Mediaboss Marketing

Marketing your business is important for small and large advice firms. As Andrew Marshall of Cognito Media, a financial services marketing agency, can attest: "Nearly 90% of financial adviser firms still have five or fewer advisers, despite consolidation. Smaller firms like that have to lean hard on their personal networks, but for bigger firms especially, marketing can build a brand that is bigger than the individuals, and ultimately have equity value.

"In a business like financial advice, where clients associate strongly with an individual adviser, that is always the challenge, but it can be done."

Before starting your marketing, Octo CEO and founder Lee Robertson says advisers should consider how much time they can dedicate to marketing, their budget and how consistent they can be. They should then pick a medium or how they are going to use media to market themselves. "This is such a broad subject covering external communications that a marketing plan will address these issues."

There are also many marketing tactics firms can use and that, of course, may feel overwhelming. "It's important to think through, candidly, where you can best grow clients and have a clear plan with good measurement," adds Marshall.

"Maybe you have a strong local focus, or maybe it's built on a profession or economic sector, we worked for a financial planner with a strong position in sports and advertising high net worth individuals."

Likewise, Claire Bending, founder of CuriousCat Digital, another financial services marketing agency, says working out what your unique selling point is important. "Discovering what makes your firm unique through a brand positioning exercise and then crafting messaging that really sets you apart and is designed to resonate with potential clients."

Content marketing specialist Andrew Gibb, from advice firm Old Mill, adds: "By thinking about content marketing more strategically in terms of where it fits in the marketing funnel you can begin to create content that adds value and resonates. So, a white paper will showcase you as the authority while a case study is more about mapping out how' you have helped others."

The World Wide Web

One marketing tactic that might well be your first port of call, is how and where you showcase yourself online. Unsurprisingly, online marketing, as well as the quality of your website, is vital to improving your business, the experts say. According to Portent, the first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversation rates. These rates then drop by an average of 4% as each second of load time goes by.

How compatible your website is with devices other than a computer is important too. As of July 2018, 52.95% of people use mobile to browse the internet, compared to 43.11% who use a desktop. As the majority of people use the internet, what your website says about you is important. Cognito's Marshall says a website is critical and often advisers focus on the wrong things through their website.

"Design and content matter, certainly. But most critical is to audit how your website is working technically, in terms of content optimisations, user journeys and analytics.

"You need the technical capability to sort out things like semantic mark-up and metadata to support your search engine optimisation and quality score. Organic rankings and domain authority are now increasingly crucial."

What Marshall means by this is ultimately ensuring your website will be one of the first to show up on Google when a client searches financial advisers in North Yorkshire', for example. This is what search engine optimisation, or SEO, is and is crucial in driving the quality of website traffic.

Data from imForza shows that 93% of experiences start with search engines and 91% of pages on the internet never get any organic traffic. To improve SEO, your website should include keywords that clients might search and you should regularly update your content and fix any broken links.

Of course, you might want to market yourself online in ways other than just a website. Blogging, newsletters, social media or virtual events are all viable options. You may even want to use all these tactics depending on how much time you have to dedicate. Research by responsify shows that 53% of marketers say blogging is their top content marketing priority and firms can expect about 67% more leads every month if the brand has a blog.

Getting social on social media

Social media is also a popular way of getting people to reach your company website. According to Hootsuite, 52% of all online brand discovery happens through public social feeds. This number includes paid and organic posts.

Curious Cat's Bending says tactics such as Google ads and display advertising could become costly and ineffective: "This can lead to budget wastage and the false belief that these channels don't work."

However, a quarter (27%) of internet users say they find new products and brands through paid social ads. "Throwing money at pay per click, Facebook advertising and the like - it is easy to spend a lot of money this way for limited results," Robertson says.

"I am sure that it can work but I would suggest a good marketing agency would be able to help here and would be worth the investment if this was the way a firm wanted to go."

According to Weidert, 61% of companies use social media to increase conversions and 50% use it to gain customer or market insights. "These have always been used, but there does seem to be growing confidence amongst advisers to get their messaging out via a variety of mediums. I have even seen advisers using TikTok," Robertson adds.

