BRANDING BOOTCAMP DAY TWO
A memorable brand is…
current
BRANDING BOOTCAMP DAY TWO
A memorable brand is…
current
Welcome to day 2 of our Branding Bootcamp!
Today we will be discussing the importance of having a current brand.
So, what does it mean to be current? Good question.
When we look it up in the dictionary, the main terms that appear are:
- Belonging to the present
- New or most recent
- Popular or in vogue
Why is having a current brand important?
To apply this concept to your brand, simply ask yourself is it present, recent, or popular? We’re not saying your brand needs to be super trendy or the most liked, but it needs to have a purpose or use in this current moment.
If your brand and business focuses on selling VCR players or Yellow Pages, unless someone is a collector of old household items, this may be a reason why your brand is no longer considered current within your primary audience.
But don’t fret, there are a few things you can do to support your brand to ensure it stays current! We have listed a few areas you can focus on to help keep your brand relevant. We also asked Mia Fileman, Founder of Campaign Del Mar, how she keeps her brand current.
Your audience
Remember whom you are speaking to. It may sound simple but forgetting whom you’re speaking to happens a lot. When you’re under the pump (we feel you!) and you’re trying to get through your task list, your focus can become insular meaning you focus more on what you want for your business VS whom you’re doing this for.
Imagine you’re having a conversation with someone, and then they turn away from you as you’re speaking. This is potentially how your audience feels when you lose focus on them, and it shows in your brand communications. This can be reflected in your social media approach, the content on your website or even the way you answer the office phone. Whatever the avenue of communication, keep your audience front of mind. If you don’t keep them in mind, this is when your brand can become outdated because your biggest supporters and customers are no longer included in your conversation and can lose interest.
Current events and news
Keep an eye on the news. We recommend setting up notifications on your phone or setting up Google Alerts. Using Google Alerts allows you to follow keywords applicable to your industry or brand for example if you are a clothing store you can consider setting up an alert for keywords such as ‘fashion’ and ‘clothing’. When setting up these prompts, keep in mind the ideal method you like to digest your news. This is a great way to deliver information to yourself to ensure you are across the latest events.
Being aware of the latest news and events can influence the overall messaging of your content and communications. This will allow your brand to appear as aware and focused on the world around them. Having this information also allows you to pivot and change your messaging and approach should the need arise. We saw a lot of this happening over the last few years including a sleuth of alcohol companies, such as Four Pillars Gin who used their brand name and platform to offer hand sanitiser. This also influenced their communication style, instead of talking about sharing a drink with friends on the weekend we saw social media posts showing us how to make cocktails at home! This is a great example of ensuring your overall brand approach can be impacted by world events.
Public Relations (PR)
Focusing on public relations can be a big task as this is quite a broad topic. However, if we are keeping trends and relevance in mind, some PR activities you can invest in to stay current include:
Maintain relationships
Maintain relationships with media outlets and key journalists. You may have a launch event coming up or you’re supporting a community event. If so, these can be considered newsworthy topics to shout out about. Contact your local news outlets (think print and digital!) and send them a press release about your latest event.
Collaborate with influencers
Sending out kits of your new range or product is a great way to get your product into people’s hands plus they can then share their unboxing on their own socials. Influencers can generate great results for brands permitting it is an authentic partnership. You can read more about working with influencers for your biz here.
Download our checklist to help you stay in the present moment and ensure your brand is current.
What’s next?
We understand that this sounds like a lot of responsibility to take on, so to reduce work on your end we have provided an easy-to-use checklist above! You can keep this at your desk to act as a reminder to stay in the present moment and of course ensure that your brand is current.
Stay tuned for Day 3 of our Branding Bootcamp where we talk about creating a valuable brand. This will include determining your brand values and your competitive advantage.
