What made the iPhone so absorbingly desirable in the eyes of consumers when it was released in 2007?
No product ever before (or since) was able to “put a dent” in the branding universe the way iPhone stormed out to the display shelves. Unlike all the phones it had no buttons (except for the “on” button). Its multi touch display was revolutionary futuristic, and it worked without any flaw. It had a full web browser, armed with a powerful search that almost equaled a desktop PC. It had e-mail, privacy settings, longer battery life, iTunes library, powerful camera that took great pictures.
Since 2007, the iPhone has been unable to shake off the initial impact and got even better with every new version that drove more sales and more revenue than the launches of previous generations combined.
So what makes the iPhone a messiah to be sort out by its consumers? Scarcity – having qualities its users won’t find everywhere or ideally, anywhere.
If your business tried to stamp a similar image on your customers, clients, and users and did not get the desired results and ROI in your marketing efforts, this article will examine how to develop brand building using online video marketing. As much as I tried to keep this short, I realized that a brand building conversation is not as the same as “two minute noodles” recipes. Please post your questions and comments below.
What is Brand Building?
What made the iPhone so practical was that even a tech illiterate grandparent could learn how to use it? It was able to solve problems.
While the product (cellular phone) fulfilled the needs of many and made life easier for the users, the mention of the brand (iPhone) creates lasting impressions and powerful emotions. So… think of your brand building as increasing your reputation times visibility within its users, clients, and customers.
Heightened consumer awareness of a superior brand, gives it an identity and worth.
No matter how much money you pump in to marketing, if your product or service is seen as inferior, not relevant or not being able to solve problems, by those who received them will tend to have a negative image and you will be fostering a weaker brand image.
Top 10 Brand Building Strategies Using Online Video Marketing
A great pizza often has more toppings than mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. A good overall branding strategy is one that combines several effective strategies. Here’s the TOP 10 brand building strategies using online video marketing.
1. Be your brand’s biggest advocate
As a founder you “must” become your brand’s number one ambassador – No Exceptions.
Steve Jobs (Apple), Richard Branson (Virgin), Jack Ma (Alibaba) became powerful brand ambassadors to their brands. 3 years ago when American Airlines went through a painful re-vamping process of their fleet after countless safety check failures, CEO Tom Horton sent out a “thank you” video for customers for “flying with us”. While the video itself was more of a damage control measure, it was seen (and accepted) by customers as a commitment of the “brand” for continued excellence. The BEST thing about the video is that it is only 60 seconds.
2. Make investors culturally fit to understand your brand better
This one will surprise many – what do investors have to do with brand building?
Investors who know your industry, will understand you better, but the one’s who will matter the most are those who are culturally fit in order to strike a familial relationship. These investors will be patient until you shed your “start-up” status. How do you make industry investors become culturally fit? By informing your investors of your progress through video. While face-to-face meetings are always the best way to conduct meetings and briefings, a simple 1-2 minute video can create lasting impressions.
Video will give you the chance of being brutally honest about the setbacks, roadblocks, and delays you are experiencing and how you plan on overcoming them. Once your investors have seen a couple of your “progress videos”, they will arrive to regular meetings with more confidence and better understanding of you (and your brand of getting them a ROI).
3. Commit to brand building through content marketing
Content marketing is still king when it comes to disseminating “what you do” and “how well you do what you do” to potential clients or influencers..
Four years ago I would have said “think educational than promotional” when doing content marketing. Since then I have become a big advocate of online video, and now whenever I think of content marketing I think of video. Video makes content marketing educational, inspirational and entertaining. It addresses relevance, reputation, credibility and visibility (when readers share your post with their peers and friends). Like creating a culture with your investors (above), video allows you to connect with clients and customers on how you approach problems and solve them. This develops trust, as they see you speaking directly to them. Imagine a cosmetic dentist talking about the latest treatment on how he/she can improve your smile? It serves as your first consultation and all you have to do at the end of the video is to call for an appointment. Content marketing should NOT be sales driven; instead it should be to share how you can bring value to your customers and clients with your products and services – A strategy to build your brand.
4. Develop visible brand experts and brand leaders
Championship sports teams have one or two “stars” but they do have other players who compliment the stars…
Many businesses develop experts, and leaders beyond the founding members, but a few of them become visible amongst the clients, and customers. By developing a few of these experts and leaders and bringing them to the spotlight can dramatically increase your business’s brand awareness by your target audience. How do you do this? Video. Video allows your businesses experts to become nationally acclaimed experts. And when seen by your target audience it automatically and instantaneously adds value to your brand and creates a ripple effect across all communications. Championship sports teams have one or two “stars” but they do have other players who compliment the stars, and bringing them in to the team spotlight heightens the morale of the team and the fans.