Professional Adviser recently wrote about the dangers of giving unregulated advice via social media platforms like TikTok, so it is important advisers do not get mixed up with the bad guys or unregulated finfluencers' when using such platforms.

Marshall, on the other hand, believes paid search works well. "With one larger firm, we secured over 60 appointments with 500k+, at an average cost per appointment of around 260. Good training of advisers on social selling is critical - it is shocking to see non-optimised LinkedIn profiles, sometimes without photos, even.

"Spending 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn by every adviser can make a huge difference to your social footprint."

Current marketing trends

In terms of current trends, Marshall says Cognito is seeing lots of ESG-related marketing. "On ESG, the trick is how to use the plethora of information and terminology in a compelling, simple way, and for some prospects that may be more around opportunities, for others more around risks. It's an area that is moving very fast."

Of course, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic will have an impact on how businesses currently market themselves. Old Mill's Gibb says: "While traditional, in-person events have long been the bedrock for many professional services firms in terms of their marketing activities, the pandemic accelerated the shift towards a more digital approach underpinned by content creation, but this transition also contributed to a lot of noise'."

Robertson adds: "Trends being seen at the moment include virtual meetups for clients and professional connections, an increased use of video and podcasts and a much greater use of content'. This could be newsletters, blogs, webinars and articles all aimed at informing, educating and involving clients and potential clients."

For marketing trends he believes do not work, Marshall says jumping on bandwagons can garner derision. "For example, diversity marketing can be powerful, but make sure it comes across as authentic and not clichd."

Other popular marketing strategies used, Robertson says, is events. "At my practice, I came up with the idea of a breakfast club to which we invited clients and professional connections to meet each other, hear a speaker and have a nice social breakfast."

Bending believes the traditional tactics of webinars and roundtables are still a great way to build trust and credibility with potential clients. "Regular blogs covering topics like FAQs can not only help to add value to your potential and existing clients but can also improve your firm's visibility in organic search results, so having a content plan aligned to an SEO strategy can be incredibly impactful."

Robertson also says that building a sense of community seems to work for advisers. "Involving them [clients] and their stories, if willing.Interviewing them for testimonials. I really like the way advisers are now running podcasts, which feature their clients or other local businesses.This does really help them build community and it is lovely to see."

Once your marketing strategies are in place, it is important to stay consistent and track where customers are interacting with your brand. Bending advises companies are led by the data.

"Ensuring all marketing activity is tracked in a platform like Google Analytics or HubSpot can help you identify where there is wasted budget or effort and also spot the biggest areas of opportunity."

Marshall says it is important to not stop and start with marketing as the internet is "littered with abandoned blogs and Twitter handles".

He adds: "The sales process in financial advice is long, and you need a lot of the right names at the top of the sales funnel.

"Remember, most of the time, people are not looking for a financial adviser any more than they are looking for a dentist, so they tune out. Repetition and keeping going counts, though you can measure much more effectively these days and fine-tune campaigns."

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Marketing your advice business 101: Tips from the experts - http://www.professionaladviser.com

Tayloright, excelling in the ever-evolving digital marketing industry, is now expanding its operations to NYC with a new company, New York SEO Pro, dedicated to delivering a full-range of SEO services to local businesses.

NEW YORK September 16, 2021 (Newswire.com)

Established in 2010, Tayloright is a premier NYC digital marketing agency and boasts of helping local businesses with website design, social media marketing, and search engine optimization. Taylorights expert team of SEO consultants is the driving force behind the companys success and now has identified the need to establish a separate SEO company New York SEO Pro, to better cater to local marketers, businesses and entrepreneurs.

We are proud of the exceptional reputation Tayloright has built in NYC in just five years, and this expansion of our SEO business will only serve to help us strengthen our services in NYC, said CEO Taylor Johnson.He added, We arecommitted to the success of local businesses in New York City and will leverage our extensive knowledge in the SEO and digital marketing industry to deliver a comprehensive solution to every business that comes to us. Whether youre looking for a new website design or a revamp of your existing promotional strategy, we have a bespoke solution for you.

The rapid changes in the digital marketing arena have been overwhelming for many businesses, and the SEOby Tayloright is a critical need for any business to stay ahead of the curve. Competing against industry overlords with unlimited marketing budgets and dedicated digital marketing teams can be a daunting task. But with New York SEO Pro, businesses and entrepreneurs now have an opportunity to win without breaking the bank.

