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Five Unique Ways to Effectively Communicate Your Brand on Social Media

1. Be Authentic

Influencer marketing is significant, especially when we think about the loyal following some of these influencers posses. Potentially they are capable of reaching out to thousands of people who attentively take note of the brands they endorse or the skillful product placements within their messaging. A famous influencer with a huge fan following is generally expensive to work with, and you may also end up with only limited results without any visible impact. To make things worse, they are rapidly losing trust simply because of the lack of honesty and authenticity in their messaging. In a B2B scenario, things are quite different. It is not about working with an influencer who has the most massive audience. It is about identifying those who are relevant to your industry and who have a niche following. They are the ones who’re generally trusted by their audience, and who are capable of bringing in results. These micro-influencers possess a deep bonding with their followers. An excellent example of this is the #Builtwithbosch campaign cleverly executed by Bosch Power Tools. They identified industry-related micro-influencers, who had a decent fan following and who seemed credible amongst their followers. Bosh provided them with the tools and asked them to create video product reviews that encouraged their viewers, mostly tradespeople, to upgrade their tools. The results where phenomenal. The authenticity and humanity of this campaign helped Bosh reach out to a relevant audience that resulted in brand reach, engagement and conversions.

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2. Embed Values Into The Business Model

Sometimes brands are hesitant to make a bold statement in fear of alienating potential customers. However, studies show that people prefer to associate with brands that have a purpose, brands that embed core values into their business model. Brands like Apple, Mercedes and Lush to name a few, have found enormous trust with this exercise of communicating their core values effectively. A recent example is the ‘Global Impact Report’ campaign Deloitte ran on their LinkedIn platform. Key messaging highlighted in the video shows how Deloitte serves ‘Public Interest’. How they are not afraid to ‘Ignite Innovation.’ How they ‘Influence Action, and finally How they ‘Champion Communities and Create Opportunities’ These kinds of campaigns have helped Deloitte achieve over three million followers on LinkedIn, with a multitude of comments and engagement. A very noteworthy achievement for a B2B business.

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3. Tell Stories at a Human Level

Who doesn’t love a great story? In today’s world of digital marketing, where companies have direct access to the end-users, there’s nothing better than great storytelling to engage with the audience. Stories are personal, they have emotion, and bring about connection. For these very reasons, It has become an integral part of the marketing cycle for many companies. Ultimately it boils down to how you can execute it. There are good stories and bad stories. This particular one from Barclays had a profound impact on their brand image and brought about a clear connection between their services and how they touch people’s lives every day. Their story revolves around how a local business was able to achieve greatness and successfully render its services with a little bit of support from the right kind of partner. Their story is compelling and emotionally moving because of how it is told at a human level.

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4. Move it, Shake it (Animate yourself)

There is no doubt that colorful and vibrant animation is a perfect tool used by businesses to tell compelling stories. Although It is resource-intensive to conceptualize and create video content, the impact is far more significant and lasting. A new campaign from WeWork is a novel example of how great storytelling can be achieved using a series of short 30-second clips, that show how small businesses can utilize their office spaces. The videos are designed to be used as pre-roll ads on YouTube. WeWork also recycled the artwork to create fun little gif clips which they then used on Search and Social Media. The results were stunning.

5. Add a Bit of Humour

Businesses are continually in search of new and engaging ways to interact with their audience. However, nothing works well better than good old humor. Many brands have effectively taken advantage of this by creating positive and appealing messages that are both fun and attention-grabbing. One such example is the freelance portal Upwork and their ‘Hey World’ campaign. With bold and funky colours and quirky content, they call out to ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson, the President of the United States, and even NASA, asking if they needed freelancers to get their work done.

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Upwork then used this to create an impressive integrated campaign comprising of billboards, ads on public transport and even 15-second commercials that increased their visibility. The impact was far more significant. So there you go, five essential tips to communicate your brand effectively. However, most of the time, it’s not easy to come up with creative ideas and content that uniquely aligns with your overall business objectives. That is you need to work with a creative agency like Branding By 8. At Branding by 8, we’ve helped transform hundreds of business, mostly startups and small businesses who need to create a big first impression. We help build effective brand strategies that are aligned with your business objective that drive results.

