Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for your brand’s success, it’s time to kick things up a notch and focus on how you can propel your agency to new heights. Brand specialist Julie Masters shares her expert tips.
Compel
- Harness stories – Gather case studies and testimonials that describe a customer problem, the action you took and how you helped solve it to demonstrate your value.
- Know your strengths – A big part of being an effective communicator is using the right tools. Some agents, for instance, struggle with the written word, but excel face-to-face with their customers. Capitalise on your strong points. Be sure to consider video – it is a popular form that lends itself to bringing stories to life.
Collaborate
- Find the eyeballs – Who are the influencers within your community, the people with large followings who command their platforms? Think journalists, bloggers and social media experts.
- Share networks – Reach out to these influencers and ask whether they’d be open to working together on a few projects. Building strategic partnerships with them will deliver a win-win for your brand.
- Own the platform – Whether it is a YouTube channel or a podcast, find a channel that your community can easily access and that will resonate with them.
Be consistent
- The devil is in the detail – Conduct an audit of every touch point of customer interaction – from initial phone calls to the documents they sign. Ensure each and every touch point is aligned to your brand story.
- Involve your team – after all, they need to know your brand inside and out if they are to take it to new heights. Ask them for their ideas and input on how you can further bring your brand to life for your customers.
- Love thy problems – they can be blessings in disguise! Identify a common customer gripe – be it lateness, complex jargon, poor communication, etc.—and make a public stand to stamp out inconsistencies. Promise your customers that if it ever happens to them, you’ll provide compensation of some kind. Making such a public declaration will reflect extremely well on your agency.