This festive season, we wanted to share our twelve top tips for building brand growth and marketing strategy, as our Christmas gift to you!
We know this year has brought many trials and tribulations, which has taught us to be more resilient and resourceful in times of crisis. But we feel fortunate to have come through it and look forward to starting 2021 with a positive outlook.
Keep reading to find out our top tips for growing your business into the new year…
Tip #1. Always Put Your Brand First
When it comes to marketing strategy, we always take a brand first approach. This means we focus on the core strengths of every brand we work for. We craft the strategy, develop the brand drivers, and create campaigns all whilst keeping the brands first and foremost of all marketing activity. Click here to read more from our blog post, the Power of Putting your Brand First.
Tip #2. Build Your Brand Online
There were many aspects of this year that have been unprecedented, but one which has at least had a positive impact on businesses is the growth of online sales. The Office for National Statistics showed that UK sales, as a percentage of total retail sales, was tracking at 19% - 21% before rocketing to 33% through April and May, as the impact of Covid-19 took hold. Earlier in the year, we also share a blog post ‘5 steps for building a brand online’ which you can read here.
Tip #3. (Relevant) Content is King
As the saying goes, content is king, but only when you are sharing relevant and engaging content, which fits with you brand. Over the years we have worked with some well-known food brands, such as Sutton Hoo Chicken, Metcalf’s Popcorn, and Mackie’s of Scotland, so we know a thing or two about creating mouth-wateringly good food photography, which you can read about here.
Tip #4. The Power of Video
As far as content goes, brand and product videos are still the most engaging form of content. Give your marketing a boost and find out more, by clicking here to read our ‘8 Reasons Why You Should use Video Marketing’ blog post.
Tip #5. Keep Focused on Goals
There are so many parts to building your brand and developing your marketing strategy, you can easily get lost between to-do lists. Make sure you set clear goals and objective, for each quarter and each year, which have measurable outcomes. This could be a general goal of increasing your brand awareness, which could be measure by an increased number of unique users to your website or growing your following on social media platforms
Tip #6. Sell Through Social
Social commerce is only on the rise, with the recent updates on Instagram, Facebook stores, and Pinterest all converting into e-commerce platforms. While your audience is already engaging with your brand, why not make a quick sale and strike while the irons hot? Find out more from our Social Commerce blog post, click here to read.
Tip #7. It’s Okay to Outsource
Sometimes you might feel like a one-man-band, acting as a brand ambassador, head of sales, social media manager, and graphic designer; and more often than not, there just aren’t enough hours in the day! We discuss the benefits of outsourced marketing teams in a recent blog post, which you can read here.
Tip #8. Being Responsive is Key
After such an unusual year, one lesson we have learned is the importance of business agility, being aware of the current climate and understanding how you should respond is key and will be crucial in a post-covid world. Read our top tip on Tactical Marketing here.
Tip #9. Be Data-Driven
Now, more than ever, data analytics is an important aspect of your marketing strategy. Understanding your audience, and how they engage with your brand is vital when it comes to strategy and campaign planning. Data also give you the ability to segment your customers based down and target them with relevant and personalised communications.
Tip #10. Measure Your Results
As mentioned in point five, setting goals and measuring results is important when it comes to brand growth, and seeing if your marketing is making an impact. Click here to read our blog post on the four simple ways to start measuring your results.
Tip #11. Review your Brands Health
Is your marketing in good shape? Earlier this year we launched the Brand First Marketing Health Check, a useful tool that allows you to review your marketing efforts and where you could spend more time and energy. Click here to complete your free health check.
Tip #12. Invest in the Future
Investing in your brand is investing in the future of your business. Ensure you continue to put time and energy into positioning your brand and ultimately brand growth. This will solidify your area of expertise and continue to attract the right kind of customers.
If you would like to discuss ideas for your brand, we’d love to hear from you, with no obligation on your part and no expectation on ours. Click here to contact us.