Our Joint Managing Director Robin Bryant was invited to deliver a seminar at the NetXtra Breakfast Club in London last month. Organised by NetXtra, a key digital client of Mobas, the Breakfast Club is a series of networking events for marketing professionals. The theme of the latest event was ‘Connecting with your Community’, and here’s what Robin had to say.
A brand is not a logo, nor an identity, nor a product. It is a how a company or product makes you feel, which is based on trust and built on emotional connections. A brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what they – the audience – say it is.
There’s a simple formula too; trust equals reliability plus delight. Trust comes from having a consistent personality that always delivers its promises, and meeting and beating customer expectations at every stage. But first you must define your personality and purpose.
If you can do all that, and connect a brand to its community, then there are five rules for ensuring that your brand travels and connects with its audience. First, stay true to your purpose and have a consistent personality. Second, build a network of brand ambassadors, because audience to audience referrals are the most powerful tool in connecting brand with audience.
Next, build emotion. Seventy percent of audience loyalty and spending decisions are based on emotional factors. And, don’t forget to listen, listen, and listen! Your brand is what your audience say it is, and listening and reacting ensures you stay relevant to them and help identify threats. Lastly, evolution must be constant, because evolving – while staying true to purpose and promise – keeps you relevant and trusted.
The full Breakfast Club write-up, and information on the next event, is available here.
