Work smarter - not harder.
You can work smarter to generate more leads by employing smart branding strategies and tactics. However, many companies fail to employ new strategies and tactics that consider today's marketplace and technology.
As a result, businesses fall short in building their brand and boosting their leads, conversions, and sales.
In today's competitive markets, branding and lead generation work best when they reinforce one another. If you view brand awareness and lead generation independently, you may be relying on dated strategies and tactics.
Before identifying how your business can improve its lead generation through branding, let's look at a definition of branding.
Business Dictionary.com defines branding as: "The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.
Let's break that down:
• It's a process
• It identifies a unique name and image
• It consists of regular messaging through differentiation
• Its purpose is to attract and retain customers
With the purpose of "attracting" customers, branding implies emotional appeal. Lead generation, meanwhile, is more left-brain oriented.
With that in mind, let's explore seven easy-to-implement branding strategies and tactics.
Branding to Boost Your Lead Generation
1) Develop a "relevant" Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - A USP reflects the essence of your company and may be condensed into a tagline like Nike's Just Do It. But it's more than that. It also promotes company image. Therefore, your USP must be current and relevant. An outdated USP can cause more harm than good.
2) Promote Brand Awareness Consistently - Someone once said, "Trust is built with consistency". Effective branding comes from consistent messaging in content, delivery and differentiation. Generate buzz online and off. Get your message out with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. When you promote your brand consistently, you'll build trust and leads.
3) Integrate Branding with Your Marketing Communications - Integration goes beyond brand awareness. It means weaving your brand into your Marcom, such as white papers and press releases. White papers are especially effective because they position your business as an industry thought leader. This further builds trust translating into more leads. Also, create buzz with press releases and super-charge your Marcom by optimizing for search.
4) Integrate Branding with Your Marketing Events - Integrate online and offline events. Employ different platforms and delivery methods to reinforce your messaging. Publish a press release about a future promotional event. Broadcast it using LinkedIn Groups. Distribute brochures at a trade show. Later, follow-up with prospects by email.
5) Enlist Your Customers - Cut your rabid brand fans loose. Brand Advocates author, Rob Frugetta, says raving fans are 50% more influential than other customers. Nothing beats "unbiased" marketing. Let customers tell their stories about how your business solved their problem. Publish case studies often and consistently to generate more leads.
6) Develop your community - 80% of profits comes from 20% of customers. Go one step further. Build on your customer's brand enthusiasm. Publish a blog to engage them. Solicit their input and feedback and build that emotional connection on Twitter or Facebook. And, address concerns in more depth with email.
7) Put it all together - Leverage all the above. Employ them in a coherent, strategic, and holistic manner. This combines left-brain and right-brain marketing. Results from this synergy outperform results from pursuing just one or the other.
These strategies and tactics have additional benefits. You can implement these tips without a huge budget. As you transform your lead generation program, you'll meet little, if any, resistance from your boss.
Building brand awareness and boosting lead generation are not mutually exclusive. They work more effectively and efficiently with a holistic approach. Include them in your branding strategy, and you'll see results.
You can work smarter to generate more leads by employing smart branding strategies and tactics. However, many companies fail to employ new strategies and tactics that consider today's marketplace and technology.
As a result, businesses fall short in building their brand and boosting their leads, conversions, and sales.
In today's competitive markets, branding and lead generation work best when they reinforce one another. If you view brand awareness and lead generation independently, you may be relying on dated strategies and tactics.
Before identifying how your business can improve its lead generation through branding, let's look at a definition of branding.
Business Dictionary.com defines branding as: "The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.
Let's break that down:
• It's a process
• It identifies a unique name and image
• It consists of regular messaging through differentiation
• Its purpose is to attract and retain customers
With the purpose of "attracting" customers, branding implies emotional appeal. Lead generation, meanwhile, is more left-brain oriented.
With that in mind, let's explore seven easy-to-implement branding strategies and tactics.
Branding to Boost Your Lead Generation
1) Develop a "relevant" Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - A USP reflects the essence of your company and may be condensed into a tagline like Nike's Just Do It. But it's more than that. It also promotes company image. Therefore, your USP must be current and relevant. An outdated USP can cause more harm than good.
2) Promote Brand Awareness Consistently - Someone once said, "Trust is built with consistency". Effective branding comes from consistent messaging in content, delivery and differentiation. Generate buzz online and off. Get your message out with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. When you promote your brand consistently, you'll build trust and leads.
3) Integrate Branding with Your Marketing Communications - Integration goes beyond brand awareness. It means weaving your brand into your Marcom, such as white papers and press releases. White papers are especially effective because they position your business as an industry thought leader. This further builds trust translating into more leads. Also, create buzz with press releases and super-charge your Marcom by optimizing for search.
4) Integrate Branding with Your Marketing Events - Integrate online and offline events. Employ different platforms and delivery methods to reinforce your messaging. Publish a press release about a future promotional event. Broadcast it using LinkedIn Groups. Distribute brochures at a trade show. Later, follow-up with prospects by email.
5) Enlist Your Customers - Cut your rabid brand fans loose. Brand Advocates author, Rob Frugetta, says raving fans are 50% more influential than other customers. Nothing beats "unbiased" marketing. Let customers tell their stories about how your business solved their problem. Publish case studies often and consistently to generate more leads.
6) Develop your community - 80% of profits comes from 20% of customers. Go one step further. Build on your customer's brand enthusiasm. Publish a blog to engage them. Solicit their input and feedback and build that emotional connection on Twitter or Facebook. And, address concerns in more depth with email.
7) Put it all together - Leverage all the above. Employ them in a coherent, strategic, and holistic manner. This combines left-brain and right-brain marketing. Results from this synergy outperform results from pursuing just one or the other.
These strategies and tactics have additional benefits. You can implement these tips without a huge budget. As you transform your lead generation program, you'll meet little, if any, resistance from your boss.
Building brand awareness and boosting lead generation are not mutually exclusive. They work more effectively and efficiently with a holistic approach. Include them in your branding strategy, and you'll see results.
Alex Milo, http://www.b2bcopywriting-alexmilo.com,
is a professional B2B Copywriter and Certified Professional
Logistician. Alex has worked for over 25 years in transportation and
logistics operational and business development assignments. He now
spends his time writing B2B marketing content and consulting with a
focus on generating leads for transportation and logistics companies.
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