Brand equity is the value that a business gains because of brand recognition compared to other competitors in the market. It has a significant impact on the public perception of the business, the resulting value, and much more.
Although market growth and revenue are standardized metrics to determine brand value, brand equity is also a fantastic method to ensure that you know your company is working well.
Most professionals prefer consulting with a marketing communications agency to improve business equity and market value. However, there are other methods that business owners can choose from to maximize their brand equity.
5 Ways to Improve Brand Equity
Brand equity represents a company’s value in the consumer mindset and can indicate a company’s positive or negative standing. The reputation of a company can make or break its future. Many brands have suffered through financial crises merely because of poor brand equity.
For example, leaders like Coca-Cola became a victim of business loss because of a rumor that Coca-Cola had cocaine or may still have it. The brand is still trying to clear out these claims and re-build its stature in the industry.
However, improving brand equity takes time and effort. Here is a breakdown of the top methods to improve brand equity in your business.
1. Connect with Target Audience
Understanding and connecting the target audience is the best way to ensure that your business does not suffer in the long run. You can connect with the target audience to understand their sentiments about your business and incorporate various solutions to ensure efficient data collection.
The methods can include checking for the search volume, i.e., the number of times users check your business. Checking the online data can help you determine your business reputation and popularity.
In addition, checking social media is another good practice to ensure your business remains afloat in the industry for longer. You can check various metrics such as likes, comments, and share on posts to see how popular you are.
2. Creating Brand Awareness
Improving customer awareness ensures more people know about your business and increases your chances of conversions. Brands like Starbuck and Coca-Cola have created brand awareness at a high level, making them a part of almost every conversation on a relevant topic. For instance, mentioning these brands as an example for brand awareness is also one example.
Creating brand awareness is time-consuming but is still a great way to build customer-based brand equity. You can create a model using the method to achieve faster success and build better brand awareness. Business owners should showcase their unique selling points and assess customer needs to make them feel valued.
They need to present a consistent brand image to help customers visualize the brand under a particular niche. For instance, brands like Kit Kat are known for their innovative PR and marketing adverts. Click here for more information.
However, this also applies to maintaining a price range, customer satisfaction levels, and overall customer percept of your business. For instance, you may showcase your brand as eco-friendly through green approaches and actions.
3. Ensure Positive Customer Experience
Building brand identity is merely the tip of the iceberg as there is a lot to consider. Companies need to ensure they build and maintain a good customer experience. Customer experience includes everything from a well-performing website valuing customer percept, opinions, and much more.
More than 80% of the companies see an increase in their operations after improving customer experience. Many of these companies take their data from social media platforms and generic public trends to give people what they want.
In addition, these companies can also use the customer experience data to determine changes that can help positive growth.
4. Implement Partnerships with Well-Reputed Brands
Networking, PR, and marketing require collaborating with other brands and industry members. It is the fastest way to get positive recognition, higher brand equity, and many other benefits in business. However, creating partnerships with the best brands is not as easy as it may sound.
The businesses should benefit from collaborating with you, which is why a loyal customer base can help. Even nascent businesses can see significant revenue, leading brand collaborations, and other benefits if they have a good customer following.
Remember, the collaboration aims to create the necessary buzz to help elevate any business. It will also help you maximize customer trust and increase business value in the industry.
The more business your work with, the more people get to know you. It doesn’t matter if you do not have an extensive business setup, as you can get promising outcomes through collaborative implementations.
5. Build Brand Loyalty
Creating customer loyalty toward a brand has a massive impact on its brand management strategy. Gaining new customers costs more than retaining existing ones, and you will spend extensive amounts with little to no guarantee of success.
Thus, building brand loyalty and trust with your existing customers is faster and more practical. The best part is that creating brand loyalty is not as difficult as one might think.
For instance, business owners can implement methods like watching customer preferences (likes and dislikes). Customers love it when they feel their opinions are valuable to the company.
In addition, companies should refrain from making any customary or traditional offenses through their marketing strategy. You can monitor customer needs and build better customer loyalty. Similarly, building customer incentives is another classic approach.
For example, brands can offer coupons, vouchers, discounts, etc., on birthdays, religious events, and national holidays. Many brands like Apple, Starbucks, and Amazon also have loyalty programs that reward customers with consistent purchases.
What Should You Do?
Business owners need to understand the importance of business equity and start working on their strategies right away. They need to choose approaches that work well for the business interest but keep the brand identity and customer sentiment in mind.
A wrong step in business could lead to severe business equity damage. Therefore, reaching out to a marketing communications agency is also a great way to keep your business equity safe.
Practicing the strategies we mentioned will help you see results right away. However, molding these methods according to your niche and business structure is the most important element.