blog post

Brand relevance: Do you have it?

NPCreative.

This is a big question, so be prepared.

Are you confident enough to say that your brand has relevance and yes, you will remain relevant for years to come? 

Think about it for 10 seconds…

Time’s up. How’d you go?

If you were unsure before answering with a hesitant yes, or maybe you realise that you don’t know the first thing about brand relevance, let us get you sorted. Please, it’s the least we can do, no seriously, we need to help. 

It is super easy to begin your journey of brand relevance. Even more so – with us in your ear.

What is brand relevance?

Brand relevance is how consumers perceive your brand in accordance to their needs and wants. This is done through your business’ ability to connect with consumer emotions and focus on how they feel rather than how they think.

It can be viewed as the most reliable indicator of your business’ long term success as its foundations lie in trust and loyalty.

Take a look at Nike, their tick logo instantly makes you feel that yes, you are equipped to run 5km and that you will “just do it”. Their consumers are so loyal that many pay hundreds of dollars for their products because they know that they are the best of the best.

1/  Listen to Your Customers

Your customers need to be emotionally connected to your brand but that means that you also need to be emotionally connected to them. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be best friends.

We’re talking about understanding your customers and knowing what they want and how they want it. Much like knowing the habits of your partner, analytics will be your best friend as it enables you to examine quantitative data such as the likes, shares and comments from your social media. You will be able to determine that if your post isn’t being shared, there is a high probability that your brand isn’t speaking to your customers. For qualitative data, send out a survey next time you receive a purchase or verbally ask your customer for their brutal honesty (sobs allowed) on what they think about your latest product or service. 

Your brand needs to be able to provide value for a seamless life. You want your customers to be unable to live without your brand otherwise they will never be able to leave the house again. 

2/ Be Innovative and Adaptive 

Some believe that the pinnacle of innovation resides in the creation of internet explorer #no, it is obviously the cronut (croissant + donut = drool heaven). 

You need to try new things to stay relevant otherwise your competition will take away even your most loyal customers. Being innovative and adaptive shows that you are flexible and paying attention to consumer needs and desires. Some key steps to staying innovative in your business:

• Regularly diving into your target market, re-establishing their likes & dislikes.
• Staying on top of your competitors, what they’re doing wrong & what they’re doing damn well at.
• Being confident in your POD & playing with new ways to convey your message
• *Trend-spotting: keeping an eye out on what’s on trend is important, but be careful to not let it influence your direction too much (you’re not here to follow the flock).
  

Stay ahead of the curve, be consistent with it and you will most likely create brand relevance. Be known as the brand that does the funny dances and the behind the scenes (or don’t!).

3/ Be Genuine and Transparent

As the saying goes: practise what you preach. This means no greenwashing allowed. It’s 2022 people, there is no need to greenwash when we can actually practise sustainability. With the new digital phenomenon of cancel culture being as destructive as your breath after a big night out, any lie you tell has the ability to negatively affect you. 

When you have sustainable practices implemented or you are in the process of implementing them, it generates praise and you will attract customers who think you are providing them with exactly what they want but in a more environmentally friendly way. 

The more transparent you are, the more trust there will be between your business and your consumers because they know what is actually happening. Edelman (2019) states that: 

“67% of consumers agree “a good reputation may get me to try a product, but unless I come to trust the company behind the product, I will soon stop buying it.”

*TIP: Post the wonderful sustainable practices you have in place on your social media channels. It will broadcast to your audience just how transparent you are & attract other likeminded customers.

4/ Be Digital

Not quite breaking news, but we HAD to include this one. Everything is digital, even that auntie who swore against Instagram.

By having your brand digitised, your customers can receive constant updates which means constant awareness for your brand. When was the last time you updated your marketing strategy? Was it ten years ago when you opened your business doors? Has your website been updated to show your latest testimonials, and we don’t mean the one from ‘Stephanie, aged 43’, also known as your sister. 

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With these simple strategies, you will be known as the brand who gets it. The brand who people go to bed thinking about.

So start to listen to your customers and hear what they are saying, let them know of your sustainability practices and post about it. Maybe it’s time to start actioning that “million dollar idea you had” and post your updates onto Instagram. Implement these strategies and you will be guaranteed brand relevance for years on end, it is so tempting that you will just have to give it a try.