Tag Archives: Brand Strategy

Creating an Effective Facebook Brand Marketing Strategy

Facebook marketing strategies chalk talkIf it seems like no one’s visiting your Facebook page, there’s probably a simple reason.

Brand pages that gain viewers and likes have provided a reason for folks to stop in – again and again. There is fresh content, informative videos and conversations with others who are passionate about the brand or its category. Many times they are sharing tips and suggestions that draw in others to the conversation.

In short, these brands have created conversations and a relationship with their audience. Some followers have even become brand advocates who help spread the brand message to others.

Gaining brand traction on Facebook

Facebook brand page frustrationBut what if you have just created your Facebook page? How do you overcome the sheer brand awareness that FMCG companies have? Plus, you probably don’t have much money or content to put up on a Facebook page. Which is why so many pages get started but then fizzle out – a lack of time to create interesting, relevant contact.

Here are several tips that will get you started on building a Facebook page, creating conversations, and over time, building relationships and brand advocates to help you share your story

How you communicate is as important as what you communicate on Facebook

Getting heard on FacebookYour initial Facebook strategy is all about building your foundation:

  • What is your product?
  • How is your product used?
  • What does your company believe in and stand for?

These pillars — Product, Purpose, and Education – actually will make your job easier. They provide the framework to focus your content and keep you from posting silly or irrelevant topics that do nothing to build your brand.

Follow these 8 simple steps to build your online brand marketing strategy on Facebook

  1. Facebook marketing strategy tipsPost often – even if it seems like no one is listening. Build the base that will define your brand, educate and establish your purpose. You want your followers to keep coming back to your page, so make sure that they always have something new to look at.
  2. Use third party content to make your job easier. Mix in videos and articles that are of interest to your audience and fits your brand’s category. The goal is to have variety so that every post is not the same.
  3. Mix in real product education. You can post pictures or video or other materials you may have created to sell your customers. A little goes a long way.
  4. Like other non-competitive brands that are in your category. This could be your customers, for example.
  5. Create excitement. Can you give away your product in a quick promo? Use or celebrate a goal to create a reason or add urgency. Using Likes is popular tool to drive engagement.
  6. Promote a post. If there’s a post that you think deserves a broader audience, then for a minimal amount of money it can be promoted. This maybe a good idea when you run a promotion.
  7. Be topical. With the holidays being around the corner, you can post messages and create graphics that celebrate the holidays or New Year.
  8. Don’t just talk. Listen and respond when others make comments.

The bottom line on creating your Facebook marketing strategy?

Like buttonHaving a specific vision of what you want to achieve with your Facebook marketing strategy will help you make the most progress towards meeting your goals. If you only have a vague idea of what you hope to accomplish, you will find it hard to know whether your strategy is working. Have measurable benchmarks that you can use to evaluate your success.

Not surprisingly, many companies don’t see quick results from their Facebook page marketing efforts – and certainly not sales. It’s easy to say it’s not worth it.

Remember: you are helping someone solve a problem where your product is a possible solution. You are not selling them why your product is the best solution. Keep this in mind and over time, you will see real and measurable results.

Good Selling!

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3 Ways to Make (and Keep) Your Brand Promise

clear, relevant, differentiating and compelling brand promisesWhat promises are you making to your customers?

To motivate customers, a brand promise must meet the following three goals:

  • It must convey a compelling benefit
  • It must be authentic & credible
  • The promise must be kept, every time

A brand promise is not a tagline telling customers what they should expect from your business.

Strong brands possess clear, relevant, differentiating and compelling brand promises. Even more importantly, they fulfill these every day.

3 Ways to Make (and Keep) Your Brand PromiseA company’s brand is its promise. And successful brands consistently deliver on their promises, which is how they create brand value.

The questions a company must ask to create a brand promise sound short and sweet, but effectively answering them requires intense and lengthy discussion about what the company means on the deepest level: how it does what it does, what the feel of working with the company is, and what kind of character the company has.

The goal is to develop a brand promise that is:

  • Clear
  • Relevant
  • Differentiating
  • Compelling

Equally important, is that a brand promise ensures that employees, channel partners and consumers can all answer the deceptively simple question of “Why Our Brand?” In fact, it will also allow your team to create marketing communications that inspire and motivate and enable consistent brand messaging throughout all our brand’s customer & partner touch points.

Ultimately, you need to describe how the brand delivers on its promise. A promise, however, is good only if it’s kept. If a company doesn’t deliver on its promise the majority of the time, its reputation—and sales—will likely decline.

The brand vision is the road map to a strong brand

The brand vision is the roadmap to a strong brandCore to the brand promise is the brand vision.  The brand vision is a plan that aligns all customer/shopper based initiatives to make more effective decisions across all business functions. Its purpose is to drive revenue and profits through the development of a strong, differentiated brand.

The brand vision…

  • Defines the company purpose
  • Provides metrics to measure business decisions
  • Identifies who the target audience is
  • Provides framework for new product development
  • Focuses messaging and the voice/tone to communicate with
  • Establishes an architecture for the brand
  • Identifies appropriate channels of trade

Although it seems intuitive, strong brands make for strong businesses

Strong brand are products and services in which consumers believe there are no substitutes.

strong brands make for strong businessesStrong brands…

  • Command premium prices
  • Create barriers to competition
  • Are not commodities
  • Inspire confidence and trust
  • Are products and services consumers connect emotionally with

A brand vision brings together 5 key elements

A brand vision brings together 5 key elementsThe five elements of a brand vision are:

  • Purpose − A single statement that embodies the company’s mission and desired perceptions.
  • Positioning − The benefit we deliver to the marketplace.
  • Character − How we want to be perceived.
  • Personality − The attributes that define the brand.
  • Brand Strategy − The masterbrand architecture that defines the relationship
    of your brand to other sub-brands, product brands and services.

Where it all comes together is the brand guide

brand-touchpointsThe brand guide is an interactive document that provides standards for brand management. It is a visual identity system that many refer to as brand guidelines.

These guidelines are the design standards for managing the brand, complete with examples of do’s and don’ts of how to use the library of logos, imagery and typography that creates the brands look, tone and feel.  It covers everything from letterhead and signage to packaging, advertising and web design standards. In short, all the places that the brand can come to life.

What does success look like?

Brand Promise Creates RelevanceThe questions involved in developing a brand promise look easier on paper than it is in reality Brand promise development is hard work that generally takes multiple brainstorming sessions, lots of competitive and market research, and extensive investigation into the true nature of the company. It’s exhausting work.

And yet, as with most things that are difficult, it’s invaluable. Companies that have clearly defined brand promises and values and attributes have strong frameworks for decision-making, and using these frameworks helps develop the brand’s strength and worth to the organization.

And the prize at the end?

  • A simple, differentiated brand essence and position that you can own.
  • Clear articulation for consumers, customers and employees of “Why Our Brand” above our competition – no matter who they are!
  • Brand identity that breaks through the clutter, is difficult for our competition to copy or has proprietary elements.
  • Can be translated to product, packaging, merchandising, advertising, web, and national promotions – a whole cadre of marketing and communications vehicles.
  • Articulation of essence, promise and identity into messaging and graphics that make consumers want to take action to buy our products NOW.
  • Creates value for retailers because consumers are coming to their brick & mortar or online establishment to look for you exclusively.
  • Capitalizes on employees’ pride to work for you making superior products and providing top-notch customer service and support.

Good Selling!

Greg Bonsib is an author of the new Mighty Guides Ebook Data Disruption.