The best companies and businesses thrive on emulating greatness from others, especially from businesses and companies with amazing success stories. It was Isaac Newton who said, “I became great by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This is true, especially in the business world. As a business owner, if you want to thrive in the business world, you must always be on the alert to observe the big players in your industry closely and know what they are doing to thrive.
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If you want to arrive at the destination of greatness, follow the trails of great men. You might not have their financial power, workforce, marketing budget or market share. However, you can copy the way they reposition themselves in the marketplace.
In this article, after 5 years of studying the marketing styles of top Fortune 500 companies, I am going to share with you their marketing strategies, so that you can incorporate them into your business and life.
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Create A Movement Like Apple Inc.
Apple’s early years reeked with controversies as it battled with other rival companies, but one thing that kept it going was its ability to create a movement. Today, Apple Inc. is the biggest company by capitalisation with a total valuation of 125 trillion dollars as of 2021. Apple, known for its top-notch, state-of-the-art gadgets, was able to attract customers as a company leading the world into the future.
From its internal technology to its outward designs, which are always fancy, durable and portable, Apple created a fandom out of its millions of customers by repositioning itself as a company of class and the future. Many people desire to use Apple above other brands. People with Apple products often have a sense of social importance, as they naturally believe owning an Apple product is a way to build their social status. Apple has created a cult-like following, which has stood the test of time.
Therefore, you can adopt Apple’s ability to create a movement, by building top-notch products or creating an amazing service or solution that will make customers feel important if they patronise you. Like Apple, keep your marketing styles simple. Follow the KISS (Keep It Simple and Short) strategy. There is this famous Apple aphorism: “if it is not Apple, it’s not Apple.” Therefore, reposition your company as one that is history-making, ultra-innovative, futuristic, world-class, unmatchable, game-changing and ultra-modern. Keep your marketing simple, yet sophisticated. Keep your customers excited by giving them a sneak peek into your latest innovations. Transform customers into fans and let them see you in the light of the best.
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Create Brand Consistency Like Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a well-known Fortune 500 company, notable for its brand consistency. Their red and white logo is known across the world, and they have been known for their red and white cursive font logo for the past 129 years. Many brands make the mistake of changing colours and logos occasionally, mistaking it for rebranding. Coca-Cola on the other hand had been rebranding consistently without altering their image and identity and message.
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There has been different taglines or slogans, but it has always reproduced the same message and image. The lesson to learn from this Fortune 500 company is consistency. Consistency doesn’t mean repetition but offering value without altering the basic structure. Rebrand when necessary, but let your rebranding not make you strange to your followers.
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Create Customer Intimacy Like Facebook
Creating a Customer Intimacy is when you use empathy as a means of marketing. Empathy is the ability to see events and situations from another’s perspective — to put yourself in their shoes. For brands, empathetic marketing is about seeing the world through the user’s point of view. In this regard, Facebook under Mark Zukerberg has always flaunted itself as a caring company that is out to create a better user experience for its numerous consumers.
People are often attracted to people who care about things. Most often, Facebook casts itself as a business leader who places people’s satisfaction above profit. They are always out to see that their users are safe from internet bullying, that there is gender inclusiveness, and that content creators and merchants enjoy App profitability. In its recent launch of the Metaverse, Facebook wanted to connect people more through a 3D virtual presence.
By casting itself as a company that wants to connect the world on a closer level, the new product received so many good reviews. To this end, as a business owner, your ability to communicate your solution to your customers’ problems will go a long way in how your company becomes profitable. Using empathy as a marketing strategy means you can easily use the suggestions, yearnings, consumer limitations and complaints to modify or create a new product. Create an authentic connection between your brand and your customers. Let customers see your business as a trustworthy guide.
- Create Trust Through Education Like Colgate.
Colgate is a leading toothpaste brand in the world. They have maintained this spot by building trust through enlightening their numerous customers on dental and oral care. Through its Oral Care Centre, Colgate has been able to reach its customers’ oral care and dental hygiene. The Centre shares information on how you can prevent cavities, how can you keep your oral hygiene, how to stop developing sensitivity, how to brush & floss effectively, and so on. Creating trust through education is not only applicable to a toothpaste company like Colgate, but as a business owner, you can learn from Colgate by having an educational arm for your business where you can build a connection with your numerous customers through educating them on how to solve their problems with your solution. Create a sense of curiosity in them and supply answers to them where you can easily chip in your product/service as the answers to their curiosity. Therefore, in order to achieve this, you must have a knack for data collection and research.
Featured Image Source: CBS News
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