Digital marketing is a more congested arena than it ever has been before. Finding a message that cuts through is difficult, especially when a previously established brand is at odds with that message. Research by McKinsey reveals that these trends have pushed brand marketing firmly into relying on one key factor – sentiment. Finding a brand that clearly identifies the priorities of the customer, and then resonates with those values and priorities, is a foundation to build a wider marketing strategy upon. How exactly to do that within the data-driven world of marketing, however, can be less clear.
Identifying storytelling opportunities
A good place to start is through relating to the customer. Storytelling is the best way to get in the door in that regard. Brand storytelling is nothing new, of course; as Forbes highlights, marketers have looked at the benefits of speaking to customers on a level for a number of years. However, this takes on a new dimension in modern society. Brands need to be unforgettable; they need to resonate on a deeper level with customers in order to avoid the sameness of the wider market. In practice, that means helping customers to understand why your business is unique. Marketing consultants Neon Ambition highlight the fact that storytelling helps you to ensure that your brand is not only unique, but that customers understand why, too.
An eco-conscious market
The need for sentiment ties in with a more ethically conscious market. Graziadio Business School notes that, now, a majority of consumers place significant stock in ethical or conscious goods; brands need to tap this market. Furthermore, there’s little harm to be done in taking an eco-conscious slant to marketing. While there is a market involved with consumers who are tired, or dismissive, of sustainable consumerism trends, there are far more who will actively pursue brands who can provide that guarantee that their goods are being produced in sustainable ways.
Achieving positive sentiment
Tying together storytelling with a true commitment to eco-friendly or sustainable consumerism forms the foundation to a brand campaign based on sentiment. Maintaining it requires one key element – authenticity. Your actions as a business, and the actions you take while marketing, must be in-line with the face that you are presenting to the public. Consumers are acutely aware of when businesses fail to meet the standards they set themselves. Setting corporate responsibility as a key tenet in the running of your business is, therefore, crucial – it will give credence to your marketing campaigns, your brand sustainability, and ensure that your consumer base is well served.
That isn’t to say that brands in the past have been inauthentic, or have compromised on their values. To the contrary, plenty of brands have made the shift towards being visibly responsible now that there’s now a greater need for good work to be seen. Commit to those principles, embrace sentiment, and a brand marketing strategy can be elevated.