We have been helping businesses grow since 2010 and have been aware of the need for a dedicated NYC company from the beginning. Our integrated services have helped businesses grow their sales, market share, and productivity while also increasing their brand awareness in NYC. And with our new agency, we will help businesses leverage digital marketing in an even more effective manner, said the CMO of Tayloright. He further added, Our team of SEO consultants has extensive knowledge of SEO best practices and strategies. We are also constantly training our employees to stay ahead of the curve, and with our new venture, we will rewrite the rules of the SEO industry.

New York SEO Pro will continue to employ and grow its team of SEO consultants and help all New York City businesses with their services. Standing true to their conviction of delivering a top-notch and cost-effective solution to businesses of all sizes and industries, thework willdeliver the same exceptional services that Tayloright has established as its hallmark. To learn more, please call 917-231-0276 or visit https://newyorkseo.pro/.

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Original Source:Tayloright is Expanding Its Operations and Starting a New Company Called New York SEO Pro to Better Serve NYC Businesses

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Tayloright is Expanding Its Operations and Starting a New Company Called New York SEO Pro to Better Serve NYC Businesses - Digital Journal

Coding makes it possible to access and interact with websites even this one. But how does coding work?

Software programming or computing programming involves writing instructions to communicate with machines. All devices laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets rely on code to operate.

Coding also runs cities. Computers operate traffic signals that have been programmed to perform certain operations. Even astronauts on the International Space Station need to know how to code. Coding offers many career opportunities in technology and elsewhere.

Every website and app operates because programmers write code. However, you do not have to work in technology to use coding. In fact, job hunters can find most coding jobs outside of the tech industry. What can you do with coding?

Learning to code serves as the foundation for lucrative career opportunities. Graduates of bootcamps may need to gain experience as junior developers before securing six-figure salaries.

What coding career you secure depends on your work experience, education, and knowledge of programming languages. Coding prepares you to launch a career as a web developer, game developer, computer network architect, and computer system analyst. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects computer information and technology jobs to grow at a rate of 13% from 2020-2030.

However, job growth varies by specific occupation. Computer programmers, who make a median annual salary of $89,190, will see a projected 10% decline in jobs. Candidates who hold bachelor's degrees or higher will have a better chance of securing employment.

All code tells a machine to perform a specific task. Whenever you use the Internet, your device uses binary code a sequence of "1s" and "0s" that tells your computer what switches to turn on or off. This serves as a reliable way to store data and process information.

This process works quicker with high-level programming languages, such as Python, Java, and JavaScript. Each programming language serves a different purpose, but they all take code that reflects human speech and translate it into machine code, or a low-level language. Programmers and developers write instructions for computers using high-level programming languages.

When bootcamps first opened in 2011, only tech junkies learned to code. Now industries outside of technology recognize the benefits of coding, and it's even taught at elementary schools from Alabama to Florida. Coding can teach important concepts applicable to a career in technology or to an entirely different field.

Learning to code provides the training needed for well-paying tech jobs. The most common career routes after bootcamp are: junior web developer, junior web designer, or data analyst. Coding teaches problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creativity, and persistence. These skills also prepare you for jobs outside of tech, such as healthcare, finance, and marketing.

Front-end, back-end, and mobile developers all write code that serves different functions.

Front-end developers handle a website's layout and functionality. They use front-end programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to write code to design a website. Their responsibilities also include optimizing SEO by improving a webpage's load time and mobile performance.

Back-end developers work on server-side development. They write code for web apps that control a website. Without this code, you could not log into a website such as LinkedIn or Facebook and create a user profile. Programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Java, and Ruby allow back-end developers to write code that allows browsers to communicate with databases.

Mobile developers learn programming languages such as Java, C++, C#, SQL, and Python. The specific language used depends on if developers build apps for iOS or Android devices. Mobile developers often work with graphic artists and data scientists.

