Brand Communications 101 ~ How to tread ahead in uncertain times ~
Ankita runs a business where she owns an apparel brand but the brand was caught off-guard with the recent global health crisis. Sadly, the brand was not able to establish its online presence. With some tiff amongst the team, the brand was dissolved in the initial quarter of the pandemic.
This might be a made-up instance to throw light on the sensitivities of running one’s own show but if you are a business owner, this could be a possible reality in the near future. The uncertainties have been crawling up the sleeve of entrepreneurs and it’s about time to get the real talk going.
Running businesses and making brands reach out to a wider audience is as easy as walking on eggshells, pun intended.
The moment you err, your rapport is in for a ride. Entrepreneurs and the giants in their respective industries are well aware of the intricacies of running a brand. The strategies devised to stay in line might have worked well in the pre-COVID era. However, the pandemic has had everyone chasing the tail of the dragon with the tides of uncertainty washing over and dissolving a huge number of sharks.
Unprecedented crises require us to formulate a different approach towards business. Brand communication is one of the tools helping companies to retain their position in the market. If you are seeking to sail your boat and evolve with the current scenario, this blog is just the guide you need. Brand communications have to be planned to adapt well to the uncertainties, and this is how you can go about it:
C.O.M.M.U.N.I.C.A.T.E
What do you think is the most important part of brand communication? — we’ll make it easy for you, it’s COMMUNICATION (duh)! Setting the narrative of your brand is the second step to the process but speaking up tops the list.
Staying mum in uncertainties only reflects your name as just another “ignorant money-making company.” We certainly don’t want that, right? To eliminate that thought, the first step of the flight is to convey your support, not just to your clients but also to your employees. Reassurances go a long way in setting a brand’s voice. It is all about sticking close together in good times and closer in the rough patches.
A responsible name, are you?
One of the tips to communicate your brand to the people and your team is to establish responsible norms. For instance, brands were seen focusing their energies on setting and maintaining a system that aimed at strict hygiene and safety measures. From discontinuing biometrics for preventing human contact to encouraging sanitisation, brands have strengthened their positions as responsible citizens and names in the industry. This has further helped in spreading a word of mouth for them as brands that are sensitive to the crises and aiding in curbing the situation at hand.
Supporting the responsible narrative of brands, Bhawna Singh, Senior PR Manager, WishBox Studio, said,
“I work in a PR and Design Agency and ever since COVID-19 crisis, our company has adapted to these rough times and switched from cheques to online payments, from biometric entries to marking the presence of employees on excel sheets. Our alternative workdays further signify how the brand cares not only about its clients but also its employees, it makes us feel valued and significant.”
Customer engagement
Uncertain times call for measures to elevate the social media presence and boost the brand by adapting to different social strategies. These techniques further include social listening and focusing on customer testimonials to address the progress of the company and make required changes. It is imperative that we focus on the audience to stay relevant and connected with our target audience.
Creating brand awareness
Being a sensitive time teeming with challenges, it is important to keep your boat afloat in thai period by creating brand awareness and revamping branding, if needed. Reaching out for collaborations and associations to stay in touch with the clients and internally maintaining a structure that drives a constant wave of brand awareness is necessary. For instance, developing a new content strategy and associating with others in the field for a mutually beneficial project or campaign could prove advantageous in such times. Investing in your brand and rehashing the ideas to present something new to stay in the market seems to be a wise strategy to stick around for the longer race.
Getting acquainted with media consumption
With the uncertainties come new patterns of media consumption and the changing psychology of the target audience. It is imperative to understand the graph and act accordingly. For instance, the pandemic influenced the media and saw a paradigm shift from physical publications going digital. Establishing a robust online presence, big names went virtual with their tabloids, newsletters, magazines and newspapers. Tapping media while keeping in consideration the crisis served as a major step-up for brands. They were able to ace the current pattern and garner more traction through a strategic plan.
Uncertainties often catch us unprepared but what matters is how we respond to them. The above measures combined together with efforts to reallocate the resources and adopt dynamic messaging will help you in successfully managing your brand communication in rough times. Making the most of the rock-bottoms rather than exploiting the situation will help in positioning the business as a responsible name and aid in garnering more traction. These endeavours collectively shall result in increased profitability, becoming your own personal guide to effectively get your brand communication system in place and using it to elevate your brand to a new stature, regardless of the circumstances.
Let’s start the journey to success, shall we?
