It’s a simple but powerful formula: If you want the attention of your target audience, you need to think like them. Brand strategists at UNIT partners can help identify your audience and use that information to bring awareness and connect your audience to your brand and your individual products or services. Here are our branding agency’s best practices for developing and reaching a loyal audience.
Define Your Target Audience
Who is most likely to purchase your product or service? Think of their distinct characteristics, such as age, gender, profession (and role within that profession), socio-economic background, geographic area, and interests. Why would they choose to purchase your product or service over a competitor’s? Once you know who your audience is, your brand will have a powerful sense of direction to connect with them.
Research Your Audience
Once your audience is defined, begin researching what they like and dislike. When and how are they making purchasing decisions? What are they attracted to stylistically or messaging-wise? What other brands are popular with your audience? Use complementary brands’ successes and failures as a starting point. You don’t have to invent a new marketing strategy from the ground up if you can precisely see what works for others. Use this research to guide visual aesthetics, communications, and how you develop your products and services to cater to their specific needs.
You Are Not Your Brand
Research may reveal that your audience prefers a stylistic choice, message, or voice that you don’t personally like. It’s critical that you separate yourself from your brand. Put yourself in the mindset of your audience members and be sure to remove your tastes from the equation. As a basic example, you may love the color orange for your green energy company, but statistics may show your consumers connect green energy to the color green. Unless there is a clear, differentiating reason to choose orange, make sure your audience preferences trump your personal preferences.
Align with “Like” Brands
Outline similar brands or organizations that your customer base already loves. What are they doing to connect with your audience? Can you build a relationship or partnership to enhance both of your consumer experiences? Are there professional associations your audience trusts that you can align your organization with as a means to increase visibility? Leveraging other companies as part of your marketing plan can expand your reach.
Test Your Approaches
All of this research may result in many different ideas and potential strategies. So how do you know what will give you the best results? Test. Test. Test. When possible, survey your consumer base (those that are familiar with your brand, and those that aren’t). Consider A/B testing to determine what’s working and what’s not. Consistently assess quantitative and qualitative data so you can make decisions guided in strategy vs. throwing spaghetti at a wall.
Interested in Partnering with Us? Let’s Connect!
UNIT partners is proud to be one of the top branding agencies serving San Francisco, CA and beyond. Our team of brand strategists, designers, copywriters and more will help you connect with your target audience through innovative and consistent messaging that resonates. Learn more about our design firm’s brand strategy, graphic design, and logo design services, or get in touch through the form in our footer.