We work with several businesses and media types but there are three main strategies we focus on for every client.

1. We identify the Right Marketing pan for each client.
2. We execute the marketing plan.
3. We asses marketing results.

Identification of the right marketing plan for each client

We work in coordination with the businesses we serve to view their goals and bring out the finest tactic to achieve them.

This means viewing all existing advertising strategies to select the ones that is a perfect fit for the client’s industrial and commercial requirements.

Execution of the marketing plan

Once it has been finalized that what particular strategy and plan will be taken forward for the certain client, and then we proceed further to make and place ads, design marketing resources, and bring the plan into action.

We plan your web presence for full efficiency based on refined addressee’s research and assimilate all your marketing channels to work well in harmony.

Assessing of marketing results

We are also in charge of keeping a check on the marketing results for clients, making sure that the plan is receiving the preferred results, and with the use of given statistics we bring about any changes if something isn’t fitting well.

We keep the clients updated regarding the results regularly so they can see if they’re striking aims and targeted results.

As a result of a huge number of social media users all around the globe spending their time on different platforms of social media, it only makes sense that companies and businesses have now chosen social media as a marketing and advertising platform.  Social media has also been giving base to research on social media marketing and associated matters, such as online word of mouth (WOM) and online networks.

Social media is in cultural terms important as it has come to be, for many, the prime domain in which they get massive amounts of information, share content and parts of their lives, and get to know about the world around them

All over social media, in the past and to the present day, the central business model has emphasized on monetization of users by providing advertising services to those wanting to connect to the desired audiences with digital content and marketing sources.

Even if your brand does not carry out business online, clients and potential consumers will defiantly look up on the social media to find your services there.  Eventually if they fail to find your traces on social media or digital media platform, you could be missing out on the opportunity to boost your client base and get your brand name known by masses.

In present times, if someone wants to know more about a brand or business, there are major cahnces that they will look up online to find it. Whether they’re precisely finding your brand, or they just want to find any brand that provides the products or services that your brand provides, having an online presence will offer you an advantage of being a potential competitor. Possible customers will not work too hard to look for you, and it should not be like this. By simply searching for their desired service or product on Google should take them to you.

Electronic commerce is not a new term, it has been a significant trading platform since the early ‘90’s, when Amazon was merely a marketplace for books, but in the present times, it’s a multibillion-dollar business – and it has emerged even mightier during the pandemic. According to Digital Commerce 360’s analysis of U.S. Department of Commerce data, e-commerce expenditure hit $347.26 billion in the first six months of 2020, up 30% year over year. If we consider it in comparison, e-commerce sales only amplified 12.7% during the first half of 2019.

It only makes sense. With several other choices, customers became familiar with buying the lot from food to clothing from online stores.

Trading of goods and services over the internet gained quite some significance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as business owners saw it as an opportunity and customers did not have much of choice but to welcome this new change in buying. This buying and selling change is not going away anytime soon, giving opportunities to small business owners to flourish online.

Even if your business was at a standstill, it is essential to continue to communicate with your customers for several reasons:

1. To reassure them that your company is ready for future projects.
2. Listening to your customers’ needs to better meet their expectations.
3. Restoring consumer confidence, highlighting the company’s values.

These three ways, if properly exploited, will be a springboard for a quicker and stronger recovery.

First of all, communication on the solidity of your company is important, because unfortunately many companies will be in difficulty. The crisis is also economic, so you have to adapt to get through it and work on both internal and external communication. Externally, communication with your customers will be essential to reassure them about the continuity of activities. By showing that you are the right partner and that they can entrust you with projects, you will be able to ensure them.  Set up a customer survey. What are their expectations, are they happy with your products/services, how do they see the recovery of activities… ? All these questions will be very useful to adapt to the reality that your customers are living.

Position yourself as a partner and find solutions to meet the needs of your customers. They will have changed after this crisis. Therefore, it’s not useless to review your personas in order to adapt your communication and campaigns.

For the third point, which is more specifically aimed sector like (retail, banking, leisure…), it is important to keep in touch with your consumers to relaunch your activity and sales as quickly as possible. A brand can quickly be “forgotten” if it does not maintain a relationship with its customers, its community. To do this, in times of crisis, you can highlight your values with actions related to it. Words are not enough, action is essential.

