
The Art of Distinction: How to Stand Out with Your Brand Marketing Strategy
Sep 26, 2024
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No business becomes successful by chance. Behind every popular brand is a smart marketing strategy that helps it stand out. But what is branding, and what do we mean by brand marketing strategy?
Branding is how people perceive and feel about your business. It’s the image, vibe, and values your brand communicates. A Brand marketing strategy is the plan you use to get that message across, whether through social media, advertising, or even your product packaging. To stand out, you need more than just being "different" - you need to drive mental availability, the idea that your brand is known and associated with key usage occasions or use cases that your consumer relies on to navigate purchasing decisions.
Let’s break down how you can do that with your brand:
1. Know Your Competitors
First, you need to understand what your competitors are doing. What’s their voice? What is their brand marketing strategy? What makes their brand unique? This gives you insight into areas they’re missing, which could be your opportunity to stand out. Look at their social media, check the kind of content they post, and see how they engage with their audience. By doing this, you can find gaps and direct your business where others aren’t going.
2. Know Your Audience
Your product isn’t for everyone! Narrow down your audience and understand what they want. What are their buying habits? What trends are they following? Social media is a great tool here. See what your audience is talking about, what they like, and what they wish other brands would do better. Pay attention to their feedback on similar brands—what are they missing? Knowing this will help you offer something better to fill that gap.
3. Know What Makes Your Business Different
Once you’ve done your research on the market, your competitors, and your audience, you’ll know what makes you different. But don’t overcomplicate it—keep it simple! Your uniqueness should be easy to understand.
Take Chipotle, for example. They focused on fresh, high-quality ingredients and shook up the fast-food market, which was dominated by Taco Bell. Apple is another example. One could argue they’ve never been the first mover in any of the market segments they’ve conquered, but they’ve made the products in those segments easier to use, more intuitive and elevated the experience of using them through design. They do many other things well, but in the simplest sense this basic approach is what set the company on the path of improving the personal computer and mobile computing, not inventing it from scratch..
4. Branding
Branding includes everything from the perception you want to create to your aesthetic, tagline, and values. Are you eco-friendly? Luxurious? Your brand’s social media strategy plays a crucial role here. The stories you tell shape how people see you and your ability to engage with other community members reflects your core values and beliefs - or at least, that’s the opportunity.
Your brand’s social media strategy can be an incredible litmus test for how well your brand knows itself. Find it easy to jump into broader cultural conversations that aren’t directly related to your product categories? Then you probably have a pretty strong sense of your brand’s voice, values and manner. If you find it difficult to produce content that resonates with your intended audience, or don’t know how to contribute meaningfully in cultural conversations, then the odds are your brand has lost its way a little bit and it could be a great opportunity to get back on the right path. We call this unlocking the potential of your brand.
5. Be Creatively Innovative
Standing out means thinking outside the box. You don’t always have to invent something new, but you can find creative ways to present what you offer. Take Red Bull as an example—they didn’t just market an energy drink. They created an entire extreme sports culture around their brand with this bold brand marketing strategy. Who can forget their tagline: “Red Bull gives you wings.” Be bold and don’t be afraid to try new ideas.
6. What Doesn’t Differentiate You from Your Competitors
This might shock you, but price is not a differentiator. Anyone can lower prices, but it doesn’t create long-lasting customer loyalty. In fact, lowering your product price too much can backfire. Why? Consumers often believe that if a product is too cheap, its quality must not be good. What sets you apart is your brand’s voice, values, and how well you solve your customers’ problems. Just look at Dove, which built its success on a message of real beauty, not just selling soap.