No matter the size, mission, strength or success of your business, brand-building strategies are necessary components to building trust, establishing relationships and strengthening awareness.
But like everything else, branding practices are constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and understand what your future branding strategies should entail.
To help, here are three best-practice branding trends that need to be on your radar:
Be human: Technology is wonderful for increasing brand recognition, and you should embrace it. But don’t forego human interaction.
At a time when trust is precariously fragile, it’s vital for businesses to establish human bonds. Strive to engage with your clients beyond social media platforms and your website.
Be trustworthy problem-solvers, aim for empathy, be an expert in your field, share knowledge and insights and recognize that emotional, face-to-face communication tips the trust scale in your favor.
Be authentic and transparent: When your business opens its curtain and provides public visibility, it shows that you’re authentic and transparent.
And clients and customers rank transparency above just about everything else. In fact, a Sprout Social Report released in 2018 showed that 86 percentof Americans believe transparency from businesses is more important than ever before.
Additionally, 73 percentof consumers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. The numbers don’t lie.
Businesses need to account for the public’s increasing demands for transparency and develop practices and processes that convey honesty and truth.
Soul is the key to content: A compelling narrative that connects with your target audience is key to telling your story, and a story without soul falls down the rabbit hole.
When creating branding content, it’s all too easy to focus solely on promoting a product or service, but falling into that formula potentially robs businesses of cultivating relationships and providing meaningful value. When you tell the story of your brand, aim to be enthusiastic, inspiring and passionate—and don’t be afraid to show some emotion. It’s good for the soul, and it speaks to your human side.
Real Estate Corner
Mortgage rates remain on solid ground for the third week in a row
While global trade disputes continue to shake up the financial markets, mortgage rates are holding steady.
According to the latest data released by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average dipped to 4.07 percent with an average 0.5 point.
The 15-year fixed-rate average slid to 3.53 percent with an average 0.4 point. Meanwhile, the five-year adjustable rate average inched to 3.66 percent with an average 0.4 point.
