Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Imaginative Brand Alignment Attracts Attention

The product and service market is full of all manner of offerings from different companies. As such, to get your products to stand out from the rest requires inspired brand alignment so that your product meets consumers' expectations of your brand is what prospective customers think it is. However, alignment simply does not happen overnight. It requires dogged determination to make it happen. It is important to start with a clear assessment of your current brand image. According to a study carried out by a market research company, several factors affect a consumer's brand perception. These factors include how a business handles complaints, product packaging, and professionalism. You can leverage your visibility by using proven marketing strategies to create winning brand positioning. The following are some of the alignment strategies you should consider.

Multiple Media Channel Alignment

There are many media channels available to consumers. Your strategy should encompass using all of these channels. Start by covering digital channels. These always give the highest return on investment and market penetration. Your next step should be the social media network landscape. You cannot ignore this huge market. A survey carried out by one of the largest computer component companies found that 85% of adults in America visit social networking sites. This means there is a huge market available to interact with your brand.

Do Not Forget Employee Integration

The success of your brand hinges on how well you integrate employee participation into the campaign. You can do this by making sure you communicate the brand campaign details to your employees. This can be done using brand posters in the hallways, on mouse pads, and as screen savers. Stimulate employee interest by putting a reward system in place. The idea is to reward employees who make an effort to publicize the brand message. The support should not be confined to the ordinary employees alone. Senior management should start by pulling out all of the stops to ensure the brand alignment campaign is a success. You can use employee marketing surveys to gauge how well the brand message resonates with people.

Base Brand Building on Research

All your brand-building steps should be guided by sound qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only way to assess your core competencies and weaknesses. Statistical analysis should be an ongoing effort and not a "one-of" affair. Important research parameters include product cost, delivery, customer service, product reputation, as well as sales and marketing efficiency. After the initial brand alignment, a benchmark study should be conducted. The rule of thumb is to carry out this kind of study every 2 years. These studies measure the success of previous brand alignment campaigns. Businesses should be well prepared to handle negative press coverage. Failure to have a plan in place for doing so may result in consumers' shifting allegiance.

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