Brands – Dutch Uncles

Relevance Of Sustainability And Purpose In Helping Build Brand Value For New Age Entrepreneurs

Saurabh Bajaj — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 04:35:08 +0000

It’s often believed that Purpose-led brands are recession proof, grow three times faster than others and command a far higher share of the wallet then their competitors. But is that really true, even for the cost or value conscious Indian?

Purpose-driven brands connect with their audience on causes that both believe in. The brand’s messaging aligns to the customers’ beliefs and that in turn builds loyalty. The purpose could be driven through a need to help their customer or to make the world a better place. It can be personal or lofty, but eventually what matters is the authenticity of the same.

A set of start-ups in India have embraced a set of strong beliefs and appear to be seeing strong early success in the market. Let’s study the story of Mamaearth, Bombay Shaving Company and WOW Skin Science to study how they have wowed the Indian consumer.

‘‘

The magic of building a credible purpose-led brand is that its core value offers an opportunity for extension into a range of product categories which have a similar need.

Mama Earth

Mamaearth is perhaps one of the finest examples of purpose-led brand building in the Indian market today and it’s intriguing how they went about it.

Their story started in 2014, when Ghazal and Varun Alagh were blessed with a baby boy. Paranoid as most young parents are, they scanned the Indian market for toxin-free baby products and found that there were none! They actually started ordering products from the US and UK, which were expensive with heavy shipping charges and uncovered an interesting gap in the Indian market.

Next, they realized that this need strongly resonated with a new generation of affluent Indian millennial audience that today has a robust and growing consumer cohort. This led them to founding Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd in 2016 to provide toxin-free baby care products. By the year’s end, the company launched its brand as Mamaearth.

Unleashing the Gold Mine of Consumer Value

They also built credibility for their brand by seeking a certification from MadeSafe – a US based non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive health-focused certification for making non-toxic products.

The magic of building a credible purpose-led brand is that its core value offers an opportunity for extension into a range of product categories which have a similar need. Hence, Ghazal and Varun Alagh soon realized that they were sitting on a proverbial gold mine of consumer value that they unleashed through an entry into the broader cosmetics category. In just 4 years, they went from 6 products in the baby care range to 80+ SKUs across skin and hair care for men and women and a turnover of 100 Cr across 500 cities across the country primarily served through D2C platforms.

However, with purpose at its core, the rapid growth of the brand has been fuelled through robust marketing thought & consumer facing investments.

Decoding Mamaearth’s communication journey

Mamaearth started their communication journey through a traditional purpose-led film ‘Goodness is in the little choices we make every day’. Here, they elevate their rather functional attributes of “No Toxins”, “Plastic Positive” and “Cruelty Free” to the emotional payoff of a better world as a reminder that it’s the little choices we make that make a big difference.

They, next, gave teeth to their claim of building a better world through the rather significant initiative of ‘An act of goodness in every order’. Here, Mamaearth promises to plant a tree for every order that has been placed from them. They lend credibility to their claim by helping you view the tree plan on their website and have claimed to have planted 1, 11,853 as on 31st July 21.

My favorite piece of their communication journey is of course Mama-Earth Day: Grading the Goodness Report Card. Here, they made an endearing edit with a child rating Mamaearth on – Goodness towards planet: Here they talked about 1 Lac+ trees planted and oxygen for 2 Lac people.

Goodness towards people: Products without 1193 toxins.
Goodness towards the environment: 1135 tons of plastic recycled equal to the weight of 200 elephants.
Goodness towards animals: Cruelty free as certified by PETA. No animal testing now & forever.
Goodness in other activities: 50k hand sanitizers, 20k cloth masks distributed to Covid heroes.

So these initiatives surely build the base for a purpose-led brand and what does it give them? The right to charge a significant premium on their products versus main line players and an expectation of a turnover of 500 Cr in 2021.

But do they have an Achilles heel? If one watches all the brutal reviews of their products on YouTube, it can only be the functionality of their products. They use the right ingredients and sell at a significant premium to other players in the market. But can their products really deliver to the functional delivery of synthetic based cosmetics, I guess only time will tell! For the moment, the going is very good!

Let’s now compare and contrast the Mamaearth journey with other similar brands in this space!

WOW Skin Science

WOW Skin Science is another incredible journey in the same space of premium better-for-you cosmetics. But what I find exciting, is that WOW starts where Mamaearth leaves off, that is the promise of functional delivery.

Ashwin Sokke, one of the founders of WOW Skin Science, had been working in the space of online marketing for some time and as a part of an affiliate programme in the USA, worked on an assignment to market some products in the health and beauty space.

