You’re everywhere and nowhere and nobody’s listening

Lost in the Digital World.

Brands for the most part now exist only online. As we deal with the continued pandemic we’re all disconnected and have little physical interaction with places, people, companies, and experiences. With the exception of that occasional grocery store visit, it’s impossible to have in-person contact for just about any connected experience. So what do brands do?

In the world of professional business-to-business connections, the challenge is even greater. We’ve depended on physical events, meetings with colleagues, and referrals that come from staying in touch informally, those quick follow-ups after an event, but this world has shifted. 

More of the same won’t cut it.

For many companies, they are invisible to much of their most valued audience and dependent on showing up in someone’s Google search, a LinkedIn posting, or the two-dimensional space of Zoom if you can actually schedule a meeting. Your location, your physical presence, have very little impact given that we connect primarily through digital means with the COVID 19 pandemic.  How do business-to-business professional firms deal with this big challenge?  

Just blasting more emails, redesigning your website, reaching out randomly on LinkedIn will do very little to create an effective ongoing connection to your audience. Strategy and focus are the keys to creating a cohesive digital experience that effectively connects your message to those that most value you. 

You need a focused digital strategy to cut through this clutter.

The pandemic has done one thing. It’s dramatically accelerated what was already happening: digital transformation. Brands cannot wait and hope for things to go back to “normal” or they will lose connection to valued customers and clients. It’s time for a new strategy that links the right communications to the right audience. A strategy that creates visibility, differentiation, and real brand engagement in this virtual, online world.

Moving forward, reaching your audience will take new forms requiring carefully planned approaches with focused communications that allow you to know who is connecting and what has value for them.

This is where understanding who your customers are and what differentiates your brand is essential. Building a strategy around this is not impossible and can create a more concise and clear view of your message and who you’re trying to reach to build your value and connection to your clients and customers. And, tracking who is listening, responding, and requesting more will only enhance and build more relevance.

The Key to Building Your Digital Brand Presence

1 Ask Questions: Define who you are and why you exist.

You have to connect with what matters to your audience, being really clear about what you offer that’s relevant to them. You are speaking to specific types of people — potential and existing customers as well as valued network connections — identifying what problems you solve uniquely that others do not. Defining your value upfront helps tell your story to your most valued audiences.

2 Personas: Define your perfect audience and what they value.

The answer isn’t only about you, it’s about your audience or multiple audiences and connecting with what matters to them. Remember, even online it’s a conversation. Our process at Radiant defines in great detail the personality, the character, the needs of each type of customer or client type. These personas are the audience your brand is communicating with. We identify what matters to them, where they hang out when they aren’t your customers, what values they embody. All essential if you want to connect and be valued.

3 Research and understand your competition – It will define you.

Effective and concise research is essential. Companies and brands all know why they are unique but how do they clearly define their assets, what makes them exceptional or unique in their business category? It’s essential to take the time to research your market to build positioning that differentiates you from the competition. This means knowing who you’re competing against and how your customers see you as different. 

4 Tell great stories that reflect your brand value.

Stories are what we all listen to, remember, and identify with. We see ourselves in the right stories. They are memorable, they define problems and show resolution. Developing white papers, case studies, or doing Zoom webinars should tell your organization’s story. How you solve unique problems that your customers identify with? Connect with what matters to them and be clear about who you are. Publish on all the platforms your audience sees,  as well as your website to get your voice out to the right places.

5 Now stay connected digitally and know who’s listening.

Building this strategy and implementing it means re-thinking your brand, your website, video content, social media, and your marketing outreach through all the digital platforms, particularly ones you may not have been engaging with on a regular basis.

Now there are powerful digital marketing platforms that integrate all your online media and give measurable control to who is responding, what has value, and who is your most valued audience and customers. You need to know who sees your value and keep in touch and stay relevant. This will build your relationship and connection to your most valued audience and clients.