Some ideas of marketing actions to boost your sales

We all hope to “recover” from the lockdown as soon as possible. Although it will be gradual, it is now time to start preparing for it. Here are some marketing ideas to help you get your business back on track and generate post-crisis sales:

Be active on social networks. Canadian are spending 40 % more time since the beginning of the crisis on Facebook, Instagram… If a sales pitch is not in place, staying visible is very important or else you will have to redouble your efforts to regain the pre-crisis level of brand awareness. To do so, present a new value proposition that is addressed to all stakeholders in society.

Prepare an editorial calendar for the next 12 months. Indeed, content marketing will be one of the keys to boost your sales by generating leads and traffic on your site. Remember that 70% of brands do not deliver the right content. You can make the difference compared to your competitors. In this perspective, read also our latest blog Why the lockdown is the right time to get your content marketing on point.

Improving the customer experience will be even more important after this crisis, for two reasons.

With this Covid19 crisis, customers, whether they are individuals or professionals, will have discovered a part of the power of digital platforms and other e-commerce sites. Most of these platforms have relied on the customer experience, which is therefore becoming a standard of service. It’s hard for a consumer to go back after having discovered it. After several weeks of confinement, people are going to want to rediscover the freedom and pleasures of life and brands that will manage to provide a nice human contact and a great experience

Prepare a “comeback” offer to encourage your customers to go back to shopping, that’s what Opus Doing …! There is therefore an opportunity to attract this audience to your site by increasing the daily budget. On the other hand, other sectors are almost or completely at a standstill, such as tourism operators. In this case, it is advisable to pause generic search campaigns and keep only the branding to continue communicating to your audience. Adapt your product if it can meet new needs. This is particularly relevant for large companies but could be useful to others too.

Create a free trial period for your product or service, because in this period of accelerated and forced digitalisation, companies with digital offerings can and will have boosted the usage of their tools. For example, Microsoft Teams has more than doubled its number of users in just 3 months. Launch a public awareness campaign to remind the public that you are still out there and to communicate your recovery.

Optimize your local SEO, the next months of deconfinement will be gradual and borders will most likely remain closed, so local business will be boosted. Therefore, it’s important to optimize your presence on search engines locally (Google Maps, Google My Business, Store Locator…). Opus Communication around the world helped many new customers and support local businesses by giving these services on a very low cost.

The crisis of Covid19 will have accelerated the digital transformation and therefore create a change in purchasing behaviour.

In Canada, before the coronavirus crisis, 21% of employees occasionally used teleworking. Today we have exceeded 90% of home working.

Obviously, all this has an impact on the management and functioning of a company. For years now, we have been hearing about digital transformation with a greater or lesser adaptation depending on the sector of activity, the size of the company and above all the strategic choices made by management. It is clear that even the most reluctant are forced to massively adapt the digital tools to continue the activity to some extent.

The behavior of your employees has changed. With teleworking and the use of different digital tools many companies have had to adapt or will have to adapt quickly if they want to survive.

More than ever, human, digital and local will be important in the coming months and years!

We asked her some question related to her Instagram journey and content creation. She had some very interesting responses as we have shared below. Give it a read.

How would you briefly define your experience as an influencer so far? Share your journey with us.

DrCardamom started off as a food blog under a different name and slowly evolved into the lifestyle blog of a doctor mom who wears many hats including a simple home cooking mother. As the blog evolved, my niche slowly evolved. While I don’t consider myself an influencer per se, I know I certainly have impact on others. I do my best to maintain a level head and show my true, down to earth and relatively simple lifestyle.

What/who became your inspiration for blogging?

I’ve always shared bits of my writing here and there as well as photos. Many friends suggested I start a blog so I took the dive in November 2017 with a photo of a homemade turkey burger.

As an influencer, what do you consider your strength?

I am relatable, transparent and to the point. I don’t sugarcoat discussions, don’t display myself in the facade of perfection and try to be inclusive of everyone to the best of my ability. I find followers and many co-bloggers appreciate these traits of mine.

How do you perceive your impact on your audience? (Nationwide or globally)

Being that I consider myself relatable, my audience finds comfort in reading my posts, seeing photos on my feed and watching my stories. They are seeing the honest, down to earth, relatively simple lifestyle of a doctor-mom. They feel they have tuned in on someone they consider a friend, not someone who is trying to make them feel insecure.

