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Brands often face a marketing dilemma. You can’t survive without marketing your brand. However, self-promotional campaigns can often fall flat for small brands. Indeed, when the business has not yet established its presence on the market, it can be hard to convince your audience. People don’t believe promises and self praises. They want proof that your business is a credible, reputable, and trustworthy brand. In other words, you can’t use marketing for self-promotion. You need to think outside the box to reach out to your audience in a creative way. How do you convince someone who doesn’t want to listen to you? It’s simple. You let others do the talking on your behalf.
Join an expert channel
Whether you start an expert channel by creating a podcast for your business or join one as a guest, expert channels serve a unique branding purpose. They help provide knowledgeable, thought-through and informed opinions and tips. In other words, they are crucial to building a brand reputation, whether you are a host or a guest.
Podcasts can also drive traffic, build new engagement for your audience, and market your business. However, their specific place in the content industry as an expertise platform elevates contributors and hosts. A podcast can get you noticed and listened to by your audience, helping address and redress the initial lack of trust.
Let influencers do what they do best
Why should you talk about your brand when other people can do it so much better? Social media influencers are marketing specialists who use their popularity and personality to support brands. It can be tricky for businesses to find the right person for the job. However, you can work closely with a marketing agency to create connections. Then the agency can help identify relevant individuals who can use their social media platforms to introduce pre-agreed marketing campaigns promoting your brands, such as showcasing how they use your products and services.
Paid customers are your best marketing weapon
Your customers are your most important asset, not only for business survival but also for brand marketing. Indeed, a satisfied customer who’s already familiar with your business can actively promote the brand, becoming a brand advocate. It is fair to say that not all customers can be brand advocates. Advocates are regular, recurring, and loyal customers who strongly identify with the brand. Brand advocates are enthusiastic about the whole experience, praising the product as much as the customer service. More importantly, they are credible. They buy, use and enjoy your products, making them a reputable source of promotion.
Value customers content
More often than not, customers are keen to showcase their favorite products. Bloggers and social media enthusiasts are among the first to post about brands, even if they are not part of an advocacy program. By offering your support and praising their content, you can maximize brand exposure and reputation. International fashion brand, H&M, has turned customer-generated content into a self-promotional campaign using the hashtag #HMxme. For the brand, it’s an easy way to reach out to a broad audience in an engaging manner. For customers, being linked to the brand can increase their follower number and help grow their online presence. In short, it’s a win-win for both!
Why should brands promote themselves when there are so many other options available? Self-promotion can be counterproductive compared to approaches that focus on business expertise, thought leadership, or even external content generation.
Branding can be very challenging, especially in instances when businesses are still working on building their names. However, I would agree that allowing others to do the talking for you helps to create a positive brand image.