Proactive Branding
“Great marketing isn’t just about conversion, but true connection”
Marigold Consumer Trends Index 2023
As this year is drawing to a close, for some it’s time to relax and enjoy the Christmas break, however for the majority of small business owners, the quieter period over December and January is a time for reflection and planning for the year ahead.
In this month’s newsletter we are going to look at why its important to prepare your business brand and marketing strategies for 2024. Planning now, will allow you to take control of your marketing messages and how you want to be perceived by your target audience.
The new year is right around the corner and with it, new opportunities to make your business grow, so let’s get to planning how to make the most of it!
Warmly, Alysha
Owner, Wow Studios
EXCITING NEWS
It’s been a great year with so many amazing clients and creative projects, it was tough to showcase just a few! We are grateful to each and every person who has liked our posts, followed our blog, subscribed to our newsletter and especially to those we have worked with this year. Your support has helped us grow and thrive.
We are so proud of all we have achieved this past year, from logos to booklets, live events and of course winning Most Outstanding Solo Operator at the Local Business Awards. This year has been full of exciting challenges and big wins and we have YOU to thank for that.
So please, raise a glass to Wow!
Thank you so much!
We appreciate you.
LET’S TALK BRANDING
While it may feel like a lot of upfront effort and an investment of your precious time, the benefits will absolutely make it worth it! You will be more prepared, have way more control over the results and a much clearer picture of how your brand and marketing should look. Making it up as you go along may seem quicker, however in the long run its more likely to be costing you time and money.
Read on to find out more about how being proactive with your branding and marketing plan will help you be more effective and successful in 2024.
- Let your creative juices flow
Being creative and coming up with original ideas isn’t always easy. For many, it can be quite a daunting task so allowing yourself plenty of time, especially when you are less busy can take a lot of the pressure off and will ensure you better results in the long run.
- Gather and create new resources
When you plan ahead and don’t leave everything until the deadline is looming, you allow yourself time to generate fresh resources. One of the biggest tips we can give you when it comes to keeping your branding and marketing fresh is to always keep your audience engaged and excited. Try to always have new images, change up your feed, put a new spin on an old idea, and incorporate the latest trends to keep your brand modern and up to date.
- Evaluate the outgoing year
Taking the time to look back over all you have accomplished in 2023, what worked well and what you could have done differently, will greatly improve your chances of creating a successful marketing plan for 2024. Staff and customer reviews can also be really helpful here. If you have the opportunity to do a poll or talk to some of your regular customers about their interactions with your business and the campaigns, you ran in 2023 this can give you great insight into what really works for your target audience.
- Consider 2024 Key Events & Seasons
All businesses have key events and seasons throughout each year that heavily influence customer purchasing. It’s important to put aside some time to sit down and think about how the seasons affect your industry, what key special events are important to your clients and come up with ways to make those key calendar dates special.Take for example a gourmet picnic business; Spring and Summer are of course going to be the key seasons for a business of this nature that operates predominately outdoors. So how can they make the most of those months? How far in advance do their customers generally book? Should they be promoting at the end of winter to get customers booked in early or is it more of a spur of the moment social event? What about key celebrations like Valentines Day or Mother’s Day? What can this picnic business offer their clients that is special and unique and makes their customers want to book their special day with them?
- Focus on your core vision and values
Keeping your brand strong and building a loyal following with your customers is all about staying true to your core vision and values.
When you’re planning your key brand and marketing messages for 2024, make sure your ideas all link back to what really matters. How can you improve your customers pain points and make their lives better? How can you ensure you are getting that message out there and not only preaching your values but living them?
Think about how you can link your 2024 strategy back to these key goals and objectives that make your business unique.
- Consider the big picture
When we think about planning, we are often consumed by all the little pieces. The individual campaigns and upcoming events, the key dates like Christmas and New Year, however its important to also remember to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. Is your brand still on track? Are your visuals and tone of voice still a true and accurate reflection or your vision and values and hitting all the right notes with your target audience? Is your target audience still the same or have you shifted markets? Did you stay on track and true to your strategies for 2023 or have you gotten a little off track and why did that happen? It has been said many times that ‘Those you fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’. Make sure you’re not one of them!
- Plan within your budget and available resources
It’s important to be realistic when it comes to planning for the year ahead. There is no point planning to do a full suite of new images and visuals or marketing collateral if you don’t have the time, budget, or resources to follow through and do it properly. The same is true for your marketing strategy and campaigns. Make sure you plan within your means so you get the most bang for your buck and don’t end up stressed with pie in the sky ideas you cannot pull off when the time comes.
