20 Sep Why Brands Must Consider These 3 User Behaviors
Building your business or brand is a tricky thing. There’s a reason that most industries have just a few champion pioneers, scattered with copycats and innovation-seekers alike. From Nike to Apple to McDonald’s, branding is something that must possess value, difference, and loyalty.
So, who better to look toward than the consumers to gain some insight in industries running the gamut? Nowadays, consumers are a force to be reckoned with. They are not only highly informed and habitually demanding more, but they are also using your products and offer the most relevant and influential feedback about your brand, products, and services. Listen to them!
*Consumers Find Alternative Solutions to the BIG DOG Brands
Certain BIG DOG brands, like Apple, are institutions in their industries. And, although these big dogs offer attractive commodities, sometimes another company will sidestep the institution and offer something consumers demand more. One of the best examples of this sidestep action is Netflix. In the midst of the digital age, people wanted video rentals with more selections, and they wanted them on-demand. So, the institution that WAS Blockbuster took a backseat to this new, exciting, and highly sought after new company.
Sometimes, big dog companies sidestep other institutions. Chipotle offers their healthier, fresher, and more enticing burrito-joint fare to the public, surpassing the processed fast-food alternatives like Taco Bell. So, in this situation, two admirable competitors duke it out in the marketing arena. In addition, Chipotle has generated a series of short animated videos, depicting their disdain for inhumane animal treatment in an emotionally compelling way.
What we have to learn from this is that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the size and level of success of a brand will always reign supreme. If you can take step back, look at what your consumers are asking for, and deliver that very thing in a unique way (that exceeds what anyone else is doing), you will have a competitive edge.
*Consumers are Becoming Innovators
Do you manage a blog? Well, if you don’t, chances are pretty great that you know someone who does. Our digitally-centric culture has enabled us the great fortune of becoming doers, and we are doing just that.
Today, consumers are not only following and supporting major brands, but they’re creating their own on both small and large scales. There are a number of reasons that people are contributing online, be it creative impulse and the advent of platforms that easily allow for this. Whether people are sharing photos on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, or even creating their own brands, our culture allows for an easy immersion into the world of branding.
On a more creative front, individuals are branding themselves and creating businesses online. Platforms like Pinterest and Etsy are making this transition seamless and quite simple. And, the response is rapidly growing and widely accepted. However, what does this mean for other growing or already-established brands?
On one hand, it means that they must consider themselves in a more widespread, flexible manner. It also demands brands to tap into honing skills in other areas that they might not have had to consider prior to the consumer crossover to contribution.
*Consumers are demanding Service YESTERDAY….and, ALL DAY
Time is really of the essence when it comes to the consumer market. From not wasting the consumer’s time, to simply placating their short attention spans, brands must consider the value of their consumer. The biggest takeaway that any emerging brand can enforce, as a result of this, is to be on demand for your consumers.
Whether it’s mobile platforms, apps, or any other avenue of communication, your brand should be available to consumers in every way. That sounds like a tall order, but the digital environment has designed mechanisms that allow for this, which means you must satisfy the consumers’ needs. Online banking is a great example of this, with the luxury of photo-based check depositing and the rest of it.
Since our devices allow us to be on-call, essentially, brands are now put in a position to design their digital presence around this demand.
So, the needs of your consumers are much more important and vital to your marketing strategy than you originally think. Listening to consumers is something that not all brands like to do. But, listening to those who will potentially be purchasing your product or service is within your very best interest. They are supporting you, at the end of the day. So, listen o their wishes and behaviors, for they will readily orchestrate your seamless marketing strategies.
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