I enjoyed this quick read from Marc Cloosterman on brand building with digital media. His points are spot on about brands needing to adapt to the new environment or risk falling far behind their more-aggressive competitors. This goes TRIPLE for craft beverage brands, especially breweries, who, if they make it past the first year or two of existence, must start to differentiate themselves on more than just their product offerings and local traffic. Let’s break down each of his points through the lens of a craft beverage producer:
- Very small space: tasting rooms, especially ones that are out-of-the-way or difficult to find, must have a mobile-friendly website that quickly communicates the brand in a small-screen format. So important, this can’t be overstated!
- New ecosystems are emerging: there is no longer a one-stop-shop for all your marketing needs. Digital agencies claim to have the strategic and branding chops to do it all, but it’s still very new for them. Conversely, branding agencies often outsource their digital work to the experts. Good to understand what you need and what you’re getting upfront before starting a project.
- Consistence versus coherence: what I took most from this was the fact that brands being built today have to disrupt their respective industries, and digital and other marketing services must adapt to that shift.
- Recognize trends: brands that create relevant content that is valuable to their [current and potential] customers will ultimately win. This means having a strong brand positioning and content marketing strategy.
- One path: customer journey: always put the customer first, whether it’s the messaging you send out, the events that you sponsor, the beverages you market and everything in between.
I agree with his approach of creating a content marketing strategy independent of channel. Beverage brands will definitely benefit from the direct customer contact when they have content worth discovering and sharing.
Read the full article on brandingstrategyinsider.com here.