If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s customers don’t interact with businesses like they used to.
Just a decade or two ago, the only way you’d come in contact with a brand was if you walked into their store, called up a customer service line or scheduled an appointment with a representative. Today, customers interact with brands daily and on-demand.
With just a few clicks, they can submit complaints, ask questions, find out the latest company news, or even interact with other customers all from the comfort of their own home.
And with this instant access comes unpredictability—and as brands, that means not everything is in our control anymore. We can’t always see what’s coming down the pipeline, nor can we prepare for it.
In aerospace marketing, it’s crucial we take this to heart—particularly in how we project our brands to the world.
Less Control, More Power
Brands used to be very strictly managed. You could only interact with customers one way, you had to work off prompts and carefully tailored PR messages, and you didn’t have much leeway to customize each audience’s experiences.
Those days of a rigidly governed brand are gone, my friends.
Customers wouldn’t even respond to that type of approach nowadays. In fact, it may even anger them, tarnish your reputation in their eyes or turn them off to your brand forever.
Customers are looking for less primped-and-polished and more honest-and-accessible. They want brands to feel authentic, off-the-cuff and living in real-time just like they are.
For longtime veterans of marketing, it can be a difficult concept to grasp. Letting go of rigid brand constructs? Giving your teams the freedom to tailor their messaging, strategies and campaigns as they see fit? It’s a scary thought.
But loosening the reins isn’t just important; it’s downright necessary if you want to survive. A few tips:
Guide, don’t control
It’s OK to set loose standards for how your brand is used, but give your teams the freedom they need to get creative on the fly. In today’s disruptive world, you never can see what’s coming at you, and employees need leeway to custom-fit solutions to each new problem that’s thrown their way.
Let your audiences shape your strategies
Don’t create your brand and then force it on your target audience. Let your target audience shape your brand. What do they want and need in a provider of your services/products? What challenges can you help them through? How can you make their work or lives easier? Take those to heart, and let them influence your brand organically.
Segment
Not all audiences should be treated the same way, and they certainly don’t want to be. Get to know your audiences and interact with them how—and where—they prefer it. Hire people who can support those unique preferences, too. Your employees should shape your brand just as much as your audiences should.
Don’t treat all interactions as equal
Not every customer touchpoint is as important as the next. Find out which touchpoints are most vital to your customers, your goals and your bottom line, and pour more resources into those. You can’t be everything to everyone, so focus on what holds the most potential for your organization and the people you’re trying to reach.
Take more risks
It’s a disruptive world we live in—particularly in high-tech sectors like aerospace and aviation. Don’t be afraid to dive in head first when new tech, social media platforms or other strategies become available. Your audiences won’t just accept it; they’ll probably expect it.
Flex Your Muscles
The time is long gone for lengthy branding documents that dictate every word you write or say with a customer. In today’s marketplace, your audiences expect a more agile, reactive approach, and they value honesty and transparency over pomp and circumstance. Need help staying flexible in today’s unpredictable market? Haley Aerospace Marketing is here to help.