He, then, realized as the e-commerce space started taking off in India in 2013 that there is potent space for a high end D2C brand in India and he kicked off his journey with his partners Arvine Sokkie, Manish Chowdhary and Karan Chowdhary. The founding company was Fit & Glow and the WOW brand was launched in 2014.

Rejecting the conventional brand building

The founders started with their passion for the best formulations rather than conventional brand building and hence honesty and transparency are critical differentiators for the company.

The magic of online listening

Further, given the rigorous digital acumen of the founders, they believe very heavily in data and online listening. Their hero product, the Apple Cider Range started as a drinkable product, but data analytics showed that customers were using it for their hair and on their skin. Thus in 2015 the apple cider range was born. Legend goes that Manish flew to the US nine times to meet formulators and scientists for creating WOW’s popular sulphate and parabens- free apple cider vinegar shampoo. They have since launched several offerings out of it including the drink, shampoo, face wash and moisturizer.

The Right Pricing

The next thing that the founders focused on was the right and transparent pricing for their high end, toxin free brands. At the time of their launch, competition was selling a 200 ml bottle of apple cider vinegar shampoo for Rs 1299, the start-up launched theirs at Rs 399.

Being ‘Customer First’

The third factor in their success is that the founders are extremely passionate about being ‘customer first’. They aggressively deploy social media not just to participate in consumer conversation, glean insights for new products but also to use YouTube and Instagram to promote the brand’s nature-based, science-backed range of products. They spread awareness through product videos and influencers to retarget existing buyers and those that viewed their products.

This strategy paid off and made WOW one of the bestselling brands on Amazon. The next step for the brand was to extend itself to brick and mortar stores and they started their journey only after 4-5 years through Health & Glow in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

‘‘

The brand's promise is to deliver innovative, luxurious products at affordable pricing.

Discovering the brand core

Now, while the brand achieved business success through a range of enviable products fairly early in their journey, they started talking about and embracing the power of purpose only post attaining some scale.

In a query in 2019, when one of the founders was quizzed on how they have used their success to bring goodness into the world, the response was quite honest but revealing. The founder mentioned that we believe in giving opportunities to employees from diverse educational backgrounds with passion and hunger rather than educational accreditations.

It took some time for the brand to discover its core as a brand that would be known for delivering advanced, research-backed, nature-infused products to wellness-conscious people. Moreover, their strengths as an organization with an emphasis on bringing to market nature-crafted products formulated with a high concentration of natural ingredients that help nourish skin, hair and body and deliver visible results. The brand’s promise is to deliver innovative, luxurious products at affordable pricing.

Once the founders released this brand core, they were then able to move away from simple product videos talking about their variants and product features to more meaningful communication. To take on this task, they tied up with two well-known Bollywood actresses Disha Patani and Bhumi Pednekar.

The communication with Disha Patani was again more functional and science driven in line with the core of the brand. In this communication, while ad recall would go up because of a popular celebrity face, yet the message is surprisingly cliché and forgettable.

Waking up to Millennial Audience

With Bhumi Pednekar, we see the brand starting to talk about its nature-infused credentials. Trust in WOW, trust in nature. Here, we see the subtle evolution of the brand language and tonality towards a firmer message of natural goodness.

Only in recent years, we see the brand waking up to its millennial audience which has catapulted the brand to a business of 340 Cr in 2020 and setting it a target of 800 Cr in 2021 with new messages of sustainability.

Now, while the communication with Bhumi does not talk about nature or sustainability the choice of the ambassador reflects this realization. A PR release in 2020 talks about the fact that Bhumi is a perfect choice as she is a persistent advocate for climate change. The PR release talks about the fact that consumers are demanding ‘Clean & Green’ beauty and WOW! is making it accessible to all.

As we enter 2021, the founders are increasingly becoming vocal about how environmental friendliness is at the core of their business values.

Some of the initiatives the founders have embraced in recent times are:

Curating their packages with 30% post-consumer recycled packaging.
Moving towards 100% PCR packaging made from ocean waste for reduced carbon footprint.
Also, extending their range of refill packs which are already available in Face washes to other products.
During Covid, the brand also started manufacturing hand washes and sanitizers, as a part of its CSR activity. They distributed over 15 lakh sanitizers and hand washes in hospitals, police stations, NGOs, municipalities etc.
In recent times, one initiative that WOW! promoted was #TrashYourSpam to fight digital pollution which encouraged millennials to empty their spam folders to fight climate change on the premise that every message in your spam folder contributes to 0.3 grams of Carbon dioxide per message.

While the brand is currently taking baby steps towards sustainability, yet it’s interesting to view their evolving strategy.

