Creating a defined and well-communicated brand can convert the typical consumer into a loyal brand advocate. You have to tell your brand’s story in a way that’s compelling and engaging.
To accomplish that goal, you need a brand communication strategy, but that’s easier said than done. At Figment, we’ve assisted hundreds of brands find their distinctive voices. Here’s how we suggest you go about doing it.
Three Things to Decide when Communicating Your Brand’s Message
To acquire real brand evangelists, you need to develop what Hubspot’s Meaghan Moraes calls an “authentic, humanized brand voice.” In order to achieve this, though, you need to complete a few steps:
Step 1: What is the Message You Want to Communicate?
This question is deceivingly simple. Too often brands get so caught up in their own talking points, and they forget to focus on their core message. This can be seen in brands that claim to have the best deals in the entire city, a higher quality product than anyone around, and better customer service — all in the same ad.
For every campaign you create, focus on one core goal that ties back to your campaign’s primary objective. It’s possible to have multiple goals, but they should all point back to the original mission of the brand. This will prevent your brand messaging from getting confusing while empowering your customers to talk about your brand.
Step 2: Who is your Target Audience for this Message?
The target audience has expanded beyond traditional demographics. If you’re still using audience descriptors of age and gender, then you’re leaving massive holes in your buyer personas that can lead to confusion.
At Figment, we spend the requisite time to define your buyer persona. What kind of lifestyle do these consumers lead and what circumstances lead up to them buying your product? What are they actually looking for when they research your business? By answering these key questions about the buyer’s journey and user intent, you’ll be able to create goals and clear messages that meet their needs.
For example, a home services company might have two types of buyers: those who are looking for an affordable solution and are willing to wait longer to cut costs, and those who will pay whatever it takes to solve the problem immediately. With that information, brands can create two different campaigns with optimized messaging to clearly reach specific customers.
Step 3: How Do You Reach Your Desired Audience?
Once you have your goals, desired message, and audience personas, it’s time to craft your message. This is another instance where knowing your audience pays off. You have to be able to reach them on the platforms that they find the most valuable and use the most often. For some audiences, this may be radio; for others, it might be direct mail, television, or social media.
Leveraging Your Brand’s Message Visually
Whichever type of marketing your brand chooses, we highly recommend opting for a visual element for at least part of your budget. Audiences respond well to visual stimuli because they’re processed by the brain faster than text or audio, and the images stay in the long term memory while text stays in the short term memory. Utilizing powerful images, whether you’re tapping into bright color palettes or large fonts, can make your brand significantly more memorable and easier for your customers to recommend.
It is of the upmost importance to speak to consumers in a way they can understand. And your brand communication strategy is vital in ensuring you have the right strategy. Figment works closely with clients to ensure their vision is communicated effectively to the audience they are attempting to reach. This is how you turn audiences into buyers, and buyers into long-term brand advocates. Contact Figment today and let’s get started creating a comprehensive strategy to get people talking about your business.
