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5 Tips on How to Set Your Brand Apart from the Herd

Home PR Insights 5 Tips on How to Set Your Brand Apart from the Herd

Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned business owner, rising above the competition can be tough in a crowded market. Creating a logo, mocking up a website, putting it all out there, and then waiting for the traffic to flow in is simply not enough in today’s world. Plus, the last thing you want to build is a ‘bland’ (a brand that perfectly blends in with the rest). 

The truth is that developing a memorable brand is constant work. It is only natural that questions like ‘Where do I start or what exactly do I need to do’ come to your mind.

Let’s dive straight in and get to the point. What actionable steps can you follow to set your brand apart from the herd and make your beloved brand also loved by your clients?

What we are going to talk about:

  • Brand storytelling
  • Brand styling
  • Keeping in touch with your audience
  • Thought leadership
  • Consistency

1. The feel-good connection (brand story and storytelling)

You’ve probably come across all those About Us pages before. Some might have stood out more than others – all thanks to their brand storytelling.

Storytelling is a very powerful method to create a link, a bridge between your brand and your clients. The concept is to write a narrative about your company that resonates with your target audience. For a compelling story you’ll need the following main ingredients:

  • Purpose – Why is the company doing what it’s doing
  • Values – What values your brand represents and stands for
  • Solution – What solution do you offer
  • The tone of voice – Speak your audience’s lingo
  • Emotions – Stimulate the emotional receptors of your target market

Storytelling can feel overwhelming. Start by crafting a paragraph about how and why you started. The origin story. Your lightbulb moment when you discovered a gap in the market, that something is missing. Then move on to communicate the problems you solve and what you stand for, and so on.

You don’t have to get it right on the first try. Sleep on it. Go back to it. Improve it.

Once happy, share it on different platforms such as your website, your socials, and publications. Yes, publications -newspapers, and media outlets – switch that PR machine on! Press releases provide wide reach, plus correspondents are always on the lookout for great stories. How do you find relevant journalists and start building relationships with them? You can use digital PR software, like Roxhill Media, to discover journalist profiles and reach out to them. 

Read: Journalist contact list

Watch: Find journalists quickly

2. Grab them by the eyeballs (or the good old brand styling)

Humans are undeniable visual creatures. We rely on our eyes to absorb information and take things in – which also means distinguishing between brands. If a company lacks originality and blends in with the other hundreds of brands, it won’t appeal to its target market (plus it will be boring).

So let your brand’s personality shine through the visuals by developing something unique and creative. Not going to lie, this will take time, effort and money, but the outcome will be worth it.

Styling itself deserves another full blog post, so let’s just touch on the main points here. For now, start with answering this ‘How should your brand feel?’ Modern and sleek? Whimsical and fun? What style would speak to your client group? Experiment, then choose colours, fonts, patterns, images, and illustrations accordingly. Once all has come together, create your guideline, and stick to them. Visuals will be an integral part of your brand identity and content creation. There are several online sources you can get the inspiration, from Pinterest to Behance.

3. I’m here for you (keep conversations going)

Who had experience with individuals that are only hanging around when they want something, then vanish – only to reappear again when they need you? Sometimes the same happens to brands: they launch a large campaign; create buzz then it all goes quiet until the next campaign.

To build long-term brand awareness you’ll need to go beyond the occasional showing-up and posts on social channels. One of the things you can do to engage with the audience is to take part in online communities. Have you set up your group on social media? Groups are a good way to discuss relevant topics with your followers, answer their questions and offer some tips, advice, or freebies.

Joining the existing conversation is another approach to sparking discussions, showing your expertise, building trust in your brand, and raising awareness. Pitch in with your thoughts on other blogs, forums, and groups. Just like in human relationships, the key to a fruitful brand-client connection is participation and communication. Show the value beyond your product and start being present.

4. Show and tell
(thought leadership)

In the previous section, we talked about getting engaged with your audience and staying in the loop. So, what more you can do?  You’re highly knowledgeable in your field, but does the rest of the world know this? Share your know-how and wisdom with others in the form of content – and don’t limit it to a single platform, explore and experiment with various communication channels.

Now let’s see the types of content you can create to improve your brand image and build something that emerges from the crowd.

Downloadables

Downloadable exclusive offers such as eBooks not only provide intelligence and insights your audience cannot find anywhere else, but they also serve as a lead magnet to attract newcomers.

Articles

Guest post your thought leadership articles on clients’ or other trusty, industry-relevant websites, including online publications and trade magazines. We’ve mentioned getting in touch with the press above, and if you haven’t done it already, now it’s a good time to start developing connections with journalists and pitch your stories to get featured in both offline and online publications. Articles and guest posting are a good way to boost your reach, generate some likes and shares, and gain backlinks to your own page! (great for SEO). Check our eBooks for best times to land your pitch.

Visuals

Videos have been trending for many years now. Is there a more creative method to provide inspiration and guidance for your audience than videos? From interviews to educational pieces, this visual approach is super effective, and the possibilities are endless – think about conferences, forums, seminars and so on where you can make your voice heard and recorded, then use the replays on your own channels and watch your brand’s quality reputation grow.

5. Keep calm and carry on (consistency)

Maintain your brand authority and authenticity by sending the same messaging and presentation across your channels. To achieve consistency, first, you need to define the brand guidelines clearly – the rules that help the standardisation. Include both design elements and tone of voice.

Next, the connection with your audience should be regular. Repetition leads to familiarity and predictability, which then leads to trust. (And who doesn’t want a trustworthy brand?)

Finally, don’t forget about constant improvement. Sometimes things get outdated, or whatever worked in the past won’t work anymore. And that’s okay, so keep learning. Read. Watch. Digest. Then apply changes to your brand.

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Takeaway

Now let’s summarise all the branding tips in a few action steps you can follow.

  • Research and get to know your target audience and their behaviour, preferences, habits.
  • Update your brand tone of voice and (re)write your company story.
  • Stay relevant:  tweak your brand style and modernise with compelling visuals, whether in-house or outsourcing.
  • Share your wisdom, and spread the word into the world about your brand.
  • Finally, don’t forget about your clients and prospects, get social and engage with your audience. 
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