Brand building lessons for new age entrepreneurs

There are several lessons that new age entrepreneurs can learn from these two brands who found an un-serviced niche in Indian market and then used purpose-led brand building to drive a disruptive scale up of their business.

Indian millennial audience is rich, vibrant and rapidly seeking out premium, healthy new age offerings that would have been considered fit only for the western market.
The pandemic has made D2C mainstream and if you have an idea that offers great value, you will find consumers all across the population strata well beyond just the Tier 1 & 2 cities.
It’s critical to identify your brand core and build your portfolio around it. There are more than one way to catch the fancy of your consumers, be it the emotional ‘MadeSafe’ route that Mamaearth took or the more functional Nature and Science route of WOW!
As one starts finding traction, it is useful to garner a deep understanding of your consumers, be it through social listening, customer reviews or just spending time with them to understand their passion point. That’s often where the passion points of sustainability and purpose emerge.
As you arrive at the emotional core of the brand that you are building, finding the right brand partners, be it influencers or celebrities can yield a mega scale up of awareness and hence business.
Finally, there is no replacement for a well-researched and winning product. The entire temple of your brand starts with a strong need and a fulfilling product. Everything else helps your scale-up the same.

The post Relevance Of Sustainability And Purpose In Helping Build Brand Value For New Age Entrepreneurs appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Attempting D2C? You Need to Consider these 5 Things

Anju Nambiar — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 04:52:26 +0000

Brands across numerous industry segments mainly skincare, FMCG and F&B like gourmet coffees, packaged frozen foods, lifestyle and consumer tech, luxe health and wellness are attempting D2C and are successful at it. Although these product ranges are mid-high priced, they are successfully capturing consumers from Tier II and Tier III cities through D2C. Instagram ads of D2C online shopping websites, and listing products directly on social commerce platforms like Shopify are attracting huge traffic and purchases for small brands.

Benefits of going D2C and its need

Going D2C during the current pandemic is beneficial because people are confined to their living spaces and the most popular activity during lockdowns is to order for products online. Businesses across various industries can experience improved bottom lines by taking the D2C route. Digital infrastructure has given rise to the trend of quick one-tap buying of products online since customers need to fulfil their cravings and desire to get their favourite products home delivered during lockdowns.

Manufacturers now taking the direct selling route

Brands and manufacturers see D2C as an easy channel to sell products on a global scale. The first step to taking the direct selling route is to become a digital first brand. Consumer behaviour has taken a paradigm shift in the recent past. Social distancing has forced people to purchase a range of goods through online channels. Digital mediums are heavily influencing the decision-making process of online shoppers. Manufacturers and brands thus began taking the direct selling route to meet the high demand. There has also been a shift in consumption demographics with more demand coming from women shoppers belonging to Tier II and III cities. Traditional retailers and manufacturers are thus jumping in to take a piece of the cake.

‘‘

Businesses across various industries can experience improved bottom lines by taking the D2C route

5 Things to Consider when going D2C

Why Customers should buy from you directly

While going to D2C, you need to rebuild your brand by investing in community building, new products, and technology. You need to build trust with your consumers and offer them a deep connection with your brand. Strategic brand investments build a strong position for customers to buy from you directly. To encourage customers, you need to have an e-commerce strategy which does not only involve creating a website.

Online Infrastructure

Online infrastructure needed for D2C includes an Operating System which will be a combination of product, technology, and e-commerce expertise. You need to have strong sourcing, design, digital marketing, and inventory management capabilities.

Investing in Traffic

You need to consider whether you can invest in traffic for customers to directly shop from you. Unlike a few years ago, brands invested in television ads to market their products and create traffic. Now this practice is not necessary. However, there are already marketplaces with large distribution networks like Amazon, Flipkart, and Nykaa. If you’d rather create your own technology to replace the need for relying on them, you need to consider whether you have enough investment for the same.

Data

When it comes to order fulfilment, D2C brands have the responsibility of data management, stocks, inventory, and forecasting. Since order fulfilment completely falls on your shoulders, you need to navigate challenges of stockpiling and catalogue management. You also need to have technology that can make accurate order forecasts, based on which you need to make appropriate production planning.

Security

When you operate your own D2C selling channel through a website, app, etc., security becomes an important area of concern. Cyber attacks are rampant on small e-commerce firms, and data breaches have become commonplace. New websites suffer from endless brute force attacks. You need to consider whether you have the bandwidth to incorporate a dedicated cyber security team and capital for data security technology. While setting up a payment gateway, you will no doubt be dealing with storage of customer payment information. Security is thus a critical factor to consider.

