Despite being a mega-global brand, Nike has demonstrated an important strategy that would significantly benefit many small businesses: a model that takes a systematic, thoughtful and client-centric approach to build and position its brand over time. A few years ago, for fashion week, Nike created a “concierge” program to help engage editors while keeping them fit as they went to Fashion Weeks in London, Milan and Paris. This in turn created a unique "experience" that related back to the Nike Brand. The "experience" led influencers to post pictures on social media such as Instagram, building a following and legitimizing the brand (social proof). This was all done in advance of the launch of a new athletic sportswear line, creating buzz before the product even came to market. The approach is classic good business and small businesses should heed the core steps: 1) Create a plan. 2) Slowly increase the awareness through intentional buzz and outlets. 3) Develop relationships with influencers that play in your target markets. 4) Never forget the actual product (Lululemon learned this the hard way a few years ago with its unfortunate roll out of see-through yoga pants). 5) Remain patient but continue to test, experiment, and pivot in response to what you know and learn about your core market audience. 6) Segment your audience. Nike sells on various social platforms depending on the buyer (ie Millennials, Gen X) and then finds the right marketing mix. Nike tries to find the experience and cache value which can even drive an established Brand to the "hottest Brand at the moment” status if done correctly and with a little luck. Building on this backdrop, Nike quietly launched its "Runway Athleticwear" in 2014 by mixing the ubiquitous Nike popular Sports Stars with Runway Models at NY Fashion Week. In this forum, Nike was able to test out the product, material, style and appeal across categories. Nike also opened an invitation-only training facility on Grand Street in Lower Manhattan in summer 2014, where glossy-magazine-ites do yoga and work out with models and other influencers. On Instagram today, Nike with 86.2mil followers, is successfully tweaking the singular brand voice typically evident in its marketing to allow for access to athletes that feels more real and authentic to fans. "We have to be just as interesting as Beyoncé and your friend's avocado toast. In the feed you're stacked up all the same," Jackie Titus, the brand's global head of social strategy, said during an Advertising Week session in October. "You can't top Beyoncé, but it's a good goal."* Nike is moving with the trend, pivoting to stay relevant and fresh, but always ties its products back to successful athletes which are core to its success and legitimacy. Nike never forgets the quality and core drivers of its brand and small businesses would do well to follow their lead. *https://www.marketingdive.com/news/marketer-of-the-year-nike/541560/
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When it comes to creating a successful business, organization or service, just creating a brilliant product with huge potential for success is not enough. That bridge between your product and your consumers needs to be built…and that bridge is your brand, how you convey it and how you position it. Without these, even the best products can end up being monumental failures. Your brand is about who you are, the customers you serve, your unique qualities and your customer guarantee. Your brand’s success depends on your ability to deliver value to your customers- time and time again. That’s all well and good, but first, they won’t know how good your brand-your product- is if they don’t know it exists, and further, if they know it exists but have no interest in trying it. Right? So, what has to happen first? YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM. This is your beginning; and it can be the beginning of the end, or the beginning of a great ride to the top. Riding your brand to the top starts with a great package. Yes, your logo and name are part of that package and are important for on-going recognition, but more important are the words in your package-your content. Your content is how your customers know you. It’s the only thing they can associate with you WITHOUT buying your product. It establishes relationships, trust, brand image, and goodwill. The first contact your potentially loyal customer base will make with your product is when they read about its pros and cons, contemplating whether to forego all the other similar products in the market in order to have a taste of yours. Now, once your content about your brand has enticed them to try you, your brand is now responsible for keeping them. If customers know exactly what to expect from your brand they will keep coming back for more. And customers are willing to pay more for a service that is associated with quality and value. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. If your content is going to be compelling it needs to start pushing all the right buttons. The level of competition in the market today is cutthroat; there is absolutely no way a company relying on poor content can manage to carve a place for itself. Make sure your words as well as your logo and tagline say who you are with a spark that ignites interest for new customers, keeps your existing customers happy yet grows and evolves with them. Great article for any small business owner to read! Top 25 Home Improvement Lead Generation Ideas from the Pros for 2018
Extremely informative article featuring our client Bill Shipp co-founder of Vaxient: Cyber Compliance, Security & Risk Management, and Greg Romano on getting published in CFO Magazine along with E.J. Cyran and Jonathan Marks on a terrific article we drafted on GDPR. https://lnkd.in/dw4Uzhg
Whether your company is small or large, in retail or food service or finance, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect of every business. The team here at Lantz Consulting created a basic digital marketing checklist to help you achieve the first steps of your digital presence.
1. Google & Apple MapsIf your business has a physical store or location, it is vital to create a Google and Apple Maps listing. |