C

Scripting system applications

Efficient and portable, with built-in functions that combine high- and low-level languages

Does not support object-oriented programming

Python

General purpose programming language used for back-end development

Easy to learn and read, versatile, and portable with vast libraries

Can be slower than C or C++

JavaScript

Client-side and server-side programming language used to create interactive websites

Easy to learn and understand, powerful, popular, and flexible programming language that works with other languages

As a client-side script, users can view the code, which poses a security threat

Ruby

Creating web applications, web development, web servers, web scraping, DevOps, and automation

Widely used open-source programming language with a user-friendly syntax, a fast development speed, and powerful community

Limits on customization and runtime lags

C++

Popular in game development, but also used for operating systems, web applications, and browsers

Fast programming language with quick image processing and object-oriented features

Security issues, relatively slow, complex programming language with obscure rules

PHP

Server-side scripting language embedded in HTML that serves interactive websites such as e-commerce webpages

Versatile, easy-to-learn programing language with a vast online community; compatible with various operating systems

Common open-source security issues cannot support large applications and weak type causes bugs

C#

Created by Microsoft, this back-end, object-oriented programming language is used for game development, Windows applications, and website development

Versatile and efficient programming language used for many types of software and applications development; similar to C++

This complex language takes a long time to master and requires code to be compiled.

Programming languages come in two forms: low-level and high-level languages. Low-level programming languages, or binary code, look like a sequence of "1s" and "0s". Computers understand low-level programming code and can process it quicker. However, programmers can learn and use high-level programming languages faster since it looks like a human language.

People learn to code through different paths. Some are self-taught, and others go to college or bootcamp. Each route has advantages and disadvantages.

Websites such as Treehouse or GitHub offer the opportunity to learn to code for less money than bootcamps. Websites also offer limited free courses for a short time. Students can watch videos for free during a trial period to learn Python, front-end web development, full-stack JavaScript, and UX design.

You can also teach yourself to code for free with free tutorials on websites. This helps beginners to gain the foundation needed before enrolling in a full-time intensive bootcamp.

You can also learn the basics of coding through your smartphone. Apps available through Codecademy and Mimo allow beginners to practice coding through video and online exercises. Many apps can be downloaded for free.

Coding bootcamps train both beginners and advanced students. Popular bootcamps such as Flatiron School, Fullstack Academy, Bloc, and Thinkful require intensive training. Bootcamps run for weeks or up to six months, and often students must study full time.

Bootcamps require a large investment of both time and money. However, bootcamps, unlike apps or websites, also offer career services. Some bootcamps even provide job guarantees.

You can begin learning to code by reading and studying coding. Podcasts, YouTube videos, apps, and websites can provide the foundation needed to learn how to code. You will also need to have the software required to code.

Learning to code requires persistence and passion for technology. Mastering any new skill requires time and practice. Some programming languages are harder than others to learn. But you can learn to code, even if you do not like math.

Computer programmers earn a good living after they put in the time and gain work experience. Junior developers, a common position held by inexperienced coders, make an average annual salary of $53,803, according to PayScale. Computer programmers with 10-19 years of experience make an average annual salary of $79,000.

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What is coding and what is it used for? A beginner's guide - ZDNet

The need for digital marketers has increased multiple folds. As per LinkedIn, there has been a 63% hike in marketing jobs in the first 6 months of 2021. Marketing continues to remain as part of an elusive club of domains that have stayed resilient towards the unemployment hazards of COVID-19 and possess an unexplored capacity to grow further. As per a statistic, 3,81,000 marketing-related openings were posted within the last year.

However, this is not the digital marketing of old. There has been a paradigm shift in the industry following the onslaught wrought by COVID-19. Marketers are drifting towards newer toolkits, the ones that are full-stack and help them become day-1-job ready.

Upskilling is key to staying relevant in this competitive labour market. The internet is overcrowded with a stream of tutorials available on various platforms for interested learners. But such free-to-access content suits learner-needs only as long as they dont start looking for jobs.

If digital marketers want to be future-ready they must fulfill a list of prerequisites that includes:

Qualified applicants who fulfill the aforementioned requirements are consequently prioritized over the rest of the talent pool by MNCs. The NIIT Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme is a 20-week online course for entrepreneurs and aspiring marketers that aids them in accomplishing this task. This course offers transformative learning with a new-age dimension to it targeting high-value core competencies. Its marquee offerings include, but are not limited to:

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Designed in consultation with industry experts, the Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme builds conceptual, actionable, and cross-applicable expertise in learners with the following resume-enhancing skills.

