Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL is a marketing specialist with a knack for product and brand development. In the following article, Cathy Carter-Culp discusses three brand-building tips for success in a crowded industry to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs to start strong, without fear of being overwhelmed by existing competition.
Saying our modern business industries are crowded is no overstatement. It is incredibly difficult to build a brand that is successful in today’s market. Unfortunately, the overwhelming idea of competing with the well-known titans of industry can stop a lot of business ventures before they even start. However, Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL provides three tips to building a successful brand among fierce competition.
According to SproutSocial.com, 55% of modern consumers learn about up and coming business brands on social media. Optimizing social media presence, understanding the way competitors are branding themselves, and making the brand unique and personal are all vital keys to marketing success, explains Cathy.
Staying Ahead of the Competition
Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL says that the best way to stay ahead of competition and avoid being overwhelmed by the crowded nature of modern business trends is to have a strategy in place for getting started. Brand building is incredibly important, and here’s where it starts:
- Optimize a Social Media Presence
- Build a Brand Around Personality
- Understand How Competitors Work
Cathy Carter-Culp takes a closer look at each of these tips to maximize effectiveness moving forward.
Optimize Social Media Presence
As previously mentioned, so many of the consumers that are making modern brands successful are doing so after interacting with it on social media. In order to maximize one’s brand effectiveness, one must build their brand on social media first.
Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL says that the first step to accomplishing this is to make sure that any information on new social media accounts are completely up to date and cover everything that a consumer might need to know about the personality of your brand in a punchy, succinct way. Old accounts that are updated infrequently can easily lead to slow media traffic and loss of interest.
Additionally, it is important to communicate everything one’s brand has to offer clearly. Don’t sacrifice clarity for style. Once this balance is struck, post to all social media platforms at least once a day to maintain interest and keep up with algorithms.
Build a Brand Around Personality
The brands that are created and then stay relevant in an increasingly crowded market are those that are genuine, above all. The smaller things that make a brand noticeable, such as font choices, graphics, websites, and even the voice of a social media post, are all important. However, Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL says that nothing beats clear communication of the actual human beings’ personalities behind the brand.
First analyze the people in the company. See what works about their skill set, and what sets the people building the brand apart from people in other companies. Are they dedicated, working long hours and passionate about their projects? Find a way to make those character traits part of the brand.
Some competitors may post on social media photographs of their employees rocking logos on their hats or hoodies as they work. However, it is much more impactful for a brand to be consistent not only where the consumer can see it, but more inherently throughout all departments as well.
If the marketing team in a company is championing the slogan, but the IT departments or sales departments are working and living in a different way that does not line up with those values, it will eventually corrupt the brand where consumers can see.
There is no replacement for a brand built around genuine values that are a part of the company’s very identity, inside and out!
Understand How Competitors Work
Finally, if you can’t join them, beat them by understanding what it is competitors are doing and then going above and beyond them. If, for example, one’s company is a vacation service, analyze similar companies to see how they communicate their brand.
Cathy Carter-Culp of Barrington, IL explains that a particular competitor might focus on listing amenities, quality above all else, and an emphasis on getting away from the stress of daily life. All of this communicates their brand.
In this case, a successful new vacation packaging company might take their brand down a different, more highly valued route: emphasizing making memories with family, rather than escaping stressful reality. No matter what function one’s company accomplishes, the brand should be even more tightly focused and appealing to the same consumer category, according to Cathy Carter-Culp.
Conclusion
In conclusion, building a successful brand in today’s crowded market is all about understanding how important social media is in winning the attention of consumers. Then, once that attention is successfully obtained, build a brand around the intrinsic, human values of the company. Outdo competitors in communicating that genuineness to consumers at every turn!
