Tag Archive for: Market Experts

How Are You Building Your Brand in 2022?

/in

In the fast-moving and ever-so-competitive world we are currently living in, it’s the companies with strong, regularly evolving brands that will bring in the most business and continue to grow. It’s common knowledge that the pandemic, among a variety of other factors, have forever changed consumer behavior as well as employee needs and standards. As a result, many new norms have been created. Organizations that want to continue to thrive must adapt to shifts within the market and their industry, and must consider both their target audience and their employees when implementing new and improved processes. This begins with how a company brands themselves.

Branding is the ongoing process of creating a special identity that is associated with your company, products, and/or services. When most people think of branding, they envision logos, colors, and a catchy tagline. While those things are definitely aspects of branding, they account for a small fraction of branding as a whole. In order to create a strong and memorable brand, an organization must think of their brand as the identity and reputation of their business.

Building a powerful brand is how you will generate awareness, positive associations, and loyalty to your company and offerings. They way you get your audience to perceive your company and the value that it brings is by formulating an effective brand strategy. Here are some of the top ways to build your brand in 2022:

1. Emphasize Your Mission, Values, and Culture

Despite current popular belief, there isn’t actually a worker shortage; there is a shortage of companies that meet employee needs. Job seekers are in search of companies that align with their values and are willing to accommodate needs that may not have been there prior to the pandemic. You may very well be keeping up with workplace trends and have the best business model in your industry. However, if you want to attract employees that are a culture fit, you must advertise what you are all about across multiple platforms. People today look for purpose and want to feel valued at their place of employment. Additionally, people are more inclined to partner with and buy from companies that are making a difference. Don’t be afraid to showcase current projects or feature your core values on your website and social media.

Ways to Emphasize Your Mission, Values, and Culture:

  • Have a page dedicated to your mission on your website
  • Create posts about each one of your values and how your company embodies them for social media
  • Make an effort to recognize your employees publicly
  • Showcase your company charity projects on your website and social media

2. Know What Differentiates You

Every organization has something that separates them from their competitors, but it’s not always evident to their target audience. When constructing brand campaigns, it’s crucial to highlight how individuals would benefit from choosing you. Whether it’s your pricing, your fast turnaround time, or your stellar customer service; you must underline your unique selling point to compel your audience to buy from you.

Things that Can Differentiate Your Company:

  • What you look for in employees
  • Events your organization hosts
  • Having specialty departments
  • Having access to certain data

3. Establish Your Brand’s Personality

In order to have consistent messaging, you have to position your brand with a personality. Creative, professional, and luxury are all examples of brand personalities. Once you determine the personality of your brand, you will be able to create consistency in what your audience can expect from you. Everything from the wording you use in your print collateral to the way you facilitate conversations with potential buyers should match your brand’s personality. This gives consumers a way to identify you and decide whether or not your company will meet their needs should they partner with you.

Things that Establish Your Brand’s Personality:

  • The tone in your email campaigns
  • The graphics you use on your social media pages
  • The tactics you use to promote your services
  • The “extras” you offer to your clients

4. Experiment with Your Messaging

Companies that have the most success are the ones that test multiple different tactics to see what their audience responds best to. As the market changes, so will the mentalities and needs of your ideal client/customer. It’s important that you adjust your branding to address their pain points. This is most effective when it is backed by market research. Take the time to gather data and experiment with different platforms and advertisements to see what they engage the most with. You may be surprised at what they are drawn to.

How to Experiment with Messaging: 

  • Try a combination of free and paid marketing strategies
  • Keep track of when and where you get the most responses from your ideal clients
  • Poll your audience regarding what they want to see
  • Test out marketing tactics and platforms that are new and trendy

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs.

 

Using Data as an Asset

/in

Did you know that as of recently, “data” has become a buzzword in the business world? Usually when people think of data, they envision their company’s proprietary information, but statistics have continuously shown that organizations that leverage data use as a business value are the ones that skyrocket to success. This is because the growth of a company is largely determined by data surrounding their industry and how they use it to evolve.

By finding ways to strategically implement data collection into your business plan, and using your findings to tweak your operations and marketing tactics, you will set yourself apart from your competitors as well as build the reputation of expert within your industry.

Here is a list of ways data will benefit you if you choose to make it a part of your business model.

1. Get to Know Your Audience

Everyone wants to believe they know their audience well, but as times change, so do people. Things such as convenience due to emerging technologies and preferences due to the influence of social media constantly change consumer behavior, so keeping up with your audience will make all of the difference in your revenue generation. You can get to know your audience through market data via polls on your social media pages and/or asking informative questions when you meet with clients/customers in person.

2. Improve Quality of Products and Services

By using data to get to know your audience and finding innovative ways to collect data from your competitors, you will be able to make changes to your products or services that you know your client/customer actually wants. Making changes can be risky, which is why data is so beneficial. It allows you to base decisions based off of factual information instead of having to guess.

3. Establish Expertise

When you make claims to your audience and can back it up with actual percentages and statistics, you will begin to be seen as experts to both your audience and your competitors. People will wonder where you get your information from and will look to your company as an example to model after in hopes to achieve the same results. It’s always great to be the first in your industry to do something.