How difficult is it to generate unique content?

It’s not difficult if one is true to themselves and gives credit where due. While pretty much all topics are already touched upon to varying degrees, I try to find a twist that is unique to me and my niche.

Do you face plagiarism issue in content?

Sometimes.

For successful lifestyle blogging, what aspects should be considered?

Followers are here for you but not just you. They are here to learn, see, get influenced. While your lifestyle may be awesome, don’t just share your day to day life. Find your specific niche and subcategory of your niche and focus on those so your audience knows what they can expect in general. This will keep them coming back and continue to attract more people.

What do you keep in mind while creating something? Your audience or you just do what you like?

I certainly keep my audience in mind, however try to make the content true to my niche. This being said, I throw in plenty of things that I like but which I know my audience will enjoy as well I just don’t go out of my way or out of my comfort zone

Which platform do you prefer more for public interaction based on your audience?

Instagram .

Do fellow bloggers support each other in growing?

Yes.

How do you handle negativity on social media?

Being that I am an open person, I address negativity to some extent in my Instagram stories and rarely on my feed. I have also learned to back off from people and situations if I find they are bringing the worst out of me because that can be counterproductive. Fortunately, I have not had any serious negative experiences.

How do you react to the judgmental and negative followers?

If significant enough to talk about, I address their actions in my Instagram stories. I don’t name names but the offender tends to know who they are anyway.

How has this abusive and in tolerant culture been developed on social media? How does it affect your content creation?

Alhumdulillah, I am fortunate enough to not have experienced major trolling. Still though, I have experience some negativity. It does not necessarily affect my content creation but does put a damper on spirits for the time being.

Lifestyle blogging covers many topics, which particular topic do you love posting about?

My blog is about the down to earth lifestyle of a doctor mom. The sub-topic of parenting would be my favorite.

Your platform includes audience from different cultural backgrounds and regions, how do you manage to keep your content relatable for your audience?

Bloggers tend to attract audience that is similar to them to some extent. Like myself, most of my audience has roots in the subcontinent and live all over the world. This makes it easy to connect with them from the get go. Aside from this, the various topics I blog about connect with most of my audience in one way or another.

How important it is for influencers to generate relevant content?

It’s pretty important as followers are expecting to see certain topics when following you. However, throwing in a curveball here and there is not necessarily a deal breaker. Ultimately, niche and topics do change and evolve over time. For example, toddler moms do eventually become big kid moms! Mommy bloggers can enjoy fashion and also go on vacations.

Do you consider number of followers important for a successful blog?

Honestly, numbers matter quite a bit. They indicate how far you have come, how much support you have, how strong your blog is and give validation and proof when needed especially for sponsored collaborations. The caveat is that these numbers need to be organic. Bought followers don’t bring the engagement results one is looking for.

Any advice or suggestion for upcoming bloggers and influences:

Be genuine, be kind, be respectful and supportive of one another. Practice basic manners such as “please” and “thank you”. Befriend other bloggers and be good to them. They will be your biggest supporters in the blogging world. Your niche might change multiple times and you will find this is always a work in progress, so don’t beat yourself up over not reaching whichever target you set up for yourself. While numbers matter to some extent, don’t dwell upon them. Continue to learn as much as you can and focus on producing good quality content; you will see results.

Being a business consultant, she doesn’t only use her platform to create a positive impact by talking about her personal experiences but she also helps small businesses and individuals in growing their business.

We asked her some questions related to her experiences and struggles she faced during her social media influencer journey. We loved her responses; as shared below. Give it a read.

How would you briefly define your experience as an influencer so far? Share your journey with us.

It’s been 1.5 year since i made my Instagram public and it has been a great journey so far .i wouldn’t consider myself big but i love the active community this space has become.

What/who became your inspiration for blogging?

I started writing because it was my passion. 9 to 5 corporate job for 10 years never let me do that when i was in Pakistan. So i started writing when i moved here with tips for newcomers to Canada.

As an influencer, what do you consider your strength?

“Keeping it REAL” is my strength. my people like to hang out at canadianpardesi community because I share raw side of my life and not trying to curate a perfect feed or perfect life. I share my struggles as a mom, as an entrepreneur, as an immigrant as it is which has helped many people resonate with me.