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How to secure approval for your Rebranding plan

Perform a quick online search about how to plan a rebrand, and you’ll be met with a plethora of tick lists and steps to take. Whilst many of these strategic and practical steps are important, many gloss over one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face: overcoming internal resistance and securing approval for your rebranding plan. Rebranding is an enormous decision. It takes courage. The rewards can be worth it. Walmart is an excellent case in point. It can also, occasionally, go wrong. Take GAP’s rebrand in 2010 as a dismal example. It’s understandable, therefore, that you may encounter some resistance to a rebranding exercise. However, rebranding can, as Walmart and many others show, be immensely profitable and worthwhile. If you have judged that the time is right for your rebrand, how do you get others on board?

 

Get buy in early

Once your mind starts whirring on rebranding possibilities, it’s easy to get carried away. However, you need to advocate for change first, and achieve the buy-in you need to carry the rebranding exercise through to conclusion. To do this, you need to be able to advocate for change based on powerful arguments. There are a number of different reasons why it may be a good time for your business to rebrand. These include:

  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Moving in to a new area or repositioning
  • Going global
  • Changes to the market which require you to reinvent yourself e.g. environmental pressure
  • Bad reputation
  • New leadership
  • The brand image is outdated

It is worth taking the time to research the issues which are applicable to you, so that you can lend some weight to your argument with examples of other successful rebrands done for the same reasons.

 

Consider financial implications

Rebranding can be a costly exercise. The only way to secure approval for your rebranding exercise is if you approach this through a financial lens. Do a cost-benefit analysis and be realistic about the costs involved in rebranding. Demonstrate to senior leadership that you have considered all costs, as well as Return on Investment. Rebranding costs aren’t only limited to the costs of creative design. Remember that these will need to be implemented uniformly across the business, in everything from your stationery to your social media profiles. Rebrands do well when there is concerted input at the launch stage too.

 

Be strategic

Therefore, the overall approach to securing buy-in must be strategic. Use data and facts to create this strategy. All this needs to happen before you consider the snazzy changes of logos and the like. When you present this information to senior executives, in a more strategic way, they will be more persuaded about the benefits and outcomes of the rebranding exercise. Also, by being honest about the risks, they will also feel reassured that you have indeed considered these, and aren’t simply avoiding the negative. Indeed, you should identify all possible risks of rebranding, and consider how you will mitigate these. Consider your role, at this stage, as an educator and negotiator. The result will be that the stakeholders who matter will feel trust towards you, and feel energised for the rebranding exercise. This step does take time. However, it is incredibly valuable.

 

Gathering information

This doesn’t mean that you need to undertake this step alone. Indeed, if you contact us in advance, regarding your creative strategy, then you’ll be in the position of being fully-informed about the process. You’ll have a clear idea of timelines and costs. This will allow for clear budgets in your rebranding plan, rather than guesswork.

 

Tackling resistance

It isn’t unusual to experience some resistance to your attempts. However, don’t despair. Consider why an individual stakeholder is resisting the change. Use this information to do further research and cost-benefit analysis in regards to their particular concern. Help them to see that the benefits of the exercise will outweigh the costs, while also reassuring them that you take their concerns seriously.

 

Getting ready for a rebrand

Choosing your agency for a rebranding exercise also requires careful thought. Speak to the agency directly about rebranding exercises they have done, and the results they have seen. Ask for examples of their work in your industry and ask for initial costs. At Branding By 8 we are skilled and experienced rebranding experts, fully understanding how rebranding fits in to your whole marketing strategy. Furthermore, we understand the need for you to secure approval. We’ll work with you to make it happen.

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3 Major Reasons Why Startups Fail

Nobody likes disappointment or failure, especially in the newly launched business.  Research has found that about one-fifth of new startups fail within the first year. Following are 3 of the most popular reasons why startups flop in their first year and how you can ensure your business isn’t one of them.