4. Make Decisions Easier

When you make decisions based off of what you’ve done in the past or what seems to be working for other companies, you are essentially gambling. If you go based off of your findings, you can be assured you are making the best decisions whether they are about internal operations or your sales strategy.

5. Improve Operations

Data collection does not have to be limited to your external processes. You can collect data from your internal employees through things such as a suggestion box, anonymous survey, or a company-wide vote. Keeping your employees happy is just as important as keeping your clients/customers happy, so find a way that the ideas and opinions of your personnel can be heard.

6. Contribute to Campaigns

No matter what industry you’re in, there is nothing more powerful than social proof. When people are going to invest money into something, they want the reassurance that it has worked before and will benefit them. If you collect data, you can use numbers in your campaign which is sure to influence your audience’s buying decisions.

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us here with your staffing needs.

Make Social Issues A Part of Your Marketing

/in

“A little over half of consumers (57 percent) are more likely to buy/use a product if a brand takes a position on a social issue similar to the consumers’ views. That figure was 77 percent for Gen Z and millennial respondents.” – A List Daily

It’s nothing new that in today’s world, there are a multitude of social issues that society is passionate about changing. Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves and depending on their upbringing, often choose to support causes that they have been affected by in one way or another.

With so many different walks of life out there, everyone has a different ability to contribute; some able to offer thousands of dollars on a monthly basis and others solely able to offer patronage in the form of time. However, no matter whom you are or what your fiscal capabilities are, we are all regular consumers of both goods and services. By adding the support of social issues into your business model and marketing game plan, you will give people of all different socioeconomic statuses the ability to give back through buying from or partnering with you.

Over the past few years, online buying has increasingly become the preferred way to purchase since it is convenient, and ever since the pandemic began, fewer people feel comfortable in public spaces with large crowds. To capitalize on this new norm, marketers have pivoted their approach to reach more people in the online space. Currently, the businesses that are thriving the most are the ones that have implemented the support of social issues into their marketing strategy.

As quarter four approaches, both marketers and consumers will increase their spending on account of the upcoming holiday season. As we are still in Quarter 3, this makes it the perfect time to map out a plan that brings your support of social issues to the attention of your audience. Whether you are service or product based, this tactic is sure to bring in more business and publicity as well as contribute to positive change and the common good.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan:

1. Increase Your Marketing Budget

As the highest consumer quarter is right around the corner, if you want to see an increase in your sales, you must be willing to spend more to get the word out about the cause you are supporting. It may feel like a bit of a stretch in the beginning, but the return on investment will be worth it as new clients and customers discover you.

2. Use Social Media

If your company has a cause that you have been supporting for some time now, remind you audience by discussing it on social media. Reintroduce the cause/organization you support and inform them of how and why you chose this cause. Then make it a weekly practice to talk about this cause on your platforms. It will only be effective if you make it a long-term part of your strategy. If supporting a cause is not something you have done before, choose one and then inform your audience about this new endeavor.

3. Make it Clear the Impact They Will Have

In order to get consumers to partner with or buy from you, you’ll need to be clear about how spending with you will make a social difference. If a percentage of every sale or contract goes to the cause you chose, let them know that. People want to know how their contribution matters, so be sure that they know what will happen as a result of doing business with your company.

####

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us here to see how we can support you.

Why Now Is a Good Time to Consider a Rebrand

/in

It’s no secret that as a result of the pandemic, over a year and a half later we have shifted into a new world in many ways. As we’ve discussed in past blog articles, one of the most important things you can do as a company is keep up with modern times as this is how you become seen as a leader in your industry.

Well similarly, it is also imperative to keep your brand up-to-date. If a rebrand is something your company has been considering for a while, now could definitely be an advantageous time to do so, as many things are newly different as we come out of the pandemic.

What comes to mind when you hear the word brand? Most people associate brands with their logo and colors, but branding goes far beyond a person or company’s visual representation. Rebranding is all about altering how your product/service and company is perceived, which means that doing so will require a good amount of research and strategy. If well thought out, a rebrand has the potential to bring you more clients at higher rates, increase engagement & publicity, and build loyalty with both employees and clients.

Here are some signs that it may be time for a rebrand:
1. You haven’t rebranded in 5-10 years
2. You have changed your business model, services, or products
3. Your brand has expanded significantly
4. You blend in with your competition too much
5. You want to fix your reputation
6. You want to connect to a wider audience/change your audience

When you decide it is officially time for a rebrand, here are some of the most essential things to do:

Upgrade Your Logo

To keep potential clients interested and to stand out, it is important to use fonts and colors that are reflective of modern times. Although you don’t have to necessarily change your colors, opting for different shades that are brighter or trendier can make all the difference.

Determine Your New Messaging 

Chances are, things within your industry have significantly changed since your launch or your last rebrand. Is there anything you want to be known for that you haven’t been associated with in the past or anything that no longer suits your brand/company that you want to let go of. This will be a big determining factor in how you promote your company going forward.

