Apple is an aspirational brand, in that, they are not for the masses but because of the experience they give, the masses long for their products.
What is a brand?
Don’t be too quick to guess.
A brand is not a logo, product, identity, or company.It is the totality of experience that people get from interacting with your brand, from the tiniest initial awareness to making a purchase, and long after that.
A brand is the expression of the truth and value of a product, service, organization, or person.
It is people’s perception or feeling about your product, organization, or person.
Who could have imagined that one of the most successful brands today(Apple) was once on the verge of going out of business? In the mid-1990s, its branding was in a mess and its products were lackluster.
But everything changed after they rebranded.
We can learn a few branding lessons : the Apple way.
Emotions
Good branding engages the emotions of the target audience to create an unforgettable Identity. No matter how interesting your brand campaigns are, if this emotional connection is lacking, then your marketing strategy is likely to fail. Customers tend to remember and buy products or services that make them feel good.
Have you ever wondered why Apple gets to price their products higher than their competitors?
They have succeeded in getting to the level where people strive to get their products because they are a status symbol of sorts. As an Apple user, people now see you as one who has upgraded in quality and status.
Apple emotionally connects to its customers. After all, that’s what branding is about. So ensure you connect to your customers emotionally just like Apple.
Define your Identity
You can’t have a strong brand identity if you’re unsure of what your brand is.
Define your mission clearly. This gives direction on the other steps to take to have a powerful brand identity.
Also, define ways to consistently communicate that identity to your consumers. This is explained in the next point.
Be consistent
Stick to a visual identity that people can easily identify your brand with.
Don’t go about changing your visuals often. This will confuse the consumers. But if you find out yours doesn’t suit your needs, you can opt-in for better rebranding. One that communicates your company’s identity to your consumers. (Visit: www.telioce.com to transform your clients’ experience )
Apple consistently applies the apple logo on their products (both old and new) or the lowercase letter ”i” on their products – iPhone,iWatch, iPad.This helps consumers differentiate their products from others.
Develop good customer relationship
This is one of the major strategies that contribute to the success of Apple.
The relationship they have with their customers is beyond business. They’ve created a strong brand community whereby whosoever buys their products, has this sense of belonging.
Apple provides different options where customers can share their views, make complaints, and know more about their products. The complaints and feedback of their customers are what they work on to give the customers a better experience.
A website is a good option for this. Your customers can share their ideas, feedback, and complaints there. This will help you provide a better experience for your customers to work on.
Understand your Market
Proper understanding of the needs of your target market serves as guidance to making products of value.
It brings more value to your brand
This is one of the factors of Apple’s brand success. They understand their target audience. They take note of their customers’ suggestions and feedback, and complaints then they work on it and innovate something better, and sell it back to their customers in the next version of their products.
Knowing what your customer wants can help you give them a better experience.
Employ the right people
Who would want to reject a job offer from Apple?
Apple as a highly reputed company makes it easier for it to attract quality and excellent people. This excellence translates into better products, services, and customer experience.
Having staff members that are passionate and zealous about their job will reflect in the quality of your product and brand.
Have a visual brand identity
If you don’t have a visual brand identity, you should get one. The one that fits your needs. Telioce can help with that. This will make your customers easily differentiate you from other brands.
Apple is known for its unique visual and tone expressed in its product design and advertising.
No matter the size of your business, you can learn from Apple’s branding strategy.
Branding is not about colour or look. It’s the total experience that people get at the slightest contact with your products or services from awareness till after patronage. It is how your products or services enhance the senses of people.
Giving your customers that top-notch experience is key to making them loyal to your brand. Just like Apple.
It’s time to level up your brand identity. Book a session with Telioce to get started.