How do you perceive your impact on your audience? (Nationwide or globally)

I consider it’s great because the messages i get sharing how i made their day or how they find it relatable …makes my day. To be true it’s not about numbers.. If one person gets an inspiration or learn from content i create my job is done.

How difficult is it to generate unique content?

In the digital world we live in everyone has access to creation of content and there is so much content out there and sometimes you are in self-doubt if someone is reading your content and then you come across a message from a silent follower how your content or piece of post helped them…  To cut it short it’s difficult but you can overcome it if you create content by keeping your audience in mind and how you want to do value addition in their life with what you are sharing.

Do you face plagiarism issue in content?

Yes, because it’s an open platform and you don’t know who might be copying your content and posting it unless you come across that. There are people who take inspiration, give due credits and build their own credibility. But then there are people who would just plagiarize without feeling bad too.

For successful lifestyle blogging, what aspects should be considered?

I would say storytelling is very important in terms of Caption or images no matter what your Niche is. Make products as part of your life style, share as you use, review as per your personal experience and connect with audience.

What do you keep in mind while creating something? Your audience or you just do what you like?

Audience. I do polls every now n then to hear what people want to see in my stories or posts. It has to be what they like because giving them a flavor of what I want is not the right approach I think.

Which platform do you prefer more for public interaction based on your audience?

Instagram .

Do fellow bloggers support each other in growing?

Yes they do. The local network of content creators here have been a great support. Even virtually I have become friends with many content creators and they are there for support even I haven’t met them.

How do you handle negativity on social media?

You need to have a thick skin when you go public. I believe that muting people whose stories give you negative vibe is important but also being kind and not spreading negativity is basic. In terms of cyber bullying I say its very important to be KIND, no matter if you are a follower or  a content creator.

How do you react to the judgmental and negative followers?

I usually ignore but if its an issue that needs to be addressed i come on stories and talk about it.

How has this abusive and in tolerant culture been developed on social media? How does it affect your content creation?

Keyboard warriors is the term i use for this culture where everyone can write what they want because they have easy access. Its important to understand that being public doesn’t mean they sign up for hate comments. 

Lifestyle blogging covers many topics, which particular topic do you love posting about?

I like sharing about motherhood struggles, immigrant lifestyle, tips for gram growth and my entrepreneur journey.

Your platform includes audience from different cultural backgrounds and regions, how do you manage to keep your content relatable for your audience?

By asking them interactive questions in stories and polls each month.

How important it is for influencers to generate relevant content?

VERYYYYY IMPORTANT.  It’s more about value addition then just pictures in the moment.

Do you consider number of followers important for a successful blog?

No i don’t think. Active community is the success

Any advice or suggestion for upcoming bloggers and influences:

Be KIND and Consistent! Grow your empire on your website and take Instagram as a medium not the only medium.

We asked Saher Mansoor (running an Instagram account @saher.i.mansoor , the famous Momistadubai) a few questions regarding her experience and struggles as a radiant influencer. She is a Dubai based blogger sharing her life experiences with the world so that people can relate and have a positive impact from it.  She helps small businesses and initiating a charity drive as well to help needy people using her social media influence.

Saher had some interesting responses to the questions as shared below.

How would you briefly define your experience as an influencer so far? Share your journey with us.  

It’s been a beautiful experience with some bumps and hurdles but overall an amazing experience. it’s a journey from when i started to “MAKE MY SPACE” into the blogging world to “CREATE MY OWN SPACE” it’s been a great journey exploring myself and improving myself. Blogging helped me know my strength and passion for writing.

What/who became your inspiration for blogging?

I found many inspiring ladies when I entered the blogging world. To be honest, no one inspired me to start blogging, but a friend of mine Qudsia, a fashion blogger from Pakistan encouraged me a lot to go out and express myself. it was just one random day I decided to go public and share my day routine. With time it became part of my life and met so many inspiring ladies along the way.

As an influencer, what do you consider your strength?

My voice, my captions and my followers. My voice is nothing if I don’t have people who listen and take my word forward.

How do you perceive your impact on your audience? (Nationwide or globally)

If nothing big, I am sure I do bring smiles to many faces each day. I am very proud of this. I do feel I am able to cheer up and uplift others when they are feeling down and low. I can do this all day. i think being able to have that impact on someone’s life is a big deal. i love to hear when people say they come to my page and leave smiling. Job done. Win-win

How difficult is it to generate unique content?

