Branding is one of the most important attributes of a business. After all, consumers place plenty of emphasis on brand ethics and what the company stands for.
But, it’s not as simple as many people believe to establish your brand as one your audience can trust, and many entrepreneurs don’t know how to go about it.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about how to grow and expand your brand.
Offer Value Through Your Content.
If you want your brand to be held in high esteem by your audience, you’ll need to give them something of value with the content you post. The goods news, though, is that you have plenty of freedom with the type of content you put out.
A company that mainly publishes blog posts should focus on articles likes guides, how-to’s, etc. Video content could have a similar concept, although video reviews or insights into industry trends are popular choices when it comes to topics.
Put simply, your brand should post content that leaves your audience with more knowledge than they came with. It’s not optimal for your brand to post anything that sounds remotely like a sales pitch.
People love to buy things, but nobody likes to feel like they’re being sold something. Do your best to offer your followers quality and your numbers will increase in the future.
Be Communicative.
Trust is much easier to build when people don’t see you as a faceless company. The more often you interact with your audience, the more human they begin to see your brand.
Take the time to respond to any comments or messages you receive on your company’s social media accounts. Even brief comments that say something along the lines of ‘great work’ still deserve a response.
The real situation to prioritize, though, is when people ask questions. Not only will answering questions asked by your followers show that you’re accessible as a brand, but it will also provide those who read your post with information they might not otherwise find on their own.
For example, one of your followers may ask when you’re having another sale, and you let them know you’re currently having one. Anyone who reads that interaction is now aware that you’re offering discounts on your products/services.
A customer communications management platform can exponentially increase how efficiently your brand interacts with its audience and is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
You can learn more here about what a CCM application can do for you.
Consistency Is Key.
A large component of branding is consistency. After all, it’s difficult to establish an image and persona if the content you post constantly sends different messages.
In order to stay consistent, you’ll first need to define your brand voice. This is more or less your brand’s personality, and it will dictate how you speak on social media, through your web copy, etc.
A great exercise to get started is known as ‘This, Not That.’ As the name suggests, the premise is simple— you define your brand’s attributes and then declare what your brand isn’t.
A few rounds of this should look something like this:
- We’re funny but not sarcastic
- We’re authoritative but not oppressive
- We’re unique but not weird
After a brainstorming session or two, you’ll have a solid grasp of how your brand should communicate online. Then, you can work on maintaining consistency with the content you post.
Encourage (And Respond to) Feedback.
As previously mentioned, accessibility and communication as a brand are crucial. But, it’s also important to encourage your followers to voice their opinions.
A great way to do so is to ask your followers’ opinions on a recent product/service you’ve introduced or a recent change you’ve made to your website, logo, etc. Once they’ve told you how they feel, acknowledge their feedback.
If they have something positive to say, thank them for their support. If they say something negative about your brand, offer them a way to contact you privately and attempt to resolve the issue they have.
Establishing this level of transparency will significantly increase the amount of trust your audience has in you.
Responding to this feedback isn’t limited to your social media, though. Google, Yelp, and Facebook are all platforms where people can review companies, and these ratings often have a significant impact on whether or not someone makes a purchase.
Link to Other Quality Content.
When you share links, ensure that they’re to an authoritative source. Linking to reputable websites will show your audience that they can trust the content that you post.
The last thing you want is for someone to click a link on your social media or website and have it lead to a suspicious page. Not only will this likely cause that person to navigate away from your content entirely, but they may not interact with anything that you post in the future.
This situation should be avoided at all costs, and you can do so be double-checking every site you link to before you post content.
Knowing How to Grow and Expand Your Brand Can Seem Difficult.
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the above information about how to grow and expand in mind, you’ll be well on your way to cultivating trust with your audience and maintaining strong customer relationships.
Want to learn more business tips that can help you out in the future? Be sure to check out the rest of our blog.