5 High-Value Digital Marketing Skills for 2021

High-performance teams need cutting-edge knowledge to ward off rivals. With an emphasis on 1:1 mentoring, NIIT employs proven marketing maestros who combine theory with hands-on training to educate learners. The focus remains on the following set of skills that the upcoming generation of marketers should be friendly with.

Search Engine Optimization

Contrary to popular opinion, SEO is not a generalist profile. It involves a substantial amount of technique combined with the nuances of user-friendly content development. The NIIT-faculty disburses key on-page and off-page SEO tactics that improve organic page rank in the search engines, with emphasis on Google. Students pursue a basic-to-advanced roadmap for optimizing website content in conjunction with the latest/expected Google algorithm updates. When the batch shows signs of having developed strong fundamentals the session proceeds to cover the next category of skill-set.

Social Media Management

71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to refer the brand to their close ones. There is only one way to make promotions user-friendly and that is by tapping social media. To do so, we need to sync brand messaging with customer behavior. NIITs course modules on this topic help improve operational knowledge in 3 critical areas:

Learners move towards the next module as they begin showing signs of maturity.

Internet Advertising

People interact with paid-search ads as they directly answer their questions. Businesses that lack the financial backing to push their campaigns online at scale, limit themselves to organic measures. But as the Google AI blog puts it, 89% of the website traffic produced by Google Ads, is not replaced by organic traffic when the ads are paused. Therefore, the rage about lead generation through sponsored ads.

The NIIT Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme makes incumbents confident advertisers by encouraging them to implement, evaluate, and improve paid ad campaigns. Students learn to run outcome-oriented ads to minimize inputs and maximize revenues. Course enrollees are trained in over 12 forms of ads that incumbents should know how to run. These include display ads, PPC, Google Shopping ads, video advertising, social media ads, push notifications, pop-ups, and dynamic remarketing ads.

Content Marketing

Content is considered king in digital marketing as it brings out the unstated side of the brand, helping it establish emotional touchpoints with customers. As per HubSpot, 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. Content is an all-encompassing trait that you can refine over time. In its Jobs on the Rise report (2021) LinkedIn predicts the rise of digital content creators. For this reason, NIIT experts train students in establishing content differentiation, content monitoring tools, design thinking for creativity, and branding.

Lead Generation

Expert mentors at the NIIT Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme throw up hands-on projects simulating real-world scenarios for students. The learning curve includes exercises on how to score leads, process data, and bifurcate prospects as per identifiers like demographics, online behavior, and engagement rates. This deadline-bound project entails learners gaining functional know-how to filter leads through email marketing, social media, and online advertising. Personalized feedback is followed up with case studies that drive home key lessons on how to monetize content marketing and increase ROI.

Begin your Digital Marketing Career on a Strong Footing

The pandemic ran riot in the jobs marketplace. Mass lay-offs translated into fewer job opportunities, lethargic recruitment processes, and increased competition. This led to an urge to upskill particularly in the Indian youth cohort. As per a LinkedIn study, 48% of Gen Z Indians want to reallocate time towards upskilling.

While professional online programs are becoming popular for training incumbents in on-demand competencies, there are limited options that guarantee students a relevant job.

The NIIT Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme offers placement assurance* to students with a stipulated CTC threshold. NIIT is an established higher education institution with a 40-year legacy and tie-ups with over 1000 corporate partners across India. In the financial year ending 2020, it achieved the feat of placing over 9000 students across industries through its professional programs.

The program coordinators manage an end-to-end student lifecycle that ensures each candidate is well-groomed for interviews. Their initiatives include but are not limited to:

The Full Stack Digital Marketing Programme is a value proposition for anyone looking for a promising start to their marketing career. Apply now and leverage the global NIIT alumni network that is 35 million strong and growing.

*Terms & Conditions Applied

About NIIT

NIIT is a leading Skills and Talent Development Corporation that is building a workforce pool for global industry requirements. It ranks among the world's leading training companies owing to its vast and comprehensive array of talent development programs. With a footprint in over 30 countries, NIIT offers training and development solutions to Individuals, Enterprises, and Institutions. NIIT incubated, StackRoute, as a digital transformation partner for corporates to build multi-skilled full stack developers at scale.

