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Tech companies fared well in the early years of the coronavirus pandemic as businesses tried to adapt to remote and hybrid working. However, over the past few years, the industry has faced challenges including layoffs and global, macroeconomic uncertainty. Although the industry appears to be recovering in 2024, having a strong brand continues to be important to stand out from your competition.
Follow this guide to build a product that secures the future of your technology company.
The importance of branding in the technology industry
Often, branding is reduced to the visual appearance of the company. However, building a successful brand involves more than developing a logo and strapline. Those factors are part of successful marketing, but a strong brand gives meaning to the organization in the mind of the audience.
Marketing builds a company’s identity in the minds of potential customers, which helps differentiate the company from its competitors through an emotional connection. Consider Apple, for example: Over the past few decades, the company has built a reputation for innovation and quality, building a loyal customer base in the process.
Strong brands inspire loyalty and trust, leading to repeat business and word of mouth referrals. Building that connection takes time, although product teams can encourage this connection through loyalty programs.
The best brand strategists understand their competitors’ branding strategies as well as their own and use their insights to differentiate their brands. If you represent a technology startup, for example, you might be looking at other startups and analyzing how they stack up against industry giants.
Related: 3 Branding Strategies That Will Make Any Brand Stand Out
Defining your brand identity
Defining your brand identity begins with establishing a clear, compelling value proposition that articulates what differentiates your technology product from others. Zoom, the video conferencing software, did well in this early part of the pandemic. Brands have addressed customer pain points by focusing on collaboration and reliability at a time of great uncertainty.
Define your brand’s core values, then write a mission statement that aligns with your business goals and resonates with your audience. In modern technology products, performance is not enough. Emphasis on transparency and social responsibility is equally important.
With a value proposition, brand values and purpose established, you can begin to create the visual and verbal aspects of your brand identity. Logos, color schemes, typography and graphics are part of that. Once determined, use these elements consistently to increase brand recognition across all your social media channels.
Building brand awareness
Content marketing is one of the most impactful strategies tech brands can use to position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Customer relationship management platform, Hubspot, is a great example of a brand that builds awareness through content marketing using blogs, case studies and other types of content. The team shared valuable insights that helped connect and engage their audience.
Social media posts and influencer engagement are two additional options to allow you to build brand awareness. Both grow your brand and allow you to build connections with industry experts who can increase your brand’s reach and increase your credibility.
Contact technical journalists and media outlets to share your brand story and secure key product news, product launches and innovations. Compelling press releases and ratings are often the first step in building media relationships and keeping your brand and its creators in the spotlight.
Related: 2 Key Marketing Tactics to Increase Brand Awareness and Loyalty
Creating a brand experience
Building a solid and strong technical product will not be possible without creating a user-centric experience. For your product and your brand to succeed, customers must enjoy a seamless, intuitive user experience (UX) across all touch points. Customer feedback will help you refine your product and product UX.
Foster a sense of community among your users through social media groups, events and online forums. Products like WordPress have long encouraged users to exchange information and expertise through user-generated content and code. Testimonials and reviews are also powerful when it comes to building trust and brand loyalty.
Exceptional customer support is the cornerstone of a great product experience. Your dedication to customer service needs to be evident in every interaction, from pre-sales inquiries to post-purchase support. Your team needs to understand that every customer service interaction is a marketing opportunity that can improve customer satisfaction and help you differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Measuring product performance and repeatability
Building a strong technical product is impossible without monitoring the performance of the product and adjusting your approach. Define your key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure brand health, such as brand awareness, customer loyalty and market share. Analytical tools such as tracking surveys and social listening will allow you to assess brand visibility and sentiment.
Don’t be afraid to ask for customer feedback through surveys, focus groups and online reviews to understand their opinions about your product. Being proactive about asking for feedback makes it easier to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to strengthen your brand.
Brand building techniques have not changed. While consistency in brand voice, appearance and other features is important, leading brands are constantly iterating on their strategy. To build a successful technology product, your team needs to be prepared to refine and adapt your product strategy based on market conditions, competitive pressures and changing customer needs.
In many cases, changing logos and brand visuals are easily seen evidence of changing technical product strategies. However, product replication can go further than that. IBM, for example, transformed itself from a hardware product to cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Related: Here’s How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market
Strong technological products stand out in a competitive market and lay the foundations for a successful future. By following the strategies outlined in this guide, you will be well equipped to build a strong brand that connects with customers over the long term. Marketing is an ongoing process that requires a thorough understanding of your audience, consistent engagement and adaptability. With a clear brand identity, effective communication and a commitment to delivering an exceptional experience, your technology product can achieve lasting success and recognition.
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