Every company is always looking for more visibility in the market. The more people know about you, in a positive way, of course, the more chances there are of them becoming your customers. And in the world where gaining new customers is 5 times as expensive as retaining the existing ones, it is no wonder that exposure of your brand plays such a large role.
You have probably dabbled in digital marketing, perhaps done some basic SEO. You may even have an in-house team for this, but the results vary. Perhaps we could take a look at some things that you are missing.
Social media with a twist
Yes, yes, everybody is using them, you should most definitely have a serious presence on social media and all that other jazz. But what people are missing is that everybody being on social media, literally means that all of your competition is present as well. Let’s face it, best practices are being copied right and left in an effort to stay relevant. And that is exactly why you should try and innovate. When it comes to social networks, it is actually much cheaper to experiment.
Let us take a look at some of the most successful ones out there: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Some of them have changed significantly, some barely, but what has changed since their inception is the number of companies present on these platforms. It is hard to differentiate your self when everyone else is there too. Seek other, less pronounced social media platforms and learn their unorthodox ways of engaging with the audience. Some will fail sooner or later, but others will thrive in the face of adversity. And if you were there among the first, you will reap the benefits.
Are you in the selling business?
The next question is: are you selling something that can be sold online? Because if you are, you will need to streamline the process that takes your products or services to your customers. Everything from the location of your warehouse (even the decision to actually have warehouses or use someone else’s if it suits you) to fulfillment centers or even drop-shipping where you can work directly with the manufacturer, these are all decisions that affect your success in a smaller or larger way, but they all have to be decided on.
The exposure of your e-commerce platform is especially important if you are selling something not so common, like oilfield equipment. You could have customers all over the world, but you need to find a way through to them by creating a better experience for your existing customers. In a more niche market, word of mouth is still your best bet.
Public Relations are your star player
PR and marketing might seem the same, but they are actually two sides of the same coin, if you will. Marketing tends to focus on the trends in the market and does everything it can to increase revenue. On the other hand, PR is more about the long game – it focuses on brand awareness. You might say that in the long run, both do the same thing, making your brand more visible. However, marketing does it as a secondary goal, while for PR it is the primary one.
Why is PR important? Because if it is successful, your customers will not be buying only your products, they will be buying into the brand. If you are extremely successful in this, like Apple is, for example, you will find that you have an army of customers at your beck and call, ready to purchase whenever you have something new to offer. And that is the power of branding that high-quality PR can deliver.
Let influencers do work for you
As we have already seen, social networks, although the presence on them is really necessary, might not do everything you would like them to do for your brand exposure. However, when you actually look at those platforms you will realize that some individuals command larger audiences than companies. Welcome to the age of the influencer.
That’s all fine and dandy, you’ll say, but what has my brand to do with them? Well, everything really. You can be presented to a whole new group of people who have not heard of you nor cared for your products, for example. On the other hand, if you are trying to improve your public image, what better way than to be seen “rubbing elbows” with a famous influencer who is adored by a large number of people. By association, you automatically become more popular, it is a simple law of social physics.
Keeping it real
Brand awareness is a big deal and if you are not sure how to deal with it, find people who do. However, if you are still trying to do everything in-house, make sure you follow some of the pieces of advice laid out above. There is nothing to lose, and a whole lot of brand exposure to gain!
