When It Comes To Marketing Your Brand, Forget Everything You've Been Told

We've all been told the same advice and taught the same little hacks, in some shape or form, to get ahead in life. Well, when it comes to marketing your brand, forget everything they've told you. Or at least these few things.

Actually, you can't "fake it 'til you make it."

Too often brands are searching outside of their target audience to jump on whatever is trending at the moment, without considering whether or not it aligns with the story they are trying to tell. They're looking for crazy, unrelated promotional items and irrelevant hashtags that are getting the most "likes" and "shares," in hopes to ramp up engagement without really caring who it comes from. Don't worry, if your cheeks are starting to feel flushed because this sounds a little too familiar, believe me, we've all been there.

Say, for example, you work in marketing for a business in the construction industry. While #SlurpeeDay may be getting millions of tweets and shares on Instagram, unless delivering slurpees to your customers on the job site has somehow been worked into your business model, calling out the trending hashtag in your posts brings zero value to your business. I think it's a safe bet to say that those who engage with that post have little to no interest in your construction services. And trust me, I would know, because I was that girl who shared that #SlurpeeDay post. For the sake of saving my previous employer from the embarrassment of my learning experience (and my amateur Photoshop skills), names have been removed from the following screenshot.

To be fair, I was fresh out of college, transitioning from an executive assistant into the marketing department with little experience, and determined to learn as much about marketing as possible as I took on this exciting new role.

While I started to gain some traffic with these "trendy" methods, my conversion rates were nowhere near stellar. As a 22-year-old, fully emerged in the social media world, I had to take a step back and learn to focus on what truly mattered to our target audience - even if it wasn't the sexiest or trendiest content to share.

Now I look back at my trials and errors and can't help but smile (and laugh) because of how much they helped me evolve so early in my career. One of the most significant things I learned was the importance of focusing on the value of the ethos of your brand. If you really want to build relationships with your audience, authenticity is key.

Think inside the box.

I know what you're thinking... odd advice coming from someone who works at a creative agency, huh? But before you get the wrong interpretation, let me explain where I'm going with this.

This so-called box I'm referring to isn't the metaphorical "box" of your imagination that we typically think of. This box is made of the pillars that stand as the foundation of your brand. It's the unparalleled product or service you bring to your customers, the unique story that evolved into your business, the exceptional people and culture you've brought together, and all of your rabid fans that stand behind the value you add to their lives. Inside this box lies endless opportunities for your brand to thrive.

Keeping these pillars at the core of every bit of your marketing efforts will actually spark your imagination in ways that authentically connect with your target audience. The hashtags you use will attract the right people, who truly care about the content you are sharing. And the promotional products you gift to your consumers will stand out to them in an impactful way, not because a mass of random tweeters said it was cool, but because of the value the products bring to them.

So, forget about the hacks you've been trying to leverage, and focus on what makes your brand unique. Learn from my mistakes: Authenticity goes a lot further for your brand than trying to bandwagon on the latest fads.