Does Brand Messaging Need to Change Over Time?

Regardless of your product, the message needs to evolve with your growth. In order to develop a strategy that will grow and change but still keep customers engaged with your brand is a challenge that many businesses don't realize is coming before it happens.

If a Trader Joe's location, for example, is looking for someone to develop a strategy over their first two years in the area, how would the strategy look on day one and grow from year one to year two?

Sujan Patel, a cofounder of WebProfits, a growth marketing agency shares some elements of a successful brand messaging strategy in his article with the Growth Marketing Conference (2019) that can really help us carve out a plan for this TJ's location!

Day one, get the word out: Location, sales, products, hours all the basic information needs to be front and center and regularly shared. One of Patel's tips is to set clear goals. The goal on day 1 would be to inform the community that you are here! But as the days go on, there needs to be a narrative that really connects TJ's with the right audience. Patel (2019) recommends having a solid understanding of the audience, who they are, what their habits are, what kind of person are we trying to encourage to check out the location.

Year one, set guidelines, educate, and connect: Making sure customers/followers know how the brand operates is key. educating on days particular sales occur, restock days, and even ways the store is different from regular stores. For example, at trader joes, you hand your cart over to a cashier and walk to the front of the counter rather than loading your own groceries on a conveyor. They use paper bags and give incentives for reusable bags. Using social media and marketing efforts to get the word out on how the service is different, how the pricing is better, how the sales bring better food to the table for an affordable price would be the best way to approach the first year. Patel (2019) emphasizes that having solid guidelines for your branding strategy is important. This first year is where you can have those guidelines evaluated and locked in as you move forward.

Year two, we have a solid set of followers and so this is the time to create a strong narrative and build stories. Patel recommends that using stories "helps customers connect with the brand emotionally" (Patel, 2019). Many of TJ's national customers sing their praises over TJ branded products and the great pricing on wines -2 buck chuck! So crafting stories using real customers who rave about the TJ specific brands would help others find a favorite product.

References:
Patel, S. (2019, August 7). 5 Elements of a Successful Brand Messaging Strategy. Retrieved from https://growthmarketingconf.com/elements-of-a-successful-brand-messaging-strategy/