The post Attempting D2C? You Need to Consider these 5 Things appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

NRAI Claims D2C Channels are more Profitable for Restaurants

Anju Nambiar — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 08:35:04 +0000

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has been calling all restaurants to make their own alternative channels for food delivery to customers. This is because online food delivery has replaced in-house dining as the prime source of revenue. As such, restaurants cannot continue paying costly commissions to food delivery apps on a per-order basis. By roping in food delivery technology partners, restaurants will have their own platform to list their menu and directly market to consumers.

Restaurants battling it out with Food Delivery Aggregators

Restaurants are evading Food Delivery Aggregators. Standalone restaurants in association with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) are prioritising the establishment of alternative channels to reach customers over mainstream food delivery apps.

NRAI has a vision for restaurants to obtain more leverage over their food delivery consumers. They also want the delivery operations business to be viable instead of being ‘loss-making’ for restaurants.

Initiatives by NRAI to raise awareness

NRAI recently came up with a number of bootcamps inviting restaurant chains and food tech solution providers to come together. They are working to bridge the gap between restaurant brands and the end consumer by facilitating a collaboration between restaurants and D2C tech solution providers.

They launched the #orderdirect campaign on twitter to encourage restaurants across India to choose D2C channels of food delivery.

Why take the D2C Route?

The commissions charged by food delivery aggregators in India range between 15-23% of the Average Order Value and may even shoot up to 30% at times. But taking the D2C route, commissions range only between 14-17% for a typical Average Order Value. D2C platforms do not charge for deliveries unlike aggregators who take high cuts as commission.

By selling through D2C channels, the logistics fee is mostly pushed on to the end consumer. The restaurant partner gets to decide the delivery fee. Restaurants will also be able to incentivize consumers by saving on aggregator commissions and offering them as discounts to consumers.

‘‘

The commissions charged by food delivery aggregators in India range between 15-23% of the Average Order Value and may even shoot up to 30% at times.

What’s in it for me?

It is empowering for restaurant chains to directly deal with the customer rather than dealing through median platforms like Swiggy and Zomato. Since these platforms rely on practices like ‘data masking’, doing away with them will bring you closer to your customers. By investing on your very own online ordering platform, you can raise your revenues from the online business during lockdowns in the absence of exorbitant delivery aggregator fees.

By partnering with food tech solution providers, you will be able to build a comprehensive customer database for yourself. You will also be able to work on your margins. You can also avail delivery services integrated with your dedicated platform minus the exorbitant delivery fees.

However, the benefits of D2C online food delivery platforms are still speculative since food delivery aggregators apps are technologically more advanced and offer superior consumer convenience. Small food businesses need to rely on them for these reasons until there are concrete benefits to be gained from D2C.

On another note, this opens up a whole plethora of opportunities for food tech start-ups due to increased awareness among restaurant chains. Food tech start-ups can offer to emulate the user experience of food aggregator apps to attract restaurant chains as clients. As a food tech start-up, target restaurants, outlet chains and legacy brands who have a massive consumer base but who are new to online deliveries.

Restaurants will have the freedom of creating unique or exclusive menus for customers. Pitch your food technology to restaurants from this perspective. D2C ordering channels strengthen customer loyalty and are a much-needed investment for food businesses henceforth. Make your prospective clients aware of this fact while offering to build an independent food delivery solution for them.

The post NRAI Claims D2C Channels are more Profitable for Restaurants appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

New-Age Refrigeration Techniques for Dairy Products

Anju Nambiar — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 06:02:34 +0000

Natural ice creams are all the rage, especially since the average consumer is shunning the overtly sweet, chemical, and additive infused commercial ice creams from big brands. They are favouring Brands like ‘Naturals Ice Cream’ that have a soft, melting texture, and subtle sweetness not to mention unique flavours. A number of gourmet brands that rely on advanced storage technology to get that perfect creaminess are on the rise. Here are some of the new-age refrigeration techniques used by them for storing dairy products like milk, cheese, and ice cream.

For Milk

Vapour Compression Refrigeration System

Vapour compression refrigeration system is an innovative technique for storing dairy products, especially Milk. Fresh raw milk is frozen at 4°C as soon as it arrives at the cooling centre. This system comprises bulk double or triple walled insulated storage tanks. These tanks usually have compact polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene. They offer in-depth insulation for 12-hour milk cooling and storage with 1°C temperature rise at ambient room temperature of 30°C.

For Ice Cream

Low Temperature Extrusion

In this technique, the product undergoes high shear stresses. Ice creams taken out of the continuous freezer are pumped into an extruder.

Ultra-High-Pressure Homogenisation

This is a storage technique which precedes the freezing process. It stabilises the ice cream by lowering the rate of fat agglomeration.

