One of the best parts of my job is getting to interview people who have landed a new job in a leadership role. There is something so invigorating about talking to a person who refers to their new position as a “dream job.” Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious and their ideas inspiring.
I had the opportunity to interview a new team member at one of our largest clients last week. After more than two decades in his industry he was offered his current role, saying it was an opportunity of a lifetime. He was clearly excited about his new job and ready to tackle a number of goals and initiatives.
Not pointing any fingers, but how many of you admit that you too felt this energy, this drive to succeed during the first few months of a dream job, but it’s since dwindled? It’s understandable that the feeling can fade over time, which is why I love the chance to talk to people ready to light the world on fire. It’s fun and educational to learn about their goals and in some cases those goals reignite an idea about a core branding practice that some of us may have let fizzle out.
That was the case last week. This person told me that his ultimate goal was to have people think of his business when they thought of the industry on a whole. As in, when people think newspaper, we want them to think View Newspaper Group.
This should be every manager’s and marketer’s No. 1 goal, no matter the industry: Achieve and maintain top-of-mind status for your brand.
Easy to say, not easy to do. Consumers have endless options today whether they are shopping for a car, a pair of shoes or their news. So, how do you stay top-of-mind? Here are some ideas:
Build a strong brand: Before your brand can be top-of-mind, it has to be a strong brand. Strong brands include, at minimum, a mission, vision, tagline and logo. Once those pieces are in place it’s important to ensure every person on your team has a good understanding of those items. Each team member must have a practiced elevator speech so when asked “What do you do?” they are strengthening your brand with each conversation. Team members are the best brand ambassadors around. Customers are the next best brand ambassadors, meaning each time you interact with a customer it’s an opportunity to strengthen your brand. If that customer has a great experience with your brand, word will spread. (Word will also spread if it’s not a great experience).
Be consistent: Protecting the integrity of your brand is vital to staying top-of-mind. If your brand colors change a lot or your tagline varies, it can confuse consumers. If they aren’t sure it’s you, how can you be sure they are thinking of your brand when they think of your industry? Your brand must be presented the same way each and every time it’s presented anywhere.
Be frequent with your message: Regular readers of this column probably saw this tip coming as I constantly write about building your brand through consistency and frequency (at least I practice what I preach!). You cannot run one ad in our newspapers or buy a billboard for one month and expect to remain top-of-mind to consumers. Your brand must appear in many advertising avenues often. What if you’re low on inventory or maybe what you sell is out of season? You still need to advertise to stay top-of-mind. Maybe your adverting message isn’t always about products; try a customer testimonial or better yet a thank you message to your loyal customers. There are endless ways to keep your brand out there so that, when your inventory is back or the season is right for what you sell, customers think of you because you’ve stayed top-of-mind.
Do all of the above in a newspaper ad: Advertising in print allows a brand to put their name, logo and marketing message in a trusted source that it’s in the hands (and in the case of View Newspaper Group) the homes of thousands of consumers. Newspapers offer frequency, in our case, your message is delivered twice a week or weekly to consumers. Newspapers cut through the digital clutter. Readers are more likely to remember your brand when it’s sitting on their dining room table versus trying to remember what platform they saw you on. Best of all, our team of experts can help you build a strong brand and will always ensure your advertisement is consistent with your brand. After all, it’s our dream job.
How do you stay top-of-mind? Email me at ecaswell@mihomepaper.com.
Emily Caswell is the Brand Manager for VIEW Group, the branding division of View Newspaper Group.