When Irene Cara’s voice first came to the radios in 1980 with Fame, everyone fell in love with her dream of eternal glory. “Remember my name”, Care says, as she plays the part of a student who is equally talented in dance, music and drama. The fans of the movie or the 1980s TV show remember that fame doesn’t come easy to the students of the academy. Their success is the result of many tears, hours of practice, and plenty of sweat.
But it is the price to pay if you’re “gonna live forever”.
The principle applies to brands who are trying to pierce onto the market. There is no success without hard and dedicated work. However, unlike the Hollywood version of fame, in the business world, practice doesn’t make it perfect; strategy does. If you still remember Leroy’s practice shorts, there’s no need for these.
Getting people to remember your brand’s name is all about presentation. Be the brand that ticks all the boxes.
Bring someone memorable on board
When you’re new on the market, it can be tricky to get a buzz going. But, you can certainly work with people who are already known to your audience group. Influencer marketing can be not only a cost-effective strategy – as long as you work with your local influencers – but also a rewarding experience. Indeed, unlike advertising campaigns that try to create brand awareness by exposing your products, working with influencers lets brands build a trust relationship with the audience.
The influencer is a known personality who acts as a virtual friend to their followers. They are role models for their readers or watchers, who, therefore, are more likely to follow their advice. Admittedly, a positive relationship with an influencer is based on authenticity, meaning that brands should target bloggers and vloggers who are expected to show a genuine interest in their products.
Be the peacock at a trade show
One of the most popular strategies to get noticed is to join networking events that are relevant to your customer group. Whether you sign up to your local trade show or you book your stand at a business event, there is no miracle potion. If you want to get noticed, you need to make yourself visible with solutions such as Vivid exhibitions displays and stands, for instance. Indeed, while trade shows can prove helpful to launch brands, they are also a crowded place in which companies fight for visibility.
Thinking outside the creative box is not just useful; it is indispensable. Your choice of colors, font, and decor is designed to make your brand memorable to the visitors. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to stick to your brand color palette for the exercise, as people who remember a bright orange stand might get confused when they reach a blue and white website, for example.
Be the voice of Reason online
Nowadays, everyone and their dog has a blog. Naturally, it doesn’t mean that new brands shouldn’t explore blogging opportunities. But, it’s important to understand that having a blog is no guarantee of success. Everybody can write blogs. Writing a blog article that people want to read is another kettle of fish. Indeed, your audience will return to your blog when you offer relevant, exciting and engaging content.
At the heart of quality content creation, there’s the passion behind your business. Brands that write about what they’re passionate about have no difficulty building enjoyable and informative content. Quality content naturally finds its way on top of search engine results through the positive activity it generates. Google is quick to notice pages that are appealing to users, and therefore, ready to move them higher in the search results. Additionally, you’ll find that people love to share articles they have liked online, as a way of sharing knowledge on social media.
Get the media excited about your brand
Small brands believe that the only way into the newspapers is to pay journalists to write about them. In reality, your local news will be more than happy to publish an article about your brand, as long as you provide them with newsworthy content. Getting your name in the news is the quickest way to let your audience know that you are a trustworthy brand.
For SMEs, though, being a reliable business establishment in the community isn’t enough to attract journalists. But there are some tips you can use to make your brand more engaging to the media. Building relationships with local reporters can make a significant difference. Sharing their stories on social media will attract their attention so that they’re more likely to listen to your pitch. You can also sponsor your local community events too. For instance, a local bakery can offer free or discounted snacks to the participants. While it may not get you to the front page of the news, it will get your name out there.
Change someone’s life
If you are familiar with the principles behind the launch of the Good News Network, a website that shares only positive news from the US and other countries, you probably know how compelling happy stories can be. The latest articles show a dad playing the saxophone to a herd of cows and inmates comforting shelter dogs during the fourth of July fireworks.
For millions of readers, the news is only designed to spread a positive feeling about the world. Such networks thrive on positivity and kindness. For a small company, changing a life for the better doesn’t need to be a significant investment. Rescuing a pet from a shelter doesn’t have to break the bank. But making this lucky cat or dog your office mascot can attract the attention of good news evangelists!
Ultimately, good news travels fast and can give your brand the appreciation it deserves.
Get a book that showcases your knowledge
Nothing establishes your expertise quicker than publishing a book that shares your expertise with the public. Admittedly, writing and publishing the book is the easy part. Amazon even lets aspiring authors upload their manuscripts as e-books. But, getting your book published through an agent can be more difficult, but a lot more rewarding too. You need to be very clear about the purpose of your book before you start working on the content. Indeed, writing a book to assess your credibility needs a strategic approach and will require leaving specific elements out of the final draft. You will find it helpful, as well, to design a marketing plan that identifies your audience, as you can use it as guidance during the writing stage.
Create a tagline nobody can forget
I’m lovin’ it.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
They’re G-R-R-REAT!
Good slogans are not only catchy, but they end up representing the brand. You don’t need to see the brand logo to know what the taglines above are about. Similarly, if you create a slogan that is both effective and memorable, you’re already half the way onto the market. The best slogans are short and straightforward. Anything above 9 words is not only too long, but it will be too difficult to remember. The human memory works best with a maximum of 7 isolated items; therefore, the shorter your catchline is, the better it will work. Moreover, your slogan is about your unique selling proposition, aka what do you do that nobody else does? Focusing on the thing that makes you special, you can design an unforgettable tagline.
Approach your audience on their favorite social media
Where is your audience? If you’re still asking yourself this question, you probably need to go back to your drawing board and study your buyer personas. When you’ve reached the launch stage of your brand, you should already know everything about your audience, including their favorite social media platforms. Indeed, social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram are excellent places to create successful brand awareness campaigns. Experts recommend spending 10% of your Facebook ad budget to brand campaigns because the platform can deliver cost-effective short and long-term results. Facebook and Instagram enable companies to use a variety of advertising formats. Videos are a favorite because they can grab people’s attention and convey a bunch of info in a matter of seconds.
Become a model employer
Lastly, the least utilized branding approach is by far the most successful. Indeed, do you know what Google, Virgin, and Lytx – an innovative company that is dedicated to transforming driver behavior – have in common? They are famous not only for their products and services but also for their positive employee-employer relationships. Creating a company in which your employees feel appreciated and valued is a smart move for your business but also your brand. Model employers thrive, especially in a world where resentful former staff is quick to publish their opinions. Doing good around you is bound to get noticed sooner than later by recruiting agencies, partners, clients, and even relatives of your employees.
Irene Cara uses dance, drama and music to build her spot in the stars. Building your company reputation and making it memorable requires a different strategy. From smart marketing campaigns to inspiring behavior within your community and without employees, making your brand famous is all about showing your best profile.