Pop quiz! In Beauty and the Beast, who is the star of the show? The star of the show is Belle. It’s not the audience. Or is it? The story is about Belle, but the goal of the show is to entertain the audience. So who is it really about? I'll give you a hint. It has to do with influence.
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When it comes to understanding branding, understanding audience is of utmost importance. Your audience is who your brand is trying to influence, they are the people who receive your message. However, the people to whom your message is directed, is your target audience or target market. Understanding them is very important, as this could make-or-break the effectiveness of your message.
Understanding your company's target market is crucial, as this could make-or-break the effectiveness of your company's message.
HubSpot, the world leader in Inbound marketing, gives companies guidelines to determine an ideal client by helping them create “buyer personas.”
Buyer personas are semi-fictional representations of an ideal customer, based on real data and some educated speculation about demographics, behaviors, motivations, and goals.
Creating an accurate buyer persona means researching, analyzing, and taking a closer look at your current customers. This helps you get into the mind of potential buyers, which in turn, helps you create the right content. When the right content is created, you attract your target audience, convert them to leads, and close them into customers.
As you can see, developing a marketing plan that is geared toward your target market is critical to success. HubSpot says it well when they say:
You don’t want just any traffic to your site, you want the right traffic.
What Does this Mean for Branding and brand influence?
So it is with this in mind that we must consider our branding, or how our customer perceives us.
For example, the advertising of protein powder, 150 pound weights, and training programs is not directed towards 2 year old boys. And why not? Toddlers are not your ideal client; they don’t train to be bodybuilders. They certainly do not have the capacity to make this kind of buying decision.
Because of this, this weight-training company is not going to make their branding appeal to this group. They want a strong image, not a childish one. They want to appeal to their target audience, their consumers – the person or people who will purchase their products or services.
This is not the only group to whom a brand wants to appeal. They also want to appeal to their employees and shareholders. According to the Branding Journal, “successful branding strategies [add to] a company’s reputation.” If someone doesn’t like or feel connected to a brand, they are not going to be loyal to that brand. They won’t want to work there. Investors won’t see much potential in an inconsistent brand. However, if you relate to a brand, you feel like a brand understands you, or they offer products that inspire you, you will want to be a part of it. Brand loyalty is built.
What do you think? Why do you think branding is important? What are brands that have influenced you and how?
Stay tuned to learn more about how branding works, how to effectively brand, and more about brand loyalty and your ideal customers. Don’t miss any of the upcoming blogs and sign up below.
