The day is here to demonstrate your love for your significant other. While you’re at it, Steven James Media Group (SJMG) suggests showing love for the brand that’s also so important to your life – the one you own, manage, or for whom you work. Here are five suggestions
1. Treat Your Brand to a Movie (or Video)
A traditional favorite, taking your Valentine to the movies! In the case of your brand, a video will suffice. If you’ve been paying even a little bit of attention to marketing in the recent past, you will notice the ever-increasing presence of video. And the research verifies it. Video is a preferred method to consume information today.
2. Open Up! Communication Is Key
SJMG VP of Branding Thom Georgia never lets our team forget that in searching for a client’s authentic voice we must be communicating in our own authentic voice. How is this done? There’s no magic bullet, but it comes about by meeting with team members and incorporating their input rather than coming to the table with a preconceived notion; it also means periodically reviewing the voice to make certain you have the capabilities to deliver what is promised. In short, as has been said many times, communication is the key to all relationships, including that of your company culture to your brand.
3. Like Cupid: Take Good A.I.M.
One of the acronyms we use at SJMG is A.I.M.: Amplify, Identify, and Magnify. We look at the first as an internal process – making sure the amp level of your message corresponds with the media strategy that you choose – video, social media, OTT digital campaigns, a combination of these in most cases. Identifying the targets for that message – consumers, B2B, specialized niches – is vital. And then magnifying your presence both organically and with the right media buys, geo-fencing in viable markets, a reasonable retargeting strategy and other methods.
4. Connect!
Just like you can’t always make the decisions in your relationship – you must take turns picking the restaurant, the show to watch, the music to listen to in the car – you shouldn’t believe your brand can thrive in a vacuum. Make it a point to connect with others by checking out different marketing books or blogs, choosing a conference for you or some key staff, asking peers & colleagues what they do for professional development and keeping their brand energized and vitalized.
5. Keep Your Commitments
It seems simple (and dare we think it goes without saying?) but how many relationships do we know that have been destroyed because one side or the other does not follow through on commitments? We know the common cycle of new year resolutions – Make 'em Fake 'em Break 'em – and mid-February (aka right now!) is where they can fade fast. We suggest you revisit and recommit to your yearly goals or bring the team together to stress the importance of making and keeping commitments. And remember – avoiding commitment is not a viable strategy. Being non-committal to clients so you won’t lose trust is usually just a fast way to not build trust.
Your brand needs love and commitment just as your personal relationship does! It’s Valentine’s Day! Give your brand a hug!
