Today’s business market is full of fierce competition so you must build a brand that stands out from everyone else if you want to grow in the future and not fail. There are many factors that go into building a successful business like implementing the right tools that let you dedicate your time to your company instead of working for it. Automated tools, proper management and the resourceful use of market analytics will help you succeed. However, nothing is as important to your success as transforming your business into a brand so you can gain control of your local consumer market and then move on to global and international market domination. Unfortunately, many factors can hinder your ability to successfully achieve positive brand recognition (e.g. digital clutter, outdated tools). Nevertheless, transforming your business into a brand isn’t difficult if you heed the following suggestions.

Focus on Customer Support

Make sure your brand’s mission is clearly conveyed. If this message is too unclear or it’s the opposite of what it should be, then all your branding efforts will go in vain. You can’t leave any margin for error here, which is why you need to talk to your current customers. A great way to do this is by turning to social media to get their feedback. Here you’ll want to ask them what they feel about your company, whether they understand what it’s all about, and what they think it’s mission statement should be. You can also arrange focus group sessions to get this information. As you do so, make sure you record everyone’s feedback so you can return to the drawing board and figure out how to create a brand that hits the nail directly on its head.

Plan Your Social Media Campaigns in Advance

There are 6 really good reasons why your business should have a social media strategy in place – in other words, why you should plan your social media campaigns in advance. These reasons include:

?•Research shows that social media usage is growing fast because more people are using their phone to access the internet – including older adults.

?•What people buy today is strongly influenced by what they read and see online, especially in their social media feeds.

?•When you don’t have a social media strategy, you’d better believe that your competition has one. They’re using this to their advantage and the only way you can compete with them is to use social media to your advantage too.

?•You need to have your business seen by people who fit your “customer demographics.” The best place to find these people is online on social media platforms.

?•Peer (a.k.a. influencer) recommendations play a strong influence in what people buy today. They’re paying attention to these things on social media. Being relevant with these influencers means you’re relevant to your customers, which will ultimately help boost your business’ bottom line.

?•Your company’s reputation is either enhanced or destroyed on social media. You can’t afford to let your customers be in charge here. Instead, you need to have your voice also be heard.

Take Advantage of Cloud-Based Services

Small Biz Daily says most people are already using the cloud today – they just don’t realize they’re doing so. The cloud is a great place to be since it lets you synchronize your files, data, and documents so they’re accessible from any location as long as you have an internet enabled device. For instance,cloud-based business phone systems are an ideal solution for enterpriseorganizations because they let you connect all your internal telephones with your business line. Cloud PBX provides you with a telephony solution that will let you accomplish various tasks and deliver various services that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to deliver. This will improve your business’ accessibility in a way that will let you build trust, reliability, and access to your customers – things that go a long way towards growing a big, successful business.

Use Marketing Tactics

Yodiz says you need to have a clear definition of who your targeted customers are and what their buying behavior is like. From there you can decide which of the following marketing strategies is right for you:

?•Paid advertising

?•Cause marketing: Linking your marketing to a social issue

?•Relationship marketing

?•Undercover marketing: Marketing your products without telling your customers about your marketing strategy

?•Word of mouth

?•Online

?•Transactional marketing: Giving your customers coupons, discounts, and other incentives that encourage them to buy your products or services.

Increase the Productivity of Your Work Space

Business News Daily says that when you want to increase your productivity you must first create an office space that’s conducive to this. They say you can do this by:

?•Delegating a space in your office where you can escape from your desk and relax for a bit when you’re feeling overly stressed out.

?•Having quiet workplaces throughout your office where people can work privately helps them respect one another when there’s something they need to concentrate on completing without being interrupted.

?•Investing in good technology helps you stay up-to-date so you can complete your work without being frustrated by outdated programs or slow internet speeds.

?•Natural light and artwork provide the ambiance that makes your employees feel less stressed about the work at hand.

Be Honest with Your Customers

Young Upstarts says there’s no way for you to create a strong brand if you choose to take a conservative approach or spend too much time worrying about what others would think of your business. Doing these things instead of investing your time into growing your brand will simply lead to the creation of a dull and bland brand that’s indistinguishable from all the other run-of-the-mill brands that already exist today. Instead, you need to follow your instincts and portray a picture that you really believe when it comes to your brand. Make sure you keep this thought in mind from the very beginning because it starts with the creation of your company logo and tagline.

Author Bio: Mila Jones is a Senior Business Consultant, with rich experience in the domains of technology consulting and strategy, she works with both established technology brands and market entrants to offer research inputs and insights on leveraging technology as a source of strategic competitive advantage. She is a prolific author and shares her expertise with tech enthusiasts on popular digital publishing platforms.