This is why we love delving into the world of underestimated strategies: the brand-building techniques that work but that are missed out by a large number of businesses who prefer to take the path well-travelled. If you’re looking to separate yourself from the pack and make your mark, here are some of our top choices for underestimated brand-building strategies.
Your brand logo says a lot
Because of easy logo builders like Canva, a lot of entrepreneurs are designing their own brand logo in a few minutes. Using simple templates and drag-and-drop design, they pull together something they like the look of to represent their brand. But, this isn’t a good strategy.
Your logo says so much about who you are as a company, is vital for brand recognition, and can even persuade users to trust you - just from one little design! There’s a reason why top businesses spend thousands of pounds/euros/dollars on logos, and it’s for the same reason that you should invest in yours.
If you don’t invest, you’ll be left with a generic, low-quality logo that doesn’t properly show who you are. You’re not a generic business, after all! We recommend hiring a competent graphic designer with plenty of experience to ensure you stand out from the crowd.
Strengthen client relationships by hosting events
A traditional brand-building strategy was to host events. You’d hire a venue such as The Green Room at a horse race or rugby match, and you’d invite your valued clients to join you. Nowadays, not many brands bother investing the money to do this and prefer to conduct Zoom meetings and email clients instead. But, this lacks the personal touch and exclusivity of events.
To create a brand that stands out and puts its customers first, get back to hosting and watch your client relationships thrive. You’ll gain loyalty, build trust, and grow real relationships that are based on more than just price points and deals. This is a way of building a brand that’s underestimated in the modern world, and you can use that to your advantage.
Focusing on your values
Too often these days, companies try to say they do it all. They’re eco-friendly, fairtrade, ethical, diverse, family-run, budget-friendly - the lists go on and on! This is severe overkill, and saying you do too much can have the same effect as saying nothing at all.
Over 80% of consumers want to shop with brands whose values align with their own. But, if you reel off endless buzzwords when talking about what your brand believes in, no one is going to believe you. It’ll come off as insincere and fake, earning you zero marketing points!
To make your brand morals clear, stick to just a few and market them well. You can create far more cohesive campaigns this way, highlighting the same values across platforms and making it clear that you stick to them with real evidence. This is a far more successful way to build your company’s image.
Sending your customers gifts
Similarly to hosting events, sending customers gifts is a bit of a traditional marketing method that’s fallen out of fashion for modern companies. Instead, brands are endlessly sending discounts and news of sales, but this doesn’t have quite the same effect. Receiving a gift is more personal and, these days, unexpected.
A lot of brands charging high-end prices still send new clients gift baskets or presents on their birthday. Follow their example even if you’re not in the luxury industry. Sending flowers during the onboarding process or a hand-written card at Christmas doesn’t have to cost the world but can make the world of difference in how your customers see you.
Remember, too, that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, so brand-building strategies that promote client loyalty should never be underestimated.
Don’t forget to empower your employees
Modern brand-building strategies often focus on how the target audience perceives the brand but forgets about the employees. Your team is the fuel that keeps your business running, though, so they shouldn’t be overlooked!
There are a few companies at the forefront of their industries who do this well, such as Google with their incredible, employee-focused offices and Spotify, which offers remote working capabilities for all staff. But beyond the top tier, brands tend not to go out of their way to impress their staff.
Make sure you don’t follow this pattern by:
- Collecting staff feedback
- Implementing level-up training programs
- Providing remote work and flexible hours where possible
- Creating trust between staff and managers
- Giving all staff fulfilling work
Word-of-mouth will soon spread the news of the positive workplace you’ve created, and you’ll be looked on favourably by both potential customers, and potential top talent hires.
Building a brand is no easy task. It takes long-term strategies, professional experience, and a whole lot of thinking outside the box. But, when you create a brand image that’s well-known in your industry, the huge boost to your business will make all of the hard work worth it. Start by implementing these underestimated strategies and watch your brand take off.