Rewrite Your Copy

This goes for your “About Us” page, your services overview, your marketing materials, and anything in between. Use new vocabulary that is more in-line with modern language and talk about some of the new strategies you have implemented since your launch or last rebrand.

Re-evaluate Your Company Values

If they have remained the same, brainstorm ways that you can deliver them in a new, revamped way that will appeal to your target market. If there is anything that has been added to your list of core values, be sure to include that to keep your audience updated.

Re-design Your Website & Social Media Strategy

The types of images you use and the pillars that are frequently discussed in your new strategy must be reflected online. This is the first place competitors, clients, and job seekers will search for you, therefore, you want to make a good first impression and be sure that everything from your positioning to your graphics are parallel to your new brand identity.

If you company is in need of new employees, Award Staffing is here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs, today.

How to Prepare Your Company for Gen Z

/in

Two of the most preeminent qualities a company can have are adaptability and the willingness to evolve. As convenient as it is to stay the same, especially if certain systems and protocols have a proven track record of working well; for the continued success and expansion of your enterprise, it’s important to make adjustments with the times.

Just when you thought you had millennials and their approach to the workplace figured out, a new wave of individuals has entered the picture: Gen Z. If you have yet to experience them at your company, they will be arriving to the workplace before you know it. Born between the years of 1997 and 2012, and known as the most diverse generation in history so far, they are beginning to revolutionize the workforce by being the first true digital natives and bringing back the lost concept of in-person interaction.

Despite any preconceived notions of them being a generation that is glued to their phone or has a short attention span; studies and surveys say otherwise. Research has repeatedly shown that they are actually a group that values good, old fashioned hard work and longs to have a secure job that can offer long-term stability. Truthfully, having a few Gen Z ers on you team can be an asset to the mission of your organization. However, there are certain non-traditional values that they hold that need to be considered, if you want to attract them to your association. Here are some ways you can prepare to welcome Gen Z into your company.

1. Be Transparent/Tell Them What to Expect

Believe it or not, they actually want to be deeply invested in their company and the work that they do. They are truly willing to rise to any challenge. As a group that watched their parents struggle during the Great Recession, they value security. This is why it is important to tell them what they can expect when they come to work. It is important that they choose the right place. Be very specific about all of the assignments the job will entail, what the dress code, time-off, and attendance policies are, and what a typical day will look like. As a generation that was exposed to plenty of negativity with social media and quick access to news outlets, they are more skeptical by nature. The way to make them feel more comfortable with applying and accepting a position in your company is with transparency.

2. Offer Quick Responses

While this may seem a bit unreasonable to those of prior generations, are they really wrong for wanting quick access and on-the-spot responses? In the digital age we live in, we all literally have a phone and internet connection at our fingertips 100% of the time. (Adjusting with the times, remember?) Current technology gives us the ability to offer instantaneous responses, be it via social media, through email, or through text. If you want to attract the Gen Z generation to your company, this begins before they even apply. Have someone on your team who checks and responds to social media messages daily. If they submit an application/résumé, respond within a day or two. Getting them in the door begins with making a good first impression. 

3. Emphasize Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance

Although they want to be immersed in their jobs, they are not a group that will prioritize work over their personal wellbeing. In fact, 40 % of Gen Z ranks work-life balance as their number one factor when choosing a place to work. This means offering mental health days, being flexible with hours, and being sure they know they are not obligated to answer phone calls or respond to emails during their time off. This will benefit both them as employees as well as you as an employer, because allowing employees to take care of themselves outside of work will lead to more focus, drive, and greater productivity while at work. If you’re looking to attract high-quality employees from this generation, be sure to discuss this on your company’s social media pages.

4. Offer above Average Pay

Unlike their millennial counterparts, pay is at the top of their mind when choosing a place to work. While millennials value freedom and creativity, Gen Zers value security. The majority of this generation, although young, has already started a savings account and has been known to do whatever it takes to get ahead as early as possible. Similar to millennials, many of them have left or will leave college with a significant amount of debt that could take decades to pay off. They are also reaching adulthood in a time where cost of living is high no matter where you live. As a group that strives to be financially savvy, you will have much more luck attracting this generation with good pay verses good benefits or any other perks. They will even be willing to work longer hours as long as they are rewarded for it.

5. Offer Social Experiences and Face-to-Face Interaction

Does this one surprise you? The truth is, that while millennials are technology pioneers, Gen Z never experienced a point in time when they didn’t have some type of technology at their disposal. While they do tend to spend entire days on and off social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, only interacting with others through a screen has left them with high social anxiety and feeling isolated at times. Even if your company offers the option to work from home part of the time, team building and camaraderie are crucial for keeping Gen Zers happy. Be sure to host regular team meetings and make some of them in person. Also, offer after work outings, company get-togethers, and plenty of opportunities to collaborate via team projects, volunteering, event planning, etc.

Overall, Gen Z is a generation that will go the extra mile as long as they feel appreciated, listened to and feel that they are working for the right company. They know they are responsible for driving their own careers and want to be judged by their merit and contributions.

If your company is looking for new employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs, here.