If you hope to develop a strong identity as a company, it is imperative you develop a well-honed brand strategy. You can’t expect to build brand authority with a hit-and-miss outreach plan. From your social media marketing initiatives to your content marketing outreach efforts, you need to plan your moves like a General readying the troops. If you want customers to know and trust your brand, the following seven insights should be part of your strategic plan.

 

Cohesive Voice

When building a brand online, you need to keep a cohesive voice across multiple platforms. Your business shouldn’t offer one personality on your company blog and a completely different personality on your Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter account. Your followers will begin to trust you based upon the personality you create online; don’t confuse them by becoming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde depending upon the platform you’re communicating on.

 

Customers First

The development of your brand’s online identity should revolve around your customers. What are their needs? What answers are they looking for from your business? A me-me-me attitude will get you nowhere in business branding. Potential customers need to identify with your brand and feel motivated to conduct business with your company. If you’re too busy tooting your own horn to satisfy their needs, they’ll build relationships with other brands who are willing to put them first.

 

Avoid Overloading One Basket

Don’t make the mistake of putting all your marketing eggs in one basket. Customers often need multiple interactions with a brand before deciding on a purchase. Make sure your company is active on more than one social media platform. Offer content on your own blog as well as on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Give consumers multiple ways to interact with your brand.

 

Creativity Rules

If you hope to build a strong social media and content marketing following, you can’t be afraid to try new things. Followers will tune you out if all you ever offer are text-filled blog posts. Shake things up a little. Create infographics. Offer funny videos. Heck, you can even create custom GIFs to share with your audience. Keep your audience engaged by offering content and social media outreach in multiple formats.

 

Stay Current

When’s the last time you incorporated current events into your audience outreach strategy? If you’re still feeding your followers the same evergreen content you were a year ago, you might be losing customers without even knowing it. While evergreen content is a smart move, it can’t be your only offering. Read the latest news. See what is trending across multiple social networks and on global news channels. Integrating current events into your brand building strategy is one of the fastest ways to see an instant increase in your audience engagement rates.

 

Measurement Matters

You wouldn’t bake a cake without measuring ingredients and still it expect it to become a tasty dessert. The same theory applies to brand building online. If you hope to increase brand authority and develop an online persona that resonates with customers, it is absolutely essential to measure your efforts. Track social media interactions. Measure website visits on an ongoing basis. Monitor your company’s marketing movements to understand what is working and which initiatives need tweaking.

 

Don’t Underestimate Your Audience

In today’s smartphone-obsessed world, it is far too easy to assume all your potential customers are mobile-enabled. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting offline marketing and audience outreach. Not every consumer checks their smartphone before making a purchase. Older age groups often have plenty of disposable income and zero desire to be tethered to a mobile phone. Even if your product offering targets younger consumers, remember that older consumers might be looking to your business for gift-giving options. From direct mail flyers to live-streaming video ads on Apple TV, be willing to connect with consumers outside of mobile interfaces.

 

Building brand authority doesn’t magically happen overnight. You need to develop a long-term audience outreach strategy. You can’t set up shop on social media and then give up within a few months. In the same way you build meaningful relationships over time, customers need time to trust your brand. If you’re willing to pay attention to the basics of brand building and stay true to your customers’ needs, you’ll find the benefits far outweigh your investment of time. Are you ready to make this the year you go all-in on building brand authority for your business?