 

Reason-1 Poor Branding & Marketing

“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.”– Jeff Bezos

A brand identity is a way you define your business to your audience. It represents the core of what your business is and what you value. It’s basically everything, your tagline, your advertising and the overall look of your brand. When it comes to startups, it’s even more important that you build a good identity on the web. Many startups fail to impress its audience simply because they do not represent anything different. Also, Noise matters! No matter how extraordinary your product and service might be, it’s going down if nobody thinks about it. Poorly managed advertising (or sales) is a noteworthy explanation behind the disappointment of many new businesses. You don’t really require an expert PR group towards the start, however, you have to make buzz online.

 

Reason-2 The absence of a clear strategy

“A vision without a strategy remains an illusion.”-Lee Bolman

Various founders of a startup can’t do alone what is required for a business to take off. They should concentrate on ventures that esteem their aptitudes and educational background, other than their expert skill. This will help their chances of progress and the training and commitment they will infuse in the business won’t be a burden for them. Your abilities must be supplemented with the ones of your group. Always have somebody great at sales, somebody great at the management and accounting, somebody great at promoting and somebody great at product improvement. If you or your prime supporters come up short on the skills or capacities expected to get your organization moving, make certain to recognize those requirements at an opportune time and read, think about, learn and encounter hypothetical and down to earth information that can give you the high ground against your rivals and keep your organization from slamming. Do not make your business fall.

 

Reason-3 Focus only on building and not on the customers

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” -Bill Gates

A business can never put too much accentuation on its customers. They are the foundation of any business” success. One of the essential objectives of any marketing strategy ought to be to identify and address the issues of the customers. Considering client significance at all phases of the marketing process causes your business to guarantee more prominent consumer loyalty and increment its long-haul objective of repeat business.

 

The solution:

Now! As we have learned the three major mistakes, it’s time to know how you can prevent those mistakes from happening. Let’s face it, everyone needs help. Regardless of how small or large, your business is, you need a team to be your helping hand in order to achieve what you want to. Entrepreneurs who don’t believe in taking help will continue fighting huge wars for average results. And eventually, affect their own business badly. But the good thing is that you don’t have to be one of them. You can reach way higher. The road there is free and open. Choose success over failure. Choose customers over products. Choose a strong building strategy over poor branding strategy. Choose predictable growth over “too much, too soon” If you’re able to prevent these mistakes, then you’re setting yourself up for major success.

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Top 5 Reasons Why Brands Fail

Customer engagement is critical, particularly since the internet rules the manner in which we work together. A few organizations have positively no issue with customer engagement. Their base is faithful and eager to get covered. On the off chance that this isn’t the situation with your business, you’re presumably adopting the wrong strategy. It might be a great opportunity to venture back and consider a portion of the things you might foul up. The sooner you fix them, the happier you will be.

 

The Efforts Are Too Generic

Each message you send to your clients’ needs a clear purpose. Bombastic statements are sometimes required; however, they won’t require or inspire a response. If you always play things safe and adhere to the books, your engagement will endure, therefore. Be interesting. Be thought-provoking. Be somewhat edgy if it’s appropriate to your image. As long as you aren’t conveying any mysterious messages, you’re probably going to see the king of engagement you need. It is known as the best brand advertising.

 

Nobody is in Charge

Most organizations delegate the job of estimating client engagement to somebody who as of now has an alternate position. This activity ends up falling under the control of a social media manager or a client service professional who may not comprehend what they’re doing. This is definitely why it’s so essential to have a more elevated amount worker who is prepared in client commitment. Regardless of what else they’re doing, they’ll see how they ought to focus on their endeavors and surveying their outcomes.

 

Pay Less Attention to Your Target Audience

Your clients may attempt to begin a conversation, however, you’re excessively busy endeavoring to begin a different conversation that they would prefer really not to have. Tune in to what your clients are discussing and utilize that as your core interest. When they’re already eager to be locked in, connect with them in the manner in which that they see fit. It’s a lot simpler than endeavoring to motivate them to move toward the path you thought you needed them to. Your clients have officially chosen what they cherish about you, and one of the best ways to connect with them is to play to your strengths. Hire a good branding agency in Dubai and give your brand a boost it needs.

