Despite the resurgent economy, companies have been presented with a wealth of challenges, in a relatively short period of time, as saturation has become one of the more complex obstacles standing in the way of maximum revenues. Ensure your business ascends above the competition with these 9 top tricks to improve branding success.

1. 9 top tricks to improve branding
success

2. Competition continues to heat up amid the
economic recovery from the Great Recession,
forcing business leaders and marketers to take
novel approaches to branding that prevent them
from gaining visibility in their industries.

3. Despite the resurgent economy, companies
have been presented with a wealth of
challenges, in a relatively short period of
time, as saturation has become one of the
more complex obstacles standing in the way
of maximum revenues.

4. However, trends are taking shape quickly and certain firms are showing what it
takes to navigate this challenging market, without falling behind the eight ball.

5. Regardless of which industry a business might be competing
within, certain best practices and guiding strategies can help to
bolster virtually all companies' performances in these areas.

6. The following are nine tricks that you can put to
use when trying to bolster your brand's visibility,
conversion rates and loyalty through diverse
marketing programs.

7. Adapting them to your specific objectives, values and needs
is key, but this should at least work to get the gears turning.

8. 1. Analyze data in real-time
More companies are beginning to leverage
advanced analytics solutions for marketing
purposes, and you ought to as well. One study
from InfoTech, reported on by Better Buys,
revealed that roughly three-quarters of
businesses that do not embrace business
intelligence solutions will struggle to keep pace
with competition. In the realm of branding, there
is so much internally generated and externally
accessible data out there to analyze, so get to it
and watch decision-making improve as a result.

9. 2. Integrate
A failure to create cohesion between various marketing ventures can end up working
against the brand rather than for it. The image should always be consistent, and that
demands plenty of planning and strategic oversight when using various channels and
mediums such as email, social media and direct mail marketing tools. Always focus on
integration at the earliest stages of marketing strategy creation, and adhere closely to the
strategy over time for maximum consistency.

10. 3. Use email as the foundation
Social media will likely be the core medium for marketing strategies in the
future, but this is not the case right now. Rather, your best option to act as
the foundation of your branding program - characterized as being the main
conduit for customer communications and notifications - is email marketing
right now. Whenever you have a new deal, promotion or otherwise, get the
word out through email.

11. 4. Measure engagement
If you are not surveying your loyal
clientele, as well as newly converted
prospects, chances are you are not
coming close to your full potential with
respect to successful branding. Always
make sure you are keeping a finger on
the pulse of your target market and
especially the individuals who have been
customers for a long time. This will
always provide the quickest, most direct
and accurate insights into what you can
be doing better.

12. 5. Target mobiles
For email and social media marketing programs, always ensure the processes and
communications are properly targeting mobile devices, as a higher rate of consumers are
now using their smartphones and tablets for these types of activities. Additionally, aside
from the actual configuration that needs to take place, businesses will also want to craft
mobile-targeted ad communications uniquely to the devices, rather than using the same
tactics as approaching personal computers.

13. 6. Play to social's strengths
One of the more important components
of branding today involves retention and
communication with existing clientele,
and social media is perhaps the greatest
stage for these shows to perform upon.
Make sure you are devoting social media
efforts mostly to communications with
existing clientele, and only partially
leveraging it as a marketing tool when
most befitting.

14. 7. ABC
For a brief aside, marketers: Never forget the immortal words of David Mamet's
character Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross - Always Be Closing. Be persistent and try new
things, as competition and saturation leave no room for the meek.

15. 8. Remain agile
Structure is critical to ensure
brand consistency and to
closely control the performance
of each venture, but markets
move too quickly to remain
stagnant. As such, work hard to
strike a balance between
structure and flexibility,
maintaining a high level of
agility to move quickly on new
trends and opportunities. This
will work to ensure the brand
remains relevant over time.

16. 9. Do not rule out direct mail
Many firms have moved away from direct mail marketing in the past few years,
seemingly believing that the medium is dead or no longer that effective. This is a
pretty serious error, as studies indicate that direct mail is still indeed a preferable
medium among consumers of all ages. Adapt the programs to be relevant in the
modern era, but do not allow yourself to believe that direct mail cannot be an asset
in your branding program.