Top branding trends businesses should follow
Branding is nothing new as an important part of any business marketing strategy. Quality branding makes you and your products memorable and can effectively distinguish you from your competitors. It can and should build trust in your company and your product(s), which, in turn, attracts and retains customers.
Effective branding isn’t easy, but we can help make it easier by letting you in on the top branding trends that your business should follow. And, of course, should you want a little more guidance, we’re always here to help!
Top Branding Trends Your Business Should Follow:
1. It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are
People relate to other people, not products, and customers are much more loyal to companies that they have a personal, emotional relationship with. The takeaway? Don’t be shy about making the voice of your brand unique. Customers want to feel the person behind the product. Bear in mind though, that you can’t build a relationship with someone you don’t know, so take the added time and research to know your audience!
An important aspect of finding and using your brand’s voice is being socially aware and taking a stance. Customers today want to connect with companies on a deeper level and they want to know that the brands they invest in financially believe in the same causes that they do. Don’t be afraid to be unapologetically bold in your efforts either – today’s most influential consumers feel strongly that companies have the power to change the world for the better and they want to know you feel the same way too!
2. Take your AI to the next level
Artificial Intelligence isn’t exactly new in the marketing world, but using it to interact with your customers is still an important trend and one you should be implementing. Chatbots for example, are a great tool for starting and keeping conversations flowing – an essential element to building trust and loyalty to your company, but AI goes way beyond that now. AI-driven voice searches (nearly 50% of all online searches are voice activated now!), image searches, SEO and customer analysis and augmented reality technologies (amongst others) mean a better, more personalized experience for customers and a greater return on investment for you.
In the end, it’s all about providing your customer with the best possible experience personalized, unique and one that differentiates you from your competitors. And ignoring this in your branding strategy will have dire results, as this alone is quickly overtaking product and price as a differentiator.
3. Let others do the talking
Building a brand is all about building loyalty. But how do you gain the trust and loyalty of new customers? In today’s world, the answer to that is influencer marketing. Nearly 50% of the consumer population depends on recommendations from others before making a purchase and that number is only expected to rise. If your brand isn’t using influencers as a megaphone for your brand, you need to start. Don’t get caught up in the celebrity hype though. Although celebrities have their place in the influencer world, smaller “micro-influencers” (those with 10k-50k followers) have a more personal connection with their followers and thus 41.7% higher engagement rates that those with 500k+ followers. Another reason to skip the big-name endorsements: social media platforms are getting wise to influencer marketing too and not happy to be left out of the advertising pie, so they’re clamping down on mega influencers by introducing new policies such as removing ‘likes’ on public posts. The takeaway? In order to gain the most for your brand from this influencer trend, find the biggest influencers you can, but only for your highly specific target audience.
4. When it comes to content, remember: Quality over Quantity
In a world where a few-second search online yields instant access to information, finding quality content is a luxury commodity and one that consumers are willing to reward with their custom. Followers appreciate detailed, in-depth information about topics they’re interested in over mediocre content any day, and they’re happy to wait a bit longer to receive it. So take your time producing only the best and most informative content. Doing so means your brand will attract and retain customers by firmly establishing yourself as the most knowledgeable and well-informed leader in your market.
5. Go beyond the logo
Branding is no longer just a great logo. It’s is an ever-expanding concept and in 2020 two areas within it are expected to grow in importance exponentially: video and images.
If you aren’t regularly using video as part of your branding strategy you should be. From 2018 to 2019, the use of Youtube by businesses has increased by 34% and it’s only expected to rise. Video is interactive, entertaining and easy to share, making it an ideal branding and marketing strategy. One that has recently been found to be 600% more effective than print and direct mail marketing combined.
If the idea of making video content is a bit daunting, micro-video platforms (think instagram stories, Tik Tok, Twitter video, etc) are a great way to dip your toes in the water. And any branding agency worth their weight should be able to get you on track with this branding trend. After all, 82% of marketers say they will increase their investment in video this year. You should too.
Imagery is also more important than ever when it comes to branding. Image searches are now a thing, and a big one. With 19% of all online searches yielding image results to build your brand this year – no matter your product or your industry, you need images associated with your brand front and centre. This means producing high-quality imagery for all your online content but also re-thinking the way consumers are using visual searches to yield informative content, not the other way around as it has been in the past.
Creating a strong brand identity is key to any business. It’s not an easy task, and not one to be taken lightly. If you, like many, are struggling, get in touch with our branding experts. We know how to pull different marketing methods together to create highly targeted, effective strategies to create a strong and synergized corporate image that represents your firm’s culture, history, values and vision while differentiating you from your competitors and instilling confidence in your market sector.