Column
Why everyone is talking about Brand in 2021 The year 2020 proved to be a gamechanger for every industry – especially print. The pandemic forced a rapid virtualization of many aspects of doing business, which in turn forced us to rethink how we operate, sell and market. After a year into it, some businesses have adapted well while others still struggle – begging the question: what will be the differentiating factor for companies in 2021? The answer – Brand! Building trust throughout the buyer journey is critical, as is maintaining that trust once you’ve won their business. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, the pandemic has accelerated the erosion of trust around the world. People are looking for leadership and solutions. They’re quick to reject anyone – or any brand – deemed not credible. More time spent at home during lockdowns means more time spent online. According to Stats Canada, online shopping has doubled during the pandemic, while social media usage has increased by a whopping 69%! With more and more eyeballs online, capturing attention is harder than ever. Your potential customers are not going to stop and pay attention to their feed until they see something that stands out. Blink, and they’re gone! It’s more important than ever that prospects understand how you help them within the first five seconds of visiting your website. With an innate ability to tune out marketing completely, this generation’s business buyers make their decisions by starting their research online and in groups. They rarely deal with a salesperson until afterwards, migrate to companies that align with their beliefs and social causes, and seek trustworthy resources to help them make an educated decision. Brand is more than your logo, tagline or messaging. It’s all of those things wrapped up in an experience that leaves a positive – or negative – feeling that resurfaces every time it’s encountered. Jeff Bezos said it best: “Brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Today, it takes more than 10 interactions
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before brand recall even begins to set in. These 10+ “touches” come in many forms, including digital marketing, social media, advertising, websites, cold calling and print – which has the strongest memory recall of all. Each touch is an opportunity to create awareness, build trust and develop relationships. Print puts your brand in the palm of their hands. Exciting our senses of touch, smell and sight, colourful print complements interactive digital customer journeys with fun, one-of-a-kind experiences. Providing a multi-touchpoint, engaging and relevant omnichannel experience becomes a brand-showcasing opportunity. And nobody builds a memorable brand experience better than print. Direct mail and postcards are just two examples of how printers can literally put your brand in the palm of your customer’s hands. Adding interactive elements, like augmented reality and QR codes, heighten the experience – and brand recall. Print puts your brand in front of the camera. Video presents a great opportunity to show off your brand. Don’t wait for a tradeshow to wear your logo’d shirt – wear it on camera! Better yet, send your branded swag to your customers, prospects and influencers. Lanyards, clothing, wall graphics, mugs, water bottles, even pens – if it appears on camera, then it can be branded. People share your brand with other people. One LinkedIn study showed that over 70% of all salespeople have adopted
social selling – if you’re a millennial, the adoption rate is nearly 80%. People buy from people, not companies. Today’s salespeople are not pitching products and services. They’re online using proven techniques focused on helping prospects transition from “I’m just looking” to “I’m ready to talk dollars.” New approaches to selling and buying behaviour have heightened the need to know exactly who is making the buying the decision. The brand experience is what separates you from the competition. And it’s no longer in the hands of the marketing department. From the floor sweeper to the CEO, every employee is a brand ambassador – with the power to share information and knowledge about who you help, how you help, and why it matters. Using new social-selling techniques, brand ambassadors can connect with, understand, and cultivate relationships with prospects – whether it’s on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok or somewhere else. This gives your buyer a chance to connect on a deeper level with the people in your company – and your brand – and learn more about why you’re the right business choice for them. Joanne Gore, President of Joanne Gore Communications, is a B2B marketer who’s passionate about print. She has spent the last three decades helping hardware, software, manufacturing and print companies stretch their marketing dollars with programs that generate awareness, customer engagement and growth. Email: joanne@joannegorecommunications.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joannegore121
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