Pre-Aeration

The pre-aeration process is best done upstream from the freezer using a separate high-shear mixer. When the stock is subjected to pre-aeration, small air cells form on the surface of the product which helps in shape retention of the ice cream during distribution.

Use Case – Prerna’s Handcrafted Ice Creams

Prerna’s Handcrafted Ice Creams is a Food and Beverage start-up based in Delhi and a new entrant to the Dairy Industry. They make gourmet ice creams and rely on the innovative dairy and ice cream refrigeration techniques mentioned above to make their products smooth and creamy.

‘‘

Vapour compression refrigeration system is an innovative technique for storing dairy products, especially Milk.

What’s in it for me?

There is high demand for artisanal, gourmet ice cream brands that taste creamy and are low fat, healthier versions of the supermarket ice cream. As a Food and Beverage start-up venturing into the ice cream business, you need to come up with several unique flavours.

The lockdown has people craving for exotic ice creams and desserts. But the health factor and weight gain are major causes of concern. To attract the consumer demand, gluten-free, vegan ice cream brands free of preservatives, and additives are a great idea. You can utilise some of the refrigeration technologies mentioned above to obtain the firmness and creaminess that’s not seen in commercial ice creams.

You can market your products as a true, low-fat healthier alternative to the store-bought versions. To achieve low fat concentration, adopt the ultra-high-pressure-homogenisation which lowers the percentage of fat agglomeration in your stored products.

The post New-Age Refrigeration Techniques for Dairy Products appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Ice Cream or Frozen Dessert: What are you selling?

Shalmoli Sarkar — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 06:05:04 +0000

Apart from Nycil’s prickly heat powder commercials on TV, the arrival of summers in India is marked by the airing of ice cream commercials. Ice cream- a single scoop or cone that offers 90-100 ml of heavenly bliss without which we consider our summers or any party to be incomplete was suddenly faced with an identity crisis. In 2017, the Amul ice cream commercial sparked off a controversy where a series of commercials conveyed that desserts containing vegetable fats cannot be termed as ‘real’ ice cream. This portrayal of frozen dessert led HUL to file a lawsuit in Bombay high court claiming that Amul’s commercial was maligning their frozen dessert brand ‘Kwality Walls’.

Through this ice cream commercial of Amul, the consumers might have experienced an epiphany that several food brands, under the garb of ice-cream advertisements, were selling frozen desserts. But why would brands do that?

Frozen Desserts Vs Ice Creams – The Identity Dilemma

According to FSSAI, Ice creams are categorised under ‘dairy-based desserts /confections’ that can be further classified as plain, medium fat and low fat depending on the percentage of total solids, milk fat and milk protein used. Whereas frozen dessert/frozen confection is obtained by freezing a pasteurized mix prepared with milk fat and edible vegetable oils.

Also, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955, states that ice cream is a product that contains not less than 10 per cent of milk fat.

‘‘

According to FSSAI, Ice creams are ‘dairy-based desserts /confections’ that can be further classified as plain, medium fat and low fat depending on the percentage of total solids, milk fat and milk protein used.

Why are brands selling frozen desserts like ice creams?

The consumption of frozen desserts is said to come with negative effects on health. Its main ingredient being vegetable fat has an enormous amount of trans-fat that is the main driver of raising cholesterol levels and increases the risk of developing diabetes.

To fathom the fat present in frozen dessert, it is the same amount of fat ingredient present in our kitchen cooking oil. The very present vegetable oil in frozen desserts gives the texture and taste resembling ice cream. Manufacturers are aware of the fact that since it does not contain any dairy constituents, let us sell it masquerading as ice cream. The portrayal of frozen dessert in commercials leaves no stone unturned to make it look full with milk ingredients by splashing the bowl with milk and sometimes equating it with having a glass of milk itself. The desserts and ice cream category’s target group predominantly being children are channelised through parents who will be persuaded to buy frozen dessert if the ad script has an ‘it contains milk’ narrative.

Some brands do mention ‘frozen dessert’ but in a font size only to look unnoticeable on the packaging.

FSSAIs decision

In 2011, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandated that brands need to inform the customer whether the product they are consuming is ice cream or frozen dessert. It also wants food brands to label every pack of ice cream or frozen dessert if it is containing starch to have a declaration on the label as specified in regulation 2.7.1(2).

In western countries, food brands must label the trans-fat presence. Baskin Robbins, a global leader in the premium category of ice creams, uses an emblem to communicate the use of cow milk fats in its products.

What is it for food businesses selling ice creams?

In the digital era, consumers are surrounded by an abundance of information that makes them informed. Therefore, brands should not shy away from declaring and labeling the percentage of milk, fat, vegetable oil present in frozen desserts.