 

Looking in the Wrong Places

Where are your clients at? In case you’re in a real state, they most likely aren’t on Snapchat. Ensure you’re utilizing similar platforms your clients are utilizing. In case you’re perusing out to them on their most loved social media platforms and urging them to react in a similar way that they’d react to their companions, getting included will just feel characteristic. Meet them where they are, and convey the substance that is explicit to that stage. Visuals go incredibly on Instagram, and content does best on Facebook. Snapchat is extraordinary for temporary engagement, for example, day by day advertising content paving the way to an event.

 

Your Brand Look is Not Appealing Enough

Good brand identity for any business matters a lot. Always remember that is the face of your brand and having an incredible company logo is as important as your marketing strategy. Let’s say your brand is all about fun and happiness, however, your logo is relatively dull and unappealing. Most of the times we underestimate the real value of having a custom logo design.

 

If you’re struggling with your brand and unable to convert customers, maybe it is the right time to think about a rebranding. Revising you identity, creating a clear communication strategy and engaging with your target audience will work wonders for your business. However you need the right partner to work with you, to make this happen

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5 steps to increase your brand’s Instagram followers

Instagram which is short for Instant telegram started quickly fired up with the first impression as a fun application for kids and had ultimately become a serious content marketing, networking and viewers building tools for individuals and brands. Well, it’s one of the most lovable social networking sites on the planet right now with over 200 million active monthly members sharing around 60 million pictures and 1.6 billion loves per day. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger created it and launched in October 2010 exclusively on iOS. Just how exciting is it? The credible engagement rates for brands on most social sites are less than 0.1%, that’s not the case for Instagram as it keeps them all away. “Take a bow”! The 2018 Forrester study shows middling Instagram engagement rate for brands has an epic 58x higher than on Facebook. “Keep going up the instant people puller.”

Cross-promote your keen hashtag

If you created a #yourbrandname hashtag for your firm, but if no one knows about that and use it. Make sure it’s in your sketch, but take the play offline and have it printed on your receipts, in print ads, on signage in your store and at pertinent events. As if you are using other media such as radio, TV makes people use your hashtag. Amalgamate online and offline campaigns by ensuring it’s arranged on your other social sketches, on your websites, and in your email blast as the people are not going to find it.

 

Create the most of you

If so you want your bio to the only link to your website homepage, now and forever? Change it up at least around two weeks and use that link in your profile to make contact people to your newest or most popular content.

 

Get expressive with your captions.

Even a picture is valuable a thousand words, but you can’t omit the words all the way. The prime example of such is the National Geographic and NatGeo which are well-known media brand all over the world. They are just amazing at using storytelling beside their Instagram photos to produce engagement and sharing. NatGeo on the other has thrived across with over 50 million followers.

Remove unwanted tagged photos of you from your profile

If you only want to show the finest user-generated content about you or your brand on your Instagram profile, yes you can. Now, you can’t remove the tagged photos from the site entirely, by picking “Edit Tags”, selecting the ones you want to delete and choosing “Hide from profile” (you may need to confirm). It does the trick.

Develop your own Instagram style

Strong branding can help you generate future business because it increases the value of your business and helps you gain an edge over your competition. If you make sure that your company is well-established in the marketplace, its financial value will be significantly increased, so you will attract many potential investors.

 

Inspiring and Motivating Employees

It’s human nature to want to fit in, but on Instagram, you want to stand out. The best example is that the Indian beverage brand Frooti has developed such a unique visual content style, It’s instantly recognizable every time a user sees a Frooti post in their newsfeed.

  • Promote your dedicated hashtag on your other social profile, on your website, and your email blast.
  • Get creative with your hashtags. Be funny, ironic, or outrageous-but never boring!
  • Watch topically relevant and trending hashtags. Join these conversations to get in front of more people.
  • Use your bio link to drive traffic to your space and try to become one of their favourite people or brands.
  • Write descriptive captions. Storytelling will help generate engagement and sharing.
  • Interact with top influencers in your space and try to become one of their favourite people or brands.
  • Don’t want a tagged photo of you or your brand on your profile? Edit Tags to hide the image from your profile.
  • Interact with top influencers in your space and try to become one of their favourite people or brands.
  • Develop your own unique, recognisable visual style. Figure out how you want to stand out and make it so!
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5 Reasons Why Branding Is Important for All Businesses?

