Sadly, my prediction is that with the rise of bots and automated web chats, this sort of warm fuzzy feeling will become more scarce. They’ve probably got a brand strategy that’s worth stealing though!
There’s still room for companies who do it right, from their branding to the website to the moment after you hand over your hard earned cash, to absolutely kill it. I’m not talking about the big boys and the usual suspects like Apple and Virgin Atlantic that we ‘go to’ with our yardstick. Because big isn’t always better, but smart is.
How do you blow your customers’ minds? Well, you get to know them really well first. We talk about this a lot but I’m going to boil it down to five brand strategies that you can emulate for your own brand strategy.
A ridiculously effective homepage
That’s right, your homepage is like your shop window (boring you yet?) It amazes me how many web designs don’t show right off the bat who they are, what they do and who and how they can help. Instead, you’re often met with overwhelm and clutter, I’d rather hit the back button than fight my way through that.
Earlier in the year, we spent a lot of time researching and looking for a CRM system. One of the brands that’s still fresh in my mind is Zendesk. And all because of the clutter free, clean design of their homepage. Check it out.
Go on, go schedule a review of your homepage – put it in the diary. Take 15 minutes out to look at your homepage and ask, what could be better?
Do you need a quality checklist to help you audit your website? No problem I’ve got you covered. Grab it here.
A compelling headline
Headlines are great, they’re hugely important and show that you know your customers, you know their pains and it can really differentiate your brand and give your brand strategy a boost. My biggest pain point when we were looking at CRM systems was just trying to get organised, getting our sales into some kind of structure so we could plan, measure and track.
If anyone has gone through the pain of setting up a new CRM, you’ll know that it’s “another thing to learn, another thing to do” and it’s agonising.
“The CRM to get your sales organised”
The leading CRM tool that sales teams actually love to use
Oh hello headline, that would have my attention. A CRM I’ll actually love to use… ok, let’s see then! Headlines are so often a missed opportunity, it’s worth every minute brainstorming your customers’ biggest pain points and worth every penny working with a copywriter to wordsmith the s*** out of some headlines.
When was the last time you thought about your customers’ pain points? Grab our Content Pizza workbook, it might help you create a kick-ass brand strategy.
Have an irresistible offer
You have to have a hook. The CRM system I talked about, they have a free trial version of the product so you can give it a go without any strings. We’re not saying that you have to give away your products and services for free, but think about an irresistible offer to tempt your potential customers in, let them take something for a test drive.
Often we don’t realise that customers aren’t ready for the whole hog right there and then. What else can you offer in the meantime? What value can you add for them so they’ll be running back to knock down your door when they do need what you’ve got?
Could you offer a free download, a guide, checklist - any high value content offer that will help and add value to your audience while they are working their way up their buying ladder.
Video content
We talk about engaging content being the new currency and we really can’t minimise this. It’s not only becoming ridiculously pivotal in the buying process of most consumers today but it’s also going to play a huge role in Search Engine Optimisation in 2018.
No matter what your product or service, a video demo or showing off your capabilities, talking about your brand promise can push you leaps and bounds ahead of the competitors. And I speak from personal experience on this one, in most of my recent purchases whether it be a new snowboard or motorbike tyres, I’ve watched videos about the brand or watched review videos beforehand. Video is definitely killing the radio star.
Well here’s one I made earlier…
Don’t be all things to all people
The saying goes, “if you talking to everybody, you’re talking to nobody”. It’s absolutely true in business and if you put energy into trying to attract everybody you’re taking the focus away from your ideal customers. You know, the ones who are going to help grow your business and rave about you in the future. Don’t be terrified to alienate a few people so that you can really resonate with the customers who are ideal for you.
What’s the one strategy that you could easily implement to make your customers feel more understood and go win some new business today?