Disclaimer: Content Produced by NIIT

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5 Digital Marketing Skills to make you a Hot Commodity in 2021 - Times of India

Every brand is comprised of many moving parts: visual assets like logos and colors, audio assets, packaging and design, brand image, brand values, and the size and stature of the brand in the marketplace. All of these brand assets influence how customers think and feel about a brand. Ultimately, those thoughts and feelings will translate into sales, reputation, and the brand's overall health and longevity.

All of the components of a brand are used for building brand value. Marketers and brand specialists should pay attention to the brand value created. What is brand value, exactly? It's also referred to as brand equity, which is how you measure the qualitative (e.g., brand loyalty, brand recognition, etc.) and quantitative (e.g. market share, profit margin, etc.) values of a brand.

Here's a closer look at brand equity, the role it plays in your marketing and brand management, and how to grow your brand's equity.

Table of Contents:

What is Brand Equity?

What is equity? Equity in terms of a business is the value of a business if all the business's assets were liquidated and all the debts were paid off. It's the byproduct of assets minus liabilities.

So, what is brand equity in marketing? Just like business equity, your brand builds value, too. This value is determined by a brand's customers and how they have experienced your brand. If they have positive perceptions of your brand, then your brand equity is positive, too, and vice-versa.

So, brand equity can simply be defined as a brand's value.

We can narrow this definition further by including customer-based brand equity (CBBE). CBBE attributes a brand's success based on its customers' sentiments and perceptions of that brand.

When you have high brand equity, you can justify higher prices for your product, increase your stock price, and potentially spend less on marketing. Things like positive word-of-mouth, online reviews, and customer loyalty can help you continue growing your brand naturally.

Why Does Brand Equity Matter?

The benefits of customer-based brand equity are hard to ignore. High brand equity can lead to:

What's more, your brand's attempts to expand its product line may prove to be more fruitful. For example, pen maker Bic became well-known for inexpensive, no-frills pens that work reliably. As a result, the company was able to expand its offering to include razors and lighters, both of which maintain the reliable, no-frills image. Other pen companies may have found such a move to be out of reach since the products are so diverse. Bic's success would have been much harder to come by without solid brand equity.

At its heart, equity in a brand builds up a loyal customer base that will continue to bring in revenue. It's about creating a brand that people prefer over another, even if means spending more or going out of their way for something.

When you have this level of commitment from your customers, you can take advantage of all the benefits that positive brand equity brings.

How Brand Credibility Affects Brand Equity

Brand credibility is a key part of building brand equity. People favor and value brands they can trust. They don't want to be left on the hook for a faulty product or an overcharge. They don't want to do business with a company that closes its doors without warning.

When a brand builds enough credibility, it can leverage this perception to grow the business. Credible brands have a greater chance of building more loyal customer relationships. They may become more resilient in a crisis as customers shift to businesses that offer reliability and predictability. You might even be able to charge more for your products or services.

How to Create Brand Credibility

Sometimes, brand credibility comes from tenure in the industry. But for brands that haven't been around for years, there are other ways to build credibility.

Generate Positive Press

Positive media coverage in trusted publications makes your brand look good by extension. Think of it as the publication's endorsement of your brand, even if it doesn't explicitly recommend you. Your name is associated with other credible people, companies, and sources, and that's not something that just any brand can achieve.

Positive press starts with connecting with the right people - journalists, bloggers, and influencers, for example. You want to partner with people who have real influence and can move your brand story further. The right people will not only get you in front of the right audience to increase brand awareness but also share your story in a way that's impactful.

Create and Share Quality Content

The internet enables every brand to become a publisher. Nowadays, you no longer have to wait for a book deal or connect with high-profile publications to create and share valuable content.

Even though the bar is lower, it's still worthwhile for brands to create their own content to share with an audience. Content helps to position your brand as a thought leader and an authority in your space. It can also help improve your SEO and help people find you via online search, which gives you more opportunities to grow your audience.

Types of content to consider include:

Content is a great way to establish your brand's core values, influence consumer perception, reinforce your brand promise, and support your brand purpose. Establish an emotional connection with your target market and show what makes you different from other brands.