Many small business owners in dubai underestimate the power of branding and don’t invest much effort in it because they don’t actually see their businesses as brands. They think that the term “brand” is reserved for the big guns that have national and international recognition, so they don’t go beyond creating an attractive logo and beautiful design for their website and business cards.If you need help with creating a strong, authentic brand that creates a real impact, Branding Agency Dubai is here for you. The truth of the matter is that branding is essential for businesses of all sizes. Why? Because it helps businesses stand out from the competition and show why they are different and unique. It helps create an image of a business in customers’ minds and improve their perception of it, ultimately increasing the value of the business and paving the way to a larger customer base and a higher ROI. Think of your brand as the unique personality of your business. From your logo and company colors to your social media image and the way you and your team provide service to your customers – these and many more elements help you build your brand. There’s certainly a particular way you wish your customers would perceive you, right? You can influence their perception and create memorable impressions with proper branding. Here are the top six reasons why branding is important for all businesses, no matter their size or the industry they are in.

Raising Brand Awareness in Dubai

raising brand awareness
Branding helps you showcase the personality of your business and raise the awareness of your brand. Building brand awareness starts with your logo, as it represents the symbol that people will always remember you by. Your logo instantly creates an image of your business in the minds of consumers, so it needs to be easily recognizable and create memorable impressions. Branding extends to your website, social media profiles, business cards and other printed and digital marketing materials, all of which help people instantly recognize your business. When you use all those elements to raise brand awareness and build a strong reputation, people are more likely to purchase from you, since they recognize you as a familiar and reputable brand.

Building Credibility and Trust

When you present your company in a polished and professional way, people will start trusting you more. When they see that your business is well-established and that it has a strong reputation, they will be much more likely to purchase from you. If you present them with social proof and show that your offerings are of high quality, you will further improve your credibility and increase trust in the marketplace. This is because people tend to trust opinions and brand experiences of other consumers, so providing them with social proof, such as customer testimonials, will create emotional reactions and compel them to put their trust in you, knowing that you’ll provide them with real value.

 

Attracting New Customers

attracting new customers

 

This goes hand in hand with building credibility and trust because when people know that they can trust you and you always provide them with high-quality products or services, they will spread the word about it and help you win more customers. Therefore, branding helps you get referral business and significantly expand your customer base. When you build a strong brand and create positive impressions among your target customers, the word will quickly spread and you’ll drive a lot more customers to your door. You’ll create a well-established brand and position yourself as an authority in your field, turning word-of-mouth into your most effective marketing technique.

Improving Marketing Efforts

Marketing is one of the most important activities for promoting and growing your business, as it helps you reach out to your target audience and engage them in what you do. Branding plays a huge role in improving your marketing efforts. It’s important to differentiate the two: marketing is what promotes your business, while branding is what reinforces it. With marketing, you generate leads and sales, while branding helps you enhance your marketing and reputation, strengthen customer loyalty and show consumers exactly what you stand for. Therefore, marketing extracts value and builds familiarity, and branding creates value and builds loyalty.

Increasing Financial Value

increasing financial value

Strong branding can help you generate future business because it increases the value of your business and helps you gain an edge over your competition. If you make sure that your company is well-established in the marketplace, its financial value will be significantly increased, so you will attract many potential investors.

 

Inspiring and Motivating Employees

Employees are the heart of every business, so it’s crucial that they are satisfied in the workplace and constantly motivated to help the companies they work for achieve their goals and reach success. This is yet another instance where branding can be of huge help. If you create a strong, reputable brand and your employees understand and agree with your mission and vision, they will be more satisfied with their job and feel proud to be working for you. They’ll be happier and more confident in their work, knowing that the company is well-established and positively perceived in consumers’ minds, and they’ll be motivated to go above and beyond what is expected of them to help you realize your vision. What about you? Do you have a strong branding strategy? Does your brand reflect all your values and convey the right message to your target customers, building trust with them and inspiring their long-lasting loyalty? Branding Agency Dubai is a branding and advertising agency with a team of experts who know how to make brands impressive and help them stand the test of time. Feel free to request a quote or contact us via email or phone and we’ll be more than happy to help you tell your brand story.

