I love researching on how to market our apps so we can increase exposure and downloads. In fact, I have written quite a few articles about app marketing. I believe our team efforts will find its way to success, and soon calls and emails will be coming in for client work, and downloads will increase (since our infographics and social media sites posts are gaining more likes and shares).
But then I realised that aside from those short-term goals, we also need to work on the long-term goals. Marketing in an app business requires the push strategy where you convince people to download the apps so you’ll get revenue, but branding needs the pull strategy where you attract people into liking you and recommending you to their friends and in the long run you’ll get their loyalty.
I remember one time when I was in a shopping center. A very good salesman with his enthusiastic voice approached me and convinced me to buy his product which, according to him, was the best and blah blah blah…. but I just turned away and said “I know a better brand with that same kind of product.” I’m sorry but he didn’t get a sale from me because he wasn’t able to gain my trust and I was loyal to the other brand which was also just recommended by friends (because it was tried and tested). I think that is the essence of the difference between marketing and branding.
I found a lot of information, articles and tutorials on how to build a brand. They said that creating the name, logo and brand statement are just the start of everything, but here are the other things you need to consider:
Understand your brand and your target market.
First of all, you need to know what people think of your brand so you can determine how they see you and the strengths of your product. You also need to know the values of your target audience so you’ll know the marketing strategy to use.
Create a unique and memorable slogan and design.
I have written an article entitled “How Emotional Marketing Can Make You Rich” which tackles getting into the emotion of your audience to build the connection. After knowing your strengths, how people see you, and your target market’s values, then you’ll know how to attack or attract them with your slogan and design.
Produce quality product and brand experience.
The best way to build a brand is to make sure you’re producing quality products. People always look for the brand that they can trust. And because of the good experience with the product, they tend to recommend it to their friends and stay loyal to the same brand for years.
Be consistent and in sync.
Branding should be in sync with what you market and your strategies. Be consistent with the experience that you want your audience to have. And here are some brand-building strategies:
- Create an infographic to express more about your brand.
- Offer freebies and premium content or items.
- Make your ads visible like stickers and banners.
- Run a social media contest or other events which can create more exposure for your brand online.
- Host a podcast.
Empower people.
Empower your audience by hearing what they have to say. Working on their complaints and suggestions so they know that they matter.
Building a brand is creating a long-term relationship with people, so your strategies should be consistent from the start and should be improving as time goes by, then you’ll be surprised that by word-of-mouth your brand is being spread by people who trust you, and there can be no better marketing strategy than being recommended and praised by many.
I always love to end my article with a quote to ponder.
“Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”
― Howard Schultz
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand#Corporate_Brand_Identity
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Brand
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/branding
If you have insights or comments about the article, please leave a comment below.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Leave a Reply