Correct labelling ensures transparency in communication that assures consumers that their favourite dessert is safe to consume. Any deviation found between labelling and the product can have legal implications that can be detrimental to the brand’s reputation.

The post Ice Cream or Frozen Dessert: What are you selling? appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

What is Traditional Marketing?

Shalmoli Sarkar — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 02:35:03 +0000

Long before when the digital wave and smartphones had hit the marketing ecosystem, the most preferred format of marketing means for the renowned brands used to be the television, newspaper, brochures, billboard and radio. The brands used powerful jingles, punchlines, and rhyming to showcase their brand’s purpose in the media. Any medium of marketing that involves mediums such as print, broadcast, phone, billboards, radio, flyers, and pamphlets excluding online medium is termed as traditional marketing. Traditional businesses identify their audience based on their density in a particular region where they can see, hear or interact with it online. Although in the digital era brands are implementing technologies for target-based marketing traditional marketing plays an important role in reaching local communities. Advertisements in the traditional medium have a higher recall value since they can be accessed without an internet connection. Traditional marketing is easier to comprehend as companies do not have to change their messaging to various age groups and targets a broader section.

Traditional Marketing Mediums Relevant in the Digital Age

Though we are engulfed by the digital revolution, small and medium-sized businesses still find traditional marketing to be an effective and affordable medium to get the messages out. Below are some of the traditional marketing mediums that are yet relevant in the digital era.

‘‘

Any medium of marketing that involves mediums such as print, broadcast, phone, billboards, radio, flyers, and pamphlets excluding online medium is termed as traditional marketing.

Signages

Signages are no more stationary prints on walls. With time, signage has undergone a transformation that now comprises digital photos with background lighting that can be placed on mobile taxis, buildings, shopfronts, etc. thus reaching increasing visibility.

Billboards

Billboards can never go obsolete owing to their wider reach across social classes and geographies. Be it hand-painted or printed they are still prevalent. Any information written in bold on the billboards makes it visible from highways, residential areas, streets, etc. which acts as a great medium for raising brand awareness.

Face to Face interaction

Face-to-face interaction can never go obsolete in industry verticals like real estate and automobile, where we need human interactions to close sales. In such verticals, we need humans to answer all queries to a customer. Since purchasing real estate and automobiles involves high involvement.

Newspaper Print ads

Newspaper prints ads till date stand as the most credible source of information that has reached every household.

Pamphlets and flyers

Bakery shops or new retail shops that have just opened in your neighbourhood yet depend on pamphlets to let their customers know of attractive discounts and offers. With a phone number printed on the pamphlets, consumers will look for the local or convenience stores for impulse buying.

Developing a traditional Marketing plan

The first step in developing a traditional marketing plan to decide the means such as print, broadcasting, billboard, or telemarketing. The choice of the medium entirely depends on budget and the marketing message which the business owners wish to be conveyed. To choose print and broadcasting mediums, business owners first should arrange to purchase the advertising space. The time to purchase the ad space depends on the lead time i.e., booking the ad space in advance.

What is in for the startups?

Traditional marketing is easier to decode for the customers since its businesses do not require much effort to talk about the benefits of the product or service. If the business is targeting a local audience, it still prefers traditional marketing. Professionals like lawyers and dentists still depend on traditional marketing strategies because their clients base their search on their location or when they need their services.

The post What is Traditional Marketing? appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Top Digital Strategies of Branding for Small businesses

Shalmoli Sarkar — Sat, 19 Dec 2020 06:15:26 +0000

Branding Strategies for Small Businesses

Imagine this, the company has a great product that is unique in its proposition but when placed on shelves, the product standing next to it grabs the attention and finally ends up in the shopping cart of the customers. It is painful to see that despite having a great product and running plenty of ads, people still don’t identify and choose others over your product. So, what is letting them do so?
The answer is poor branding.

Most of the start-up founders and small business owners perceive marketing and branding strategies to be the same. Marketing strategies intend to promote actively to sell a product or service. It takes care of how the product offerings can be presented to the buyers in the right place, at the best price, and at the right time. It calls for action from the side of buyers.

A product is an inanimate thing that we need to humanize and strike conversations with the customers with an emotional connection, such that people should remember you for not just merely a product that serves their purpose but as an ally or a pal that stands next to you through thick and thin.

Branding is the expression of the essence of an organization, product, or service and its reason for being. It communicates the characteristics, values, and attributes that the organization or product stands for, how it is positioned differently to competitors, and why a customer would buy it.

Why should start-ups think about branding?

