help promote your brand tenfold, not only boosting income, but also reputation.
Know the hearts and minds of your audience
The best brands in the world know who their audience is and what they like. A thorough understanding of an audience, their interests and how they communicate is key to getting inside the minds of consumers and customers alike.
But the very best brands will go further, they will make their audience feel like they have an intimate connection with the brand, and as already stated, social media is the best place to make sure that this happens.
Jayson DeMers at Forbes Magazine says that:
“Getting to know your audience in real depth takes time.
“Creating buyer profiles that your writers and teams can refer back to is a significant effort, and the output isn’t content that can be shared with customers. But it’s well worth the time to develop this expertise.”
It is important to point out however, that trying to appeal to just about everyone can be extremely counterproductive, as it can cause the brand to become too diluted. This is where a company should find the right approach according to their target audience.
