Staple Brand Promotion Strategies Every Business Needs to Succeed

In the modern marketplace, visibility is key to the success of a business. But with the digital space becoming increasingly crowded, how can you ensure your brand not only attracts attention but also maintains it? We at Brand Cloud have gathered six proven brand promotion tactics, with real-world examples, of how brand promotion can help – or harm a business.

The Power of Social Media Platforms

Success Spotlight 1: GoPro

GoPro has turned their customers into advocates by leveraging user-generated content. They encourage users to share their adventure videos, which are then featured on GoPro’s social media channels. This not only provides authentic content at a low cost but also enhances customer engagement. GoPro smartly aligned its advertising strategy with its brand ethos. By focusing on the experiences of its users. By encouraging loyal customers to share their travels captured through their cameras, GoPro taps into a virtually limitless pool of authentic, user-generated content. Content showing exactly what GoPros are made to do – have adventures.

Success Spotlight 2: Starbucks

The #whatsyourname campaign by Starbucks is a perfect example of engaging social media campaigns. This tied Starbucks social change ideals with common coffee house customs- giving out your name to the barista. The campaign not only made Starbucks feel like a welcoming spot for a coffee break but also sparked inclusivity conversations online. Bringing coffee lovers together and drawing in new faces excited to be part of a community that celebrates everyone’s unique identity.

Marketing Mishap: Microsoft’s Tay

On the other end of the user-generated content spectrum is Microsoft’s Tay. Microsoft’s chatbot Tay was designed to learn from and engage with users on Twitter. However, it quickly started producing offensive content due to manipulation by users. The bot had little restrictions to the content it was absorbing, meaning it’s user-generated content backfired and created an amalgamation of Twitters worst ideas. While this did become a famous (or rather infamous) situation, garnering a lot of talk about Microsoft, it may not be good for a brand to let something like this run unchecked.

Why It Works:

User-generated content is powerful because it’s authentic and relatable. It serves as peer-to-peer marketing, helping potential customers see real-life applications of a product. Afterall, 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content more than traditional advertising.

How to Implement:

• Encourage Emotions: Just as GoPro did with adventuring, and Starbucks with identity, you should find a strong emotional feeling or experience associated with your brand. Try to encourage users to share their stories or content related to that.
• Facilitate Sharing: Make it easy for users to share high-quality content to your target market. This can be done by providing tools like branded filters on Instagram or Snapchat, or creating hashtags that can easily trend.
• Feature UGC Prominently: Regularly feature user-generated content on your official channels to acknowledge contributors and encourage more sharing. If your audience only sees UGC once and never again, they may see your brand’s UGC as just another marketing tactic.

Content Marketing That Adds Value

Success Spotlight 1: HubSpot

Regularly updated content is one of the basics of brand promotion. However, it’s always important to ask why? Why are you posting this content? What value does it provide? HubSpot does just that. They offer a wealth of resources like blog posts, guides, and templates, establishing themselves as a useful tool in marketing and sales. Their content strategy focuses on solving problems and answering questions their customers might have, which draws users organically through search engines.

Success Spotlight 2: American Express

One you may not be expecting on this list is American Express. The American Express Open Forum is a platform where industry experts share insights and tips with small business owners. This not only provides value to their potential customers but also allows American Express to grow their brand via small businesses.

Marketing Mishap: Microsoft’s ‘Scroogled’ Campaign

We know this is the second time Microsoft has made an appearance on our mishap list (we promise we aren’t bullies) but with a big brand like Microsoft’s, you are bound to have some marketing errors along the way.

Microsoft’s ‘Scroogled’ campaign was intended to attack Google’s practices and promote Microsoft’s own products as better alternatives. However, the campaign only relied on negative messaging that attempted to discredit Google. They mainly highlighted privacy concerns with Google’s services.

Instead of providing value or enhancing Microsoft’s brand image, the campaign was perceived as a smear tactic that ultimately turned off consumers. It did little to promote Microsoft’s products in a positive light or offer useful information to potential customers

Why It Works:

Valuable content marketing is a self-perpetuating machine. On it’s own, it establishes your brand as an authority, which builds trust with a wider audience. It also improves SEO, thereby boosting your visibility in search results. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing gets three times more leads than paid search advertising campaigns. All that to say, it doesn’t matter if you make email campaigns, blog posts, or some other marketing mix, making good content pays. Literally!

How to Implement:

• Solve Real Problems: Regularly publish content that addresses common challenges or questions your customers face. Show your customers that they are in good hands with a brand that understands them.

• Use Multiple Formats: Create a mix of formats like blogs, videos, infographics, and podcasts to cater to different preferences. Engaging with your users on multiple different media types and platforms is a great way to stay fresh and keep them interested.

• Search Engine Optimization: It may be obvious, but with all the other aspects your brand is focusing on, its easy to forget the power of SEO. It may even be wise to enlist a brand lifting company to help ensure all content is SEO-friendly.