India has the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem where start-ups fall and take birth everyday and also there are many start-ups that have the same set of target audience as yours. Gone are the days when just the idea and prototype were enough to impress the investors for funding. Investors would now like to fund those start-ups that have an adequate customer base and a profitable revenue pipeline for the products or services, than a brand built on discount sales. For a start-up, visibility creates opportunities. Through effective branding, the market will learn the existence of your start-up and offerings, build an identity, help to remain in the market for a long time, and establish a strong image of a valued firm making it attractive for investors. That is why start-ups should make branding an essential component of their overall business strategy.

How digital strategies helps in branding?

The 90’s era of branding used to be a one-way communication where companies were unaware of how the audiences felt about their offerings. Digital strategies for branding establishes two -way communication.

Form better connections

As communication is two-way in the digital medium it helps to create better interactions with the target audiences. Brand values would stay true throughout the years if the content developed caters to the younger as well as older generation appreciating both the old and new ideas.

Go viral

In this digital era that we live in, to ‘go viral’ is a big deal. It essentially means maximum exposure in a short period and while it has been misused in the past it can be a benefit for businesses. Going viral isn’t necessarily something that is planned, it just happens as a post result of your marketing effort. The great thing about digital branding is that brands are easily promoted through the action of others (i.e., likes, shares, feedback, recommendations, etc.)

Stand out from the crowd

It is essential to distinguish your start-up from the crowd. Digital branding does that by bringing together all your business’s strengths and successes across various mediums. With a multi-channel approach, we can reach our target customers through different digital strategies such as videos, search engine advertisements, chat sites, and social media platforms. Promotion of brand across mediums benefits the business as it allows a single brand message to be sent to a different set of customers, yet personalized to each and everyone. By continuing to stay at the forefront of the digital landscape, one can stay ahead of the competition.

‘‘

Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.

Brian Chesky, Cofounder of Airbnb

Digital strategies for branding

Building a good website

When people hear of a brand first, the first action they take is to search for its presence on the internet. It can be a bummer for the potential customer if the website is not properly developed, and will never make the customer search for your brand again. The website is the zero moment of truth for the audience where they begin to collect information about the brand before making a purchase decision. There are four components to build a good website:

Easy navigation

Easy navigation of website pages will trigger an interest in the audience to dig deeper into the website to know more about the brand. Every page of the website should have proper navigation links to each information on the website. When every page of the website has easy navigation, it increases the trust of visitors as they believe that no information is hidden from them. Proper breadcrumbs will help the visitors to keep track of where they are present on a website. The logo of the website should always guide to the homepage.

Content tone

The content of the website should stir emotions in the minds of visitors. People generally tend to connect more with brands that have human-like attributes. The tone of the content should be appealing to the age and persona of the target audience. The use of simple and thought-provoking words laced with catchy titles makes the read interesting. Also, one should include the company vision, mission, values and customer experiences and testimony in the website content.

Attractive visuals

Use of correct colours, images, and infographics, gif images in the website attract the visitors. There should also be a uniformity in web page design that means it should have the same colours, font, formatting, graphics, personality, and emotions as that of the homepage. Make your website a single point of focus to lead their eyes to a call to action. Do not upload unnecessary images as it will take a long time for the website to load.

Mobile optimized

Mobile internet is the new medium of information dissemination. It is rare to find anybody without a smartphone today. To find information about a brand, the searchers quickly take out their mobile phones. As per a Google algorithm, it says mobile-friendly websites rank higher in searches. Entrepreneurs generally do not pay attention to building mobile-friendly websites. If the website doesn’t load properly on mobile, you can be sure that customers might forget to search the same on a PC. To check if your website is mobile-friendly, we can do a test in Google’s mobile-friendly test, where you can paste your website link where it lists the shortcomings of it and can be improved.

Build communities

Humans beings have an affinity to be in groups where there is a sense of belonging. When start-ups form a community, they unite a group of customers having a set of traits or interests for which your company stands for to create a positive impact on society. Building communities transcends the customer-seller relation and fosters a family-like bond to increase customer conversations. Communities can be built on various social media platforms where the most popular being Facebook.

In India, the discussions on menstruation and menstrual hygiene are a big taboo. NUA is a new female personal care brand that manufactures sanitary pads, for various degrees of menstrual flow. It has broken the walls of menstrual taboo by forming a community on Facebook by the name Nua Mom. New mothers after pregnancy face hormonal changes that impact their menstrual cycle as well as mental health. Nua Mom addresses their questions and doubts by organizing expert forums with gynecologists and psychologists. Thus, this initiative has received immense popularity in females. It has branded itself to be the platform of sisterhood where females get advice and receive helpful medical and parenting tips.
For a new venture, to build communities creating a large audience base takes time and effort. Firstly, they can start involving the employees as a part of the community, encouraging them to spread awareness of the community to their friends, relatives, and families, and then spreading more about it, thus creating a snowball reaction.

