Red Delicious, Fuji, Jazz…these are all familiar and common names we’re all well acquainted with for the common varieties of apples we can grab at the store. But have you ever heard of a Sheep’s Nose or a Knobbed Russet? You’re not alone, we hadn’t either, but photographer William Mullen has been on a quest to find the most obscure apples, and then photograph them to share with the world. turns out, there are over 7000 varieties out there, so there are many more we’ve never heard of! Some barely look like apples at all, and some could easily be mistaken for other fruit! There is so much out there to spark creativity and inspire creatives, that even the humble apple can be shown in a new and creative light.

If you’re in the early phases of your business, you’ve probably been spending much of your time perfecting and developing your product or services. But even though that work is essential, it can still flop if you don’t figure out how to make that product visible. Spend enough time thinking about your brand and your company goals to ensure you can develop a successful message.

Establish What Your Brand Means

When you’re building your brand, you must spend ample time really dissecting and then defining your brand. Think about your particular company goals, what sets your products or services apart, and what kind of message you want to send to customers.

The more you can pinpoint what makes your message unique and why your particular product or solution is different from competitors, you’ll also start to get important angles to use when marketing.

Stimulate Brand Awareness

Being able to pinpoint why your brand is special will help you figure out how to get the word out. While there are a variety of different ways to stimulate brand awareness, using social media is both incredibly effective and quite cost-efficient.

Start by reaching out to different influences. Through their large fan base, influencers can spread brand awareness. They can take products you give them, review them, and lend support for your product that their followers will trust. This allows you to tap into a huge potential customer base of people who will be more inclined to use your product.

Target the Right Audience

Finding the right ways to market your product can only go so far if you haven’t nailed down your target audiences. You must gather as much data as you can before launching different products to get an idea of who will want to use your particular item.

But then, once you launch your product, collect data about your marketing, who is responding to ads, and what kind of demographic is purchasing your respective products to know who you really should be focusing on.

Developing a successful brand takes time and effort. As you think about developing your unique brand, be prepared for successes and failures. And be prepared to be committed to creating a solid marketing strategy over the long haul.

Read this next: What Are the Traits of a Good Brand Identity?

You’ve probably noticed quite a few businesses proclaiming their innovative products and capabilities. But in a world where everyone has a page, a platform, and an opinion to go with it, how do you prove that your own business is truly making big changes?

Breaking through the cacophony of noise means being unique and unafraid. It’s showing customers your company is observant and adaptive to new trends.

And as you continue to innovate, proving this to customers will become harder as technology and marketing strategies change at lightning speeds.

What Does it Mean to Innovate Your Brand?

Since 2013, journalists have proclaimed the words “innovation” and “innovate” as the world’s most overused buzzword. People (and businesses alike!) make bold statements about how they’re pushing boundaries and making huge advances through innovation. But the term has unfortunately become cyclical and trite.

So let’s look at what this word means in reality.

As defined by Merriam-Webster, to innovate is to bring change to an existing idea, field, or product. Think about what this looks like in practice, starting with the thing you’re probably reading this on — a computer.

In its first iteration, computers were bulky, massive structures with long computing times and minimal functionality. It was an invention, which would ultimately change the world.

But the gadget next to you is an innovation on that invention. The smartphone is lightweight and provides you with advanced computing power that fits in your hand. Mobile has even superseded desktop computers as the most used device.

For your brand and its products, innovation doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. It means to improve upon what already exists. Look for ways to create efficiencies where there were very few or none before.

People buy from businesses that aren’t trying to give them bells and whistles. They want to share their hard-earned dollars with companies that understand them and strive to make their lives easier through efficiency.

So ask yourself, what are you doing to innovate?

Using Customer Feedback to Improve

Let’s look at the importance of customer feedback. It gives you a firsthand look into the mind of the people buying and using your products or services. Whether this feedback is good or bad, it almost certainly allows you to improve your business.

• – Are there customer service issues affecting how quickly problems are solved?
• – Are there product issues leading to customer complaints? (Or on the flipside, tons of accolades)
• – Did your brand miss the mark on a particular campaign or social issue?

By answering these questions, you create new possibilities for growth and innovation while addressing the concerns of those who matter most — your customers.

And here are a few ways to get this information.

• – Social media: Customer engagement on your social media pages gives people a direct link to express their likes and dislikes about products and services.
• – Surveys: Invite customers to give their honest opinions about your offerings is a surefire way to get feedback that could lead to game-changing ideas.
• – Alerts: You can’t be everywhere at once, right? Online alerts are a good way to see what people are saying about your business almost anywhere on the internet.
• – Website: Look for ways to engage visitors on your website using uncommon methods.

People are comfortable giving their opinions online and appreciate it when businesses care enough to ask for them.

Think About Customer Experience from Start to Finish

By 2020, there was a prediction that customer experience would surpass product and price as key differentiators. As companies look for ways to improve customer retention, their focus needs to be on creating positive interactions with the brand at each juncture.

And this includes looking for ways to tap into the more than 50% of people who want a better customer experience from companies.

When it comes to possible ways to innovate and build upon these interactions, consider:

• – What are my current customers looking for in their encounters with the brand?
• – What are the areas where my company can fill in competitive gaps?
• – Look at the company’s internal structure and policies. Are there places where we can do better?

In 2020, businesses across nearly every industry were forced to adapt to not only a global crisis but a shocked customer base. This led to a turning point for people to reevaluate their habits, priorities, and personal and social beliefs.

And as more people began to change, some companies offered innovative solutions to help realize these new shifts.

Brex
Financial services company, Brex believes in giving startups and small businesses easier access to credit financing, often gobbled up by larger organizations. They provide companies with a more efficient way to finance and grow and understand the realities of running a new startup.

Zipline
The medical community was more than affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through it, all medical delivery service, Zipline continued to provide lifesaving supplies and equipment to communities worldwide. Using drone technology, the company overcomes many hurdles countries face in sourcing and receiving supplies in places with limited access.

Build Strong, Customer-Centric Partnerships

We’ve talked about the benefits of co-branding and how it exposes your company to new markets. But these strategic partnerships can also open the door to innovation in the form of new, complementary products and services.

It also enables your company to dip into markets that were inaccessible in the past.

And as you look for ways to serve this new group of people, think about delivering based on their values.

• – What’s important to the customer?
• – Are there different channels that would resonate better?
• – Could there be cultural or social movements you could learn from?

As you continue to innovate for the customer’s benefit, explore how your partnerships will affect your product development in the future.

Conclusion

The journey towards innovation is a long and winding one. Before you use the word to describe your products, though, make sure you can actually make the claim. Remember: to innovate is to improve upon an existing idea.