5. Cultivate prestigious brand partners
Everybody loves prestige and why not associate your brand with the word “prestige”?
Partnering with other businesses and organizations is another proven way to let your client base know that you are “hanging” with the best. If your services and products are accredited by professional organizations, and trade associations make an effort to highlight it in your communications. If you currently do not associate with such organizations and associations, take pro-active measures to plan on achieving this as part of your brand building efforts. The plan here is to find partners that have similar audiences as your business – but do not compete in the same arena.
Partnering efforts with large businesses and organizations can be costly and often involves sponsoring events. If your businesses funding does not allow for such lavish spending, then consider conducting a research, educational, community or awareness program. An innovative program conducted with a prestigious organization is fodder for building greater brand awareness.
6. Seek high profile clients and brand building case studies
Seeking high profile clients and delivering dramatic results is a great brand building strategy.
Many businesses have been built on reputations fostered working with a single client or a single brand name. To accomplish this you need to be offering high quality and A-grade services and products (like the iPhone). This allows you to become the BEST and work with the BEST. Every business desire to work with the best but unless you make the effort to become the best in your own craft, that reality is not a possibility.
Once you land a high profile client or do business with a popular brand, make sure that your contract allows you to do a case study on how your services and products helped improve your client’s business and how much your client’s loved working with you to accomplish great feats. A simple case study done via video from a high profile client will build a great brand building story for years to come.
7. Let your biggest fans become your brand spokespeople.
Why not let those clients and customer love doing business with you become your brand spokespeople?
If those who received your products and services absolutely love doing business with you, make it a point to involve them in your brand building strategy. Many websites are littered with text based testimonials from clients and customers. This is good practice to build credibility and trust. Imagine if you can have these testimonials come to life in the form of video? Once seen, it will become irresistible for your potential clients and customers to at least make an inquiry on how they can benefit the same way.
Of course most clients and customers would not feel comfortable appearing in front of a camera. With smart phones having decent cameras to take good video footage, video testimonials can be done at informal and not pre-planned. Just whip out your phone and request a client to tell how they liked working with you, how your product/service helped them and if they would recommend you to a friend. Below is a patient testimonial compilation I did for a cosmetic dentist in Chicago:
8. Dominate the social media space with youtube
This does not need elaboration especially since you are reading this article in 2016…
The most effective and highly leveraged brand building strategy available to any business (with the best ROI) today is social media. Businesses of all types have achieved great branding results from using social platforms like facebook, twitter, linked-in, google+, etc.
I left out youtube from the above list knowing very well how much it has been ignored by businesses (even in 2016). If your business have not included youtube as part of your social media then your business is primed to lose real strategic opportunities in brand building heading in to the future. The strongest brands have already adopted youtube, and if your competition has already done so, then there can be visible trouble spots for you to winning the future.
Online video is taking off – You’ve heard it! You’ve read it! You know it! But what does it mean to the success of your business? Find out HERE Top 20 video trends you need to know on how to win 2016 and the future with video and youtube.
9. Commit to brand evolution
In this day of constant change, be ready to change with trends and evolve your brand building techniques…
Much like the constant changes that happen in almost in every field, businesses are gearing up to adapt and evolve to the winds of change. Four years ago businesses did not know to use the leverage of social media in brand building, and now they do. Today businesses are not using the power of video for brand building and pretty soon they will realize it much like the social media blitz. In whatever you do in your brand building efforts, you need to realize where your audience is interacting, and follow them to create the buzz your brand so direly depend on for future success.
NOT all social media can benefit every business in the same way. If you are a bridal designer then it is vital that you engage your followers on pinterest. Why? Because more than 70% of pinterest users are women and out of that… almost 45% are in the age group of 18-34: Your target audience. Pinterest video sharing has seen a dramatic rise over the last two years. Use it to your advantage.
10. Engage in philanthropic activities
Brand building is all about relationship building – let the world know your brand is dedicated to giving back…
It is important to show the world that your brand is more than creating lasting memories for those who are using your products and services. Brand building is also about relationship building. When you dedicate your time, resources and energy to worthy causes the world will notice it. The big brands are doing it in a big way. If you are a small business then start engaging in philanthropic activities in a small way. Record some footage, engage a media channel if possible and let the world know your brand truly cares and is dedicated to giving back.
Video will become even more important than adding a shopping cart to your e-commerce website in 2016 (and beyond). CLICK HERE to learn how to build your IDEAL 24/7 sales team with video.
Top 10 Brand Building Strategies Using Online Video Marketing
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