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Why Great Branding Matters So Much in Today’s World

Whether you’re browsing online or taking a walk, chances are you’ll be able to see at least a dozen brands in just a couple of seconds. Differently shaped, sized, and colored, brands are everywhere. They are practically being thrown at the market that is overflowing with similar businesses. However, a lot of effort and thought is invested into developing a brand and entire teams of people work on it. But what makes a logo, a name, or a moto so important in the world of business? The answer simple – when dealing with today’s fierce competition, branding is everything.

 

The Purpose of Branding

Your final goal when it comes to branding is to present yourself to the market as if you were the only logical choice. When your lead thinks about an item they are in need of – a sweater, a cookie, or a drink – a light bulb in the shape of your logo needs to appear above their heads. The purpose of branding is to send a message. Not only does a lead need to think about your brand whenever they are in need of a certain type of services, but it should be the other way around as well. So, when your target audience encounters your brand, they need to know what it represents.

 

Understanding the Market

However, branding isn’t a message service only; it’s so much more than that. If done properly, branding can earn you customers for life. That is because customers get emotionally attached to brands. A loyal customer finds your brand familiar and satisfactory. Being loyal to it for months and even years creates a strong bond, an attachment. However, for that to happen, you need to understand your market. People fall in love with brands because, behind the company and the product in questions, stands thorough research. Successful brands know exactly what customers want and need.

 

Improving Recognition

In addition, the colors of your brand make you stand out. Like we mentioned, and like you’re familiar with, the competition is fierce. Regardless of your industry, you must have trouble staying ahead of your competitors. Well, a properly designed brand is more than just a sign, it’s a means to increase recognition. The better the brand, the more likely it is for your leads and customers to remember it. If your logo grabs their attention for some reason – they find the shape interesting, or the color appealing – your audience will remember your brand and choose you over your competitors. This is why you shouldn’t be cheap when designing your logo and developing your branding strategies. If you want the job done properly, so that it pays off later on, you need to invest in it.

 

It’s a Promise of Quality

A brand isn’t just entertaining to look at; your audience sees further than the shapes and shades you choose for your company. Once you put your brand out there, once it’s released on the market, it becomes legit. It’s simple for a rogue business to hide in the shadows when they don’t give their company a personality – which is what happens through branding. So, when building a brand, your audience actually sees it as a promise of quality.

 

United Under One Flag

Branding isn’t only beneficial when it comes to your audience and the market in general. The fact is that your employees will develop a different atmosphere once you put them under one logo and a slogan, as a group. With a common goal, and a common cause, your employees will become a team. The feeling of belonging and loyalty play their part here – once you unite your team under one flag, they won’t treat their job as mere employment, but as something they can contribute to.

 

A Good Brand Sells Itself

a good brand sells itself
 

If you conduct a successful branding campaign, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor for a long time afterwards. We live in the age of consumerism – products are everywhere. As a side-effect to that situation, customers grow accustomed to certain brands and get emotionally attached to them, drowning out all others. It’s safe to say that people love brands However, there’s one thing they love more than brands – talking about them. A happy customer is a chatty customer; you can be confident that they won’t hesitate to share their satisfaction with every person in their circle of friends. Because word of mouth is this effective, it can also be harmful to your brand as well. If your audience notices a decrease in quality, that piece of information will fly around even faster than a positive comment. Therefore, you should be very careful – a branding campaign is a sensitive matter. It’s much simpler to point a finger at a specific logo when a customer is displeased, so make sure to maintain the quality of your products or services. Branding campaigns are a necessity. Without it, your company will remain a faceless, emotionless business that doesn’t have a personality. Basically, branding breathes life into a company, and that is exactly what will attract a large number of customers to you.

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