Be Transparent - Consistently

Transparency gives your target audience a clear look at your brand values. What are brand values, exactly? Think of it as your set of brand beliefs, the ones your brand lives by. It's a way for people to get to know the real you.

For example, Zappos.com has become the gold standard for customer service. Its customers favor the no-hassle return policy and the solution-oriented representatives. In fact, the longest customer service call took an impressive 10 hours and 51 minutes, proving that the company does anything and everything to make its customers happy.

But what happens if Zappos' customer service contact information suddenly disappeared from its website? Or the company charged for a return shipment, or tell you your time is up and you still haven't reached a resolution? None of these things would be on brand, and credibility would suffer.

When brands make and break promises, their image is tarnished. It's hard for the brand to re-establish its customers' sense of trust. That's why consistency is just as important as transparency.

Everything from a brand's policies to its blog articles to its merchandise should be in alignment. Together, these play an important part in how brands earn customer trust.

Listen to Your Customers

When building brand credibility, what you hear is just as important as what you say. While you're excited to talk about your brand to earn consumer trust, it's equally important to listen to what your customers are saying about your brand.

For example, branding juggernaut Coca-Cola caught a lot of flack when it introduced New Coke in 1985. The new recipe was the company's response to a slowly dipping market share and the subsequent belief that consumers' tastes were changing. But after customers expressed extreme dissatisfaction, the company increased its credibility by listening and bringing back the original formula, slightly rebranded as Coca-Cola Classic. Had the company ignored the warnings of its fans, the outcome might have looked much different.

Hear about your customers' experiences. Accept their compliments. Acknowledge their complaints and work with them on a resolution. This can be as simple as replying to comments and DMs on social media or as thorough as managing your online reputation.

Your customers are going to talk about your brand, regardless of whether you are part of the conversation. The best thing you can do to build credibility is to take their conversations seriously. Social media monitoring tools and services can help you stay in touch with what's being said so you can decide what to do next.

3 Steps for Building Brand Equity

There's an old saying in marketing that companies don't build brands, customers do. While there's a lot of truth to this, building brand equity still takes proactivity and thought. You can influence your customers' perceptions of your brand based on your own priorities in managing your brand.

Keller's customer-based brand equity model illustrates how a company builds a strong brand foundation and works upward to create brand 'resonance,' where customers can actively identify with and advocate for a brand.

This brand equity pyramid provides a great starting point for companies to start building brand equity. Let's start from the ground up:

Step 1: Establish a Brand Identity

Who are you as a company? What do you stand for? What do you do better than anyone else? Why should people choose you?

These are just a few of the questions that can help to shape your brand identity. Your brand identity is its personality, tone of voice, audience, and the way it looks and functions to customers.

Creating your brand's identity is the first step in developing awareness, which will later grow sales, loyalty, and advocacy.

Step 2: Communicate Brand Meaning through Products

Next up: How do you want your customers to feel and think when using your products? What image should they associate with your brand?

In Keller's customer-based brand equity model, brand meaning includes both performance and imagery. Nike is a great example of how a brand communicates meaning through its products. Their advertising and marketing focus largely on athletes in training or playing sports, not necessarily the products themselves. In the customer's mind, though, we tend to think of high-quality products that perform well under pressure.

How you communicate your products can support your brand's meaning. Include influencers, social media, and SEO in the mix to get your products in front of the right people to start building awareness.

Step 3: Grow Your Relationships through Brand Response

Once you've established your brand's identity and are conveying its meaning through awareness campaigns, customers will have a chance to react and respond. In Keller's model, this phase includes judgment and feelings-how people will perceive your brand.

Brands can influence this phase by connecting with customers on a personal level, taking stock of their feedback and becoming part of conversations. You can also initiate conversations and spur engagement by building communities, hosting live events, providing good customer service, and making people feel part of the brand you're building.

As you build relationships, your brand equity will start to grow as you gain more loyal customers. The more advocates you create, the more people you can get in front of that will potentially do the same!

Let's start building your brand equity strategy. Get in touch today to learn more!

Excerpt from:
Brand Equity: What it is and how to build it - Marketscreener.com