The business community is moving away from overwhelming prospective customers with generic ads. Instead, sophisticated firms want to focus more on brand experience – the overall story consumers tell themselves about companies.
Interestingly, research shows people value brand experiences more than products. Customers want to build meaningful long-term relationships with firms that mean something to them.
Unfortunately, most companies don’t know how to enhance their brand experience. And that’s leading to lost opportunities and lower revenues.
If you believe a poor brand experience is hampering your business, this guide will help. We go step-by-step, showing you how to boost your experiential appeal and form long-lasting relationships with prospects.
Step 1: Figure Out What Your Brand Is About
The first step in creating a memorable brand experience is to figure out what you stand for and what your brand represents. Ideally, you want to invent something quirky that appeals to your target audience.
The best way to do this is by telling a story. Creating a flattering narrative around your brand can help articulate your values.
You can also use a mission statement. These make your goals and objectives explicit.
Ensure you are confident about what you want to achieve and how you will help people. Check your team also gets what you’re trying to do and can apply your mission statement to different contexts.
Step 2: Highlight Your Uniqueness
Once your brand’s purpose is clear, look for ways to differentiate yourself from the competition. Figure out what makes you unique and special.
Most enterprises start this process by thoroughly researching their rivals to see where they could do something different. Investigations can reveal what other companies are getting wrong and how you can upstage their offerings.
Alternatively, you could adopt an innovative approach and solve problems the market isn’t addressing. This strategy is more challenging but highly rewarding because you can often avoid competition.
Once you do this work, you can look for areas where you might improve on what leading companies are doing. For example, you could:
- Develop a new platform to make transactions more seamless
- Improve customer service (even if that means charging slightly higher fees or subscriptions)
- Invent new software that automates tasks companies still require people to do
- Create a brand image that excites customers (if that is lacking in the sector)
- Leverage innovative marketing techniques, like using brand representatives to act as social media ambassadors
Often, you only need to be 10% better than everyone else to get noticed. You don’t have to create anything world-changing.
With that said, differentiating yourself from the competition almost always works and is relatively easy once you do the research.
Step 3: Know Your Customers
Of course, if you want any of this innovation to stick, you need to know your customers. If you don’t understand what makes your audience tick, you will find it more challenging to differentiate yourself.
Going to a brand experience agency in London could help if you don’t have in-house research expertise. Specialists can collect more accurate data and point you in the proper direction.
For example, you might target “all cyclists” with your online bicycle shop. However, a research team might discover your main customers are commuters, which would change your marketing approach and business model.
You can also learn more about your customers by using site analytics tools. Social media platforms, like Facebook, are helpful because they collect personal data on users (including their preferences) that you can leverage.
Step 4: Create A More Human Experience
At the same time, you should also focus on making the experience as human as possible. After all, the goal is to connect with people.
Interestingly, data corroborate this approach. Studies suggest 44 per cent of shoppers prefer a personalised experience to a generic one.
To create a more human experience, you should:
- Use more storytelling (as described above)
- Embrace a conversational tone of voice in your marketing materials (making it seem like you and your prospects are on the same team)
- Show the human side of your brand, including the people behind the curtain
- Talk to people on social media and respond to feedback when it arrives
- Build a “tribe” of people who can become brand advocates
Step 5: Maintain A Professional Tone
Finally, ensure your branding is professional. Outsource slogans, logos, and shop front designs to competent third parties. Ensure your website and content display your branding elements and communicate with customers in a consistent voice.