Brief #110: Back to Brand Basics

Welcome to Future of Marketing.

Each week, we send you the most relevant trends, resources, and strategies in social and user-generated content (UGC) from leading marketers and brands around the globe. 

Today, we’re discussing…

  • Revisiting your brand strategy
  • What we’re learning
  • #BrandCrush: Wonderskin 💘

If you’ll be in NYC on Monday, May 9th, we’re hosting a Social Media Meetup for happy hour at Liberty Bistro from 5 to 7 pm. Join us for food and drinks, and network with talented marketers from awesome brands. RSVP to save your spot. 🗓

Revisit your brand strategy

When’s the last time you reviewed your brand’s vision and mission statement?

“Markets are changing so rapidly that the foundation on which your business was built can shift without you realizing it,” shared Mike Touhey. “Revisiting your brand purpose periodically is a marketing best practice that ensures your business remains grounded and focused on your customers and the needs that only you can solve.”

Your brand strategy shouldn’t collect dust once it’s done; it is the foundation which influences the interactions people have with your brand (internally and externally). In fact, when people have a positive experience with a brand, they’re more likely to tell others about it. 

For example, The Pink Stuff – or “the miracle cleaning paste” – prides itself for being safe yet, tough on stains. It is constantly tagged across social media, where people upload pictures and videos (or user-generated content) before and after using the product – because it lives up to their promise. 

The Pink Stuff re-sharing an Instagram Story from a new buyer who said they purchased their product after seeing someone else talking about it.TIP: Take a step back and consider the original needs your brand was solving for. Have the needs of your customers (and team) evolved? Are there new problems that need to be solved? What are you building? Who are you doing it for? How are you doing it better? And most importantly, why are you building at all? 

If you don’t have a clear answer, perhaps it’s a good time to ask your customers and team for feedback (i.e. send a survey, ask for reviews, or try interviewing them). What do they love about your product(s)? What could you do better? Then, use these insights to refine and improve the experience people have with your brand. 

A friendly reminder: 

“The fruits are often in the roots.”

What we’re learning

#BrandCrush: Wonderskin

Each week in #BrandCrush, we highlight exceptional brands that are channeling 
their customers' voices to connect more authentically with their audience.

Wonderskin has been making headlines for their “Peel Lip Stain” (or shall we say magic?), so we had to dig in.  

On their “about” page, they lead with the powerful statement: 

We listen to what you want. We think ahead to things you’ll love. Like what could make life easier. Your routine quicker. What could power-up the wonder in you, every single day.” 

*Chef Kiss*

Scroll down and you’ll see a section prompting visitors to subscribe to their Team Wow community, where they can connect with one another and share insights that may inspire new products. Hint: This creates a brand energy that welcomes co-creation and community-building. 

In fact, customers love the brand so much, Wonderskin is pulling user-generated content people are tagging their brand in, and re-sharing it in a gallery featured across their website. 

A gallery of UGC featured on Wonderskin's websiteTakeaway:

If you want customers to rave about your brand, give them an experience worth telling others about. But first, go back to the basics and ask yourself: does our brand deliver its promise?