Branding
is no child’s play as the rules of the market are adapting to the tunes of
well-established brands. Take Coca-Cola, for instance- a brand built through
years of hard work and consistence. Unfortunately, new-age businesses don’t
have that time or budget on them, initially. Here, to build your brand,
you need an external help, apart from your own quality service and marketing
ingenuity.
One keeps forgetting about the foremost critical competent
towards crafting a powerful brand-the image perpetrated to the public. It
is the message that you want to give out which seals and breaks the deal
amongst consumers. For any fledgling business, this is a key fact that should
be imbibed in their book of “Startup Mantra”. Public relations (PR), has
a significant role to play here as they help harvest that image wisely. In
fact, the initial stages of PR for start ups involves a stringent look into
brand building, to cull out a fool proof plan to rake in visibility. Here are a
few secret weapons that you should keep in mind:
Use data
Certainly,
data in is buzz, with the copious amount of data mining entering into the
conscience of mainstream marketing. Yet what organizations falter in is the apt
utilization- even small amounts of data can be useful for a profound PR
outreach. Building content around this data can be the key differentiator to
elevate your brand.
Create
key messages that define
Now comes
the process of crafting messages that pique and excite. As mentioned above,
content is the main differentiator between a “me-too” organization and an
innovator in ways of playing the field. These messages should encapsulate the
most aspects of what you want the world to know- the essence of the brand.
Practice putting these messages into a quick “elevator pitch” to create
awareness amongst the unknown. Remember- your messaging needs to reflect the
core values that you want to instill and you’ll have a strong USP to bank on.
Update
your website
While
churning out prolific messages, it is all too easy to neglect websites- a faux
pas that can spell the death knell for your brand. Consumers get tuned out as
they encounter outdated material, difficulties with navigation, and poor
layout. Ensure to keep your website in sync with the current ongoing of the
organization. Highlight key progress and development and update
biographies with the latest contact details for media inquiries.
Introduce
yourself to key media.
The
present day-and-age of business demands a greater visibility, to be successful
amongst the public. This means that you must be familiar with all the
reporters, broadcast and print, that would potentially cover your company or
brand. Educate yourself business section of national and industry-specific
publications that would cover your kind of business, and familiarize yourself
with each reporter that would potentially be interested in what you have to
discuss. This helps in building awareness and creating brand value.
Learn to
tell stories
Storytelling
is an art that every organization should master, in order to ring in awareness.
It may sound difficult but on the contrary, it is actually easy. It is
essentially packaging information into meaningful and entertaining narratives.
This helps in forging stronger emotional bonds with customers and building
value. The best stories aren’t just splashy entrepreneurial chronicles, but
honest communications.
Third-party
endorsement
To be
strong, a brand promise must be credible, by having someone else talk about
your brand rather tooting your own horn. The third-party endorsement is more
effective than paid media as it helps in building value and trust. The most
persuasive content might be closer to home; from customer testimonials,
community happenings, to employee exploits.
An
advice: The best PR solutions don’t cost much and hence should be incorporated
to it’s fullest.