We’re more than a month into 2020, which is a good time to
take a look at your marketing and branding efforts. Is it still relevant or
does it need revising? Are you spending what you should or are you spending too
much/too little? Is your messaging clear
and consistent? Are you utilizing the
right marketing channels to effectively reach your target audiences?
You could spend thousands of your marketing dollars on
advertising placements, media outreach, and marketing efforts, but if you’re not
delivering effective messages in effective ways, that money, time, and energy
is all for nothing. Is your branding and messaging resonating, effective, and
helping your organization meet key objectives? Is it reaching your primary
audiences? Does your brand convey your company’s mission?
So many questions!
But, to ensure your company stays innovative and agile as it grows and
thrives, take time to review messaging and consider revising or rebranding
based on what you discover.
Check for consistency: Are your language and visuals consistent
across multiple platforms of message delivery? All of your messaging should
sound like one, consistent voice that speaks to the same key points. If
language is inconsistent or unclear, your messages can be confusing to your
audiences, thus far less likely to be understood and retained.
Take an internal audit: How do your employees view
your messaging? Is there employee buy-in? Do they feel comfortable and able to
communicate your company’s story, mission, and messages with clarity? What are
they hearing from customers, partners and other key audiences? Do they think
it’s clear and concise or are they hearing otherwise? This is a great
opportunity to involve your team, collect feedback, see if anything pertinent
has changed, and make revisions where necessary.
Survey target customers: Go right to the source!
Create a brief survey to ask customers how your messaging appeals to them. This
is a great opportunity for an additional touchpoint with your customers. Ask
open-ended questions to gauge what customers’ takeaways are and invite
suggestions.
Analyze social media metrics and feedback: Which
campaigns or messages have generated the most engagement? A look through social
media analytics can help identify a direct correlation between types of news or
posts that initiate a higher volume of responses. Determine what language,
topics, and other information is resonating well and what needs to be changed
or eliminated based on the popularity of particular types of posts. Pay attention
to what types of images impact engagement, as well.
Review web analytics: It is a good idea to have some
type of website analytics set up (e.g., Google Analytics) to track and monitor
web traffic, bounce rates, visitors, etc. This information is valuable to
understanding how certain pages affect certain behaviors. You can also look at
the overall picture – what promotions are you doing to drive people to the most
viewed pages, etc.
Conduct a competitive analysis: No need for an
extensive 25-page report, but it is important to review the competitive
landscape and assess where your company stands in the marketplace. Do you know
who your top competitors are? What language and visuals are they using? Are
they getting significant attention or media coverage? Do you clearly convey
what sets your company apart from the competition?
Your company’s branding and messaging should stand out from
competitors, resonate with key audiences, inspire new business, and create
repeat customer transactions. Your brand should you’re your target audiences
feel something. It should tell a
compelling story that inspires them to take action. Perform a truthful
assessment and revise and implement accordingly. After all, if you continue to do what you’ve
always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.
If your branding and messaging aren’t producing
results now is the time to make a change!