Influencer Partnerships

Success Spotlight 1: Glossier

Glossier’s rise to relevance has been built upon influencers– micro and macro alike. The brand’s strategy focuses on influencers who are not necessarily celebrities but rather real women who share their genuine experiences with the products. This approach makes the products they sell feel more authentic and real to their target audience. It just goes to show that strong influence can be more important than a strong influencer.

Success Spotlight 1: Audible

If you have seen one YouTube video within the last 7 years, you have heard of Audible. Audible partners with podcasters and YouTubers who not only mention the service but often integrate Audible content into their programming. This integration introduces Audible to listeners in a context that highlights its value directly. Audible knows its target audience and knows that reaching out with the entertainment most like Audible, they are bound to reach some authentic connections.

Marketing Mishap: Fyre Festival

Fyre Festival utilized top social media influencers to promote a luxury music festival that ended disastrously. With attendees finding themselves stranded without the promised amenities. All this disaster was made more prominent by the fact that influencers where there to document every issue in excruciating detail. This highlights how influencer marketing can be great – as long as your product performs well. highlighting the importance of ensuring that influencer promotions are truthful and deliver on promises.

Why It Works:

Influencers have the trust of their followers, and their endorsements can drive both awareness and trust. According to a Mediakix study, 89% of marketers say ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels.

How to Implement:

• Choose Relevant Influencers: Partner with influencers who align with your brand values or create content that that your target audience enjoys. Just how Audible reached out to people already listening to spoken word via podcasters.

• Create Authentic Content: Work with influencers to create content that feels genuine and reflects both the influencer’s style and your brand’s message. A influencer just reading a brand statement is boring and obvious. And even worse, is skipped and forgotten by most audiences. Allowing content creators to have freedom in the way they promote your brand, will give you authentic content that will be remembered.

Email Marketing Campaigns

Success Spotlight: BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed uses email segmentation to tailor its newsletters according to the interests of its subscribers. For example, letting readers opt into a fixed schedule of cute dog or cat content. Showing users this level of care and personalization is a surefire way to increase engagement.

Why It Works:

Personalization in email marketing can lead to higher open rates and conversions. Campaign Monitor states that marketers see an average increase of 20% in sales when using personalized experiences.

How to Implement:

• Segment Your Audience: Create different email lists based on customer behaviors and preferences to better tailor the content.

• Regular Updates: Send regular updates about new products, tips, or company news to keep your brand top of mind. Just be sure to not overwhelm the audience either.

Better Public Relations

Success Spotlight: LEGO

LEGO frequently makes headlines for its innovative products and collaborations and the MRI campaign is a perfect example of that. LEGO’s new set featured an MRI scan room. Complete with techs and the MRI machine itself. While to the average adult this campaign may seem strangely niche, it was aimed at reducing anxiety and fear among children undergoing MRI scans. The campaign centered around transforming MRI suites into child-friendly spaces, leveraging LEGO sets and themes to create a more comforting environment.

Marketing Mishap: BP

Famously, BP faced a massive PR crisis during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Their initial underestimation of the issue and poor communication aggravated public perception and showed the critical need for transparency and quick response in crisis PR.

Why It Works:

A strong PR strategy not only creates buzz with your target audience but also helps manage and mitigate crises, keeping the brand’s reputation intact. PR can drive broad media coverage, which is often more trusted than traditional advertising.

How to Implement:

• Timely and Newsworthy Content: Release news that is timely and includes a unique angle that interests your industry.

• Build Relationships with Journalists: Develop relationships with key journalists in your industry to help facilitate smoother media coverage.

Community Engagement

Success Spotlight: Salesforce

Salesforce’s Dreamforce is not just a user conference; it’s a major networking event that brings together industry leaders, Salesforce customers, and partners. This annual event significantly boosts Salesforce’s brand visibility and positions them as a sales market leader. While it may not be possible for your brand to have a conference, having local events or small pop up shops in key areas for your audience will give similar effects.

Marketing Mishap: Pepsi

Pepsi’s 2017 commercial featuring Kendall Jenner, which attempted to engage with social justice themes, was widely criticized for trivializing the movements it sought to represent. This demonstrates how important it is to know your audience, as well as understanding any issues you wish to use with your brand. Mixing social movements can be a great way to get engagement among your audience, but only if it’s done correctly.

Why It Works:

Offering a tangible experience for your target audience is a great way to show what the brand stands for. According to Bizzabo, 95% of marketers believe live events provide valuable opportunities for attendees to form in-person connections in an increasingly digital world. While it’s may be easier to have an online event, having in person community engagement not only makes customers, it makes memories.

How to Implement:

• Host Inclusive Events: Organize events that cater to a broad audience or specific segments of your community.

• Provide Value: Ensure that each event provides genuine value to participants, whether through knowledge, networking opportunities, or free products.

Ready to Boost Your Brand?

If you’re ready to take your brand promotion to the next level, consider partnering with a firm like Brand Cloud that specializes in brand lifting and brand security. With proven strategies and a commitment to your brand’s success, our professional team can help you navigate the complexities of the market and achieve the visibility you deserve.