Creation of videos

For new start-ups, the promotion of brands through an influencer might be an expensive affair. Videos of content such as DIY, demonstrations, tips, humour, etc tend to drive interest among potential customers. Started in 2012, Bewakoof a lifestyle fashion brand for the youngsters has established itself as an epitome of ‘cool’ fashion through its quirky-cool prints, quotes, and logos on t-shirts. In the era of web series, Bewakoof has come up with its own in-house videos by the name Bewakoof Studio. Keeping in mind that comedy and memes bind the youngsters, its short videos are of humour talking about the daily life problems that a millennial faces. Videos are posted on their Facebook page.

Apart from curating videos, vox pop videos can be curated to publish on the social media page. If we want to showcase the USP of your products, vox pops emerges as the best budget-friendly tool for branding as they showcase people’s opinions on a broad topic and allow the brand to convey a strong message through people’s answers. What better way to reach the public, than through the public?

Campaigns

One of the most popular digital strategies is creating hashtag campaigns on Instagram. The creation of campaigns encourages mutualistic relationships between customers and the company. Hashtags help to develop both your brand and contest recognition by serving as a means of sharing and driving user participation. Mamaearth is an Indian skincare and haircare brand that offers paraben-free products and has natural ingredients. Sundays are the days where people give time to themselves and their families. Utilizing this, Mamaearth has come up with the #Maskupsundays campaign that encourages the customers to try their product face packs and pose pictures to upload on Instagram stories using the #Maskupsundays. Mamaearth again uploads the images of customers in its Instagram stories hence giving them recognition. It has branded itself to the masses that Sunday is the day where an individual needs to take care of themselves using Mamaearth products.

Be the Problem Solver

The brands tend to become favourite to the masses when they offer convenience and solutions to the customer. Besides, from being prompt in informing about the order delay, refund updates, discounts, and offers, etc. it should also solve genuine problems that are indirectly relevant to the business. It can happen in various ways:

Ask me Anything (AMA)

This feature appears on Instagram where the brands encourage the audience to post queries that are directly or indirectly connected to the offerings. Here, the brand can give helpful suggestions by selecting their question and posting it in their Instagram story. By uploading the same on the brand’s Instagram story, a customer feels valued.

Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn Live

Informing the followers a day in advance that your brand will be coming live to solve queries will increase customer interactions.

Chatbots

When people visit your website to seek a solution, chatbots in the website can assist the visitor regarding what they want. If they are willing to book an appointment or want to know more about their offerings, it can be answered well by the chatbots. It can take the conversation a step further by offering personalized shopping advice.

Self-help content

Articles and blogs on the website help the visitors seek solutions for their problems. Such digital strategies accelerate the buying decision of potential customers. Let us understand how Bombay Shaving Company does it. The personal care and grooming segment for men has remained untapped and neglected for several years. Bombay Shaving Company is dedicated to personal care and grooming e-commerce company exclusively for men that have products like beard oil, face wash, creams, etc. It has introduced a section called ‘Aftershave’ on their website that addresses men’s genuine problems through self-help content with topics such as ‘How to treat hair loss in men’ or ‘How to fix a patchy beard’ etc.

Embrace a social cause

As per Accenture’s research, 63 per cent of the consumers prefer to purchase products and services from companies that stand for social or environmental purposes that reflect their values and beliefs. Consumers these days are actively supporting brands that focus on developing sustainable products and packaging to reduce plastic waste. Bare Necessities is a personal care and lifestyle brand that sells sustainable and eco-friendly products with zero-waste packaging. The digital strategies implemented by Bare Necessities for branding include webinars, online workshops, and courses to educate people about eliminating the use of plastic.

‘‘

As per Accenture’s research, 63 per cent of the consumers prefer to purchase products and services from companies that stand for social or environmental purposes .

- 14th Annual Accenture Strategy Global Pulse Research, 2018

Newsletters

This is a part of email marketing. New businesses can develop content in the form of monthly or weekly newsletters to their customers informing them about the latest happenings in the industries relevant to your business. For example, a career portal can send them a weekly newsletter regarding the jobs that are currently in demand or tips to crack an interview or the job scenario after the pandemic etc. It builds credibility in the minds of people.

For a newly begun business, it is not necessary that branding requires a high budget and collaboration with influencers. The above-mentioned digital strategies are cost-effective and will help to build a loyal customer base.

The post Top Digital Strategies of Branding for Small businesses appeared first on Dutch Uncles.