- Make sure you are being consistent and authentic
Successful branding is all about authenticity and consistency. I am sure you have heard me say this a thousand times by now. Being authentic and consistent with all your branding (visuals, messaging, tone of voice, etc.) builds credibility and loyalty. Planning now and making sure all your campaigns and branding touch points deliver a consistent message, brand style and link back to your core values will ensure you stay front of mind and memorable to your target audience.
2024 is all about making a personal connection with your audience. Focus on building strong relationships, starting conversations and ensuring each individual member of your community and customer base feels important.
How do you achieve that? Read on for a few quick tips you can act on without breaking the budget!
- Focus on relationships and get personal
Thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns, a majority of people here in Australia felt isolated and alone. Along with those feelings, many are still struggling with integrating back into society, developing in-person relationships, and attending large scale events. In 2024, your focus should be on making your brand, business, products, and services accessible and welcoming. Put your focus on personalised marketing, small intimate events and campaigns and ways to build an authentic connection with individual members of your community and target audience.
- Take privacy seriously
With AI ever more present in society and scams becoming more and more sophisticated, consumers are becoming more protective of their personal data and more savvy about how to stay safe on the internet. This doesn’t however mean that they are against sharing personal information with you (see Marigold report), they just want to make sure you are keeping their data safe and offering them something they really want in exchange for sharing this personal information with you.
- Embrace videos
Video content is nothing new, however many small businesses have been slow to jump on board. Either because they are afraid to jump in front of the camera or just don’t know what to do. Short videos are here to stay so it’s important to take the plunge in order to connect with your audience. Its not just nice to have anymore. Its expected! If you need a little extra help, take a course. There is a plethora of options out there that can help you gain confidence and learn how to use social media video tools. Remember creating interesting content and content that goes viral is all about capturing your audience’s attention and making them want to share it with friends and followers. When you get them excited or feeling emotions its an experience, not just information, and they are more likely to share it.
- Use conversational marketing
Engage with your customers in real time using AI chat functions and instant messaging services. Thanks to the improvement of AI and the ‘instant gratification’ world we now find ourselves living in, people expect fast if not immediate acknowledgement and quick answers to their enquiries. Businesses that fail to respond to their customers in a timely fashion will often miss out in favour of another business that is more responsive, even if the price is higher. Customer service and efficiency are highly prized in today’s fast paced society and by providing an interactive way for your customers to engage with you, you are able to better service their needs and convert them into paying customers.
2024 TRENDS YOU CAN JUMP ON!!
With economic uncertainty still a big part of the picture in 2024 and cost of living a real threat to families and small businesses its more important than ever to ensure you know what’s going to be important to consumers in 2024 and what they want to see and hear from you.
If you haven’t already checked out this report after reading my recent blog post than you really should take a look now!
Jam packed full of simple to understand and super useful and actionable data on ANZ consumer trends, this report highlights information every small business owner needs to know to be successful in 2024.
‘It has never been more important for brands to listen to consumers rather than market to them. The voice of the consumer is one of the most important signals a brand can consider when building a roadmap for success — ignoring the needs and sentiment from consumers is an easily avoidable misstep.’ (Marigold Consumer Trends Index 2023).
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
PLEASE WELCOME KEN, FROM KINGSWAY PROSTHODONTICS
This month I chatted with Ken from Kingsway Prosthodontics, a long time supporter and our first official Wow Studios client!
Ken has a successful practice based in Miranda and is also leading the field in AI technology in Prosthodontics.
It’s always a pleasure to work with Ken and our latest brochure project for his upcoming AANZP conference was no exception. Check out the pics below.
Tell us a little about your business?
My business, Kingsway Prosthodontics, is a dental solo private practice. It is a specialist prosthodontic clinic providing patient treatment services in implant, aesthetic and reconstructive dentistry.
Why did you set up your business?
After many years of working as an associate general dentist and acquiring postgraduate qualifications in advanced general practice and specialist prosthodontics, it was time to set up my own thing.
What makes your business different?
Complex prosthodontic treatment services provided with full engagement and communication with our patients, a high level of competence, and vast experience in a calm (mostly!) environment.
What brought you to Wow?
Having seen Alysha’s early Wow Studios work and also her Enmore Design Centre portfolio, I sensed she could handle clients of a very diverse range of businesses.
What was the collaboration process like?
Alysha is attentive, communicative, patient and skilled. I have not had to look elsewhere for any project large or small.
Any last words?
Alysha Bragil has been a dream to work with and I look forward to years ahead of collaborating with her.
FEEL INSPIRED
2024 Design Trends Report, Deposit Photos
Deposit photos has just released their 2024 Design Trends Report and it’s a fantastic read. Based on the search results of their 40 million creative users they have compiled the top 7 hottest design trends we will see in 2024. From graffiti street art to timeless retro and word art. Incorporating even just a nod to these concepts in your marketing and branding will help your business keep up with the times and resonate with consumers.
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