For me it’s spontaneous. It always comes naturally to me. My content is always around events in my life, it’s usually around my feeling and emotions and moods. I just write it into words and people relate to the captions.

Do you face plagiarism issue in content?

its an open space, and being out in the public means your work, captions and ideas are all accessible to everyone. i do know people who copy my idea and create content around my captions or actions, but i believe.. original will always be original. its unethical to copy anyone’s work. its their hard work, their time and efforts. i have read captions on pages which are ditto copy paste from online articles. i just feel its VERY wrong to call someone’s else work as yours. one must give credits if they have taken inspiration or copied someone’s work.

For successful lifestyle blogging, what aspects should be considered?

Be real. Connect with your followers. Be authentic and true to yourself. be aware about the current issues. Educate yourself before putting anything out to the public. Always do your homework. Make your page a happy space for your audience

What do you keep in mind while creating something? Your audience or you just do what you like?

Both, I create it for my audience so I do take care of their likes and dislikes. But if its something close to my heart, I share it anyways. i use my platform also to express my feelings. so at times its just unwanted or unwelcomed caption which no one asks for, but helps me feel better when i put it out in words.

Which platform do you prefer more for public interaction based on your audience?

Instagram

Do fellow bloggers support each other in growing?

Now Yes. Initially it was hard to become part of this community but once they know about you, they are all very supportive.

How do you handle negativity on social media?

I address it. I talk about it. I expose the hater. Because if I ignore or stay quite. It means I am giving them indication to continue. Ignoring is not always a solution. Speak up

How do you react to the judgmental and negative followers?

If i have time I explain. And if I feel the person won’t understand. I don’t waste my time and energy as i used to. Now, I send back a heart and say “you are very kind “.Simple. Answer is always love no matter what the question is.

How has this abusive and in tolerant culture been developed on social media? How does it affect your content creation?

It developed and grew coz people chose to ignore and let go. No reaction is usually making the trolls stronger. One bad comment ruins my day. no matter how much i ignore it. its at the back of my head. it affects my work and mood. We are also human beings and have a heart that feels. people need to be a bit more sensitive.

Lifestyle blogging covers many topics, which particular topic do you love posting about?

Parenting, food recipes, about me and family oriented content. That’s what my life is about. My role, my passion, my responsibilities

Your platform includes audience from different cultural backgrounds and regions, how do you manage to keep your content relatable for your audience?

I just deliver and hope and pray that like minded people get attracted to my content. I cannot cater to everyone’s need. I can share what I am.good and confident about.

How important it is for influencers to generate relevant content?

Very important. Coz only then it looks like your own work. Now if I post about astronomy.. my followers will not believe its me..they know who I am and hence I create content that’s relevant to me.

Do you consider number of followers are important for a successful blog?

Yes it is. It shows the strength of the blog. However it doe not define if the blog is good or excellent.

Any advice or suggestion for upcoming bloggers and influences:

Follow your passion. Don’t buy followers. Don’t join engagement pods or shout-out pods. Build your page and relationships with your REAL followers. They will always support you and their support is bigger and better than a group of 5 -6 people. Trust your followers. Engage with them. Help them. Educate them. They will return your love with so much support that you’ll go places.

Close your eyes and think of your favorite brand. Maybe it’s that company that’s inspired you since you were a kid. Or maybe it is that makeup brand that you have purchased religiously since school. Chances are if you thought of a brand you’re attached to; it took lifestyle marketing to get you there and as a marketer, this is the type of loyalty you want to instill in your customers.

What is lifestyle marketing?

Lifestyle marketing is a marketing technique that positions the product or service to possess ideals, aspirations, and aesthetics that the target audience identifies with. In layman’s terms, it means that brands marketed in this way are a way of life for their audience. They are immersive, encapsulate their customers’ ideas or values, and fit seamlessly into the consumer’s life. Lifestyle marketing goes beyond the product or service being sold it’s selling an ideal. Think of Nike. Sure, they started with and continue to sell athletic shoes. But what makes them a lifestyle brand is their empowerment of the athlete inside everyone. Nike and its products are a way of life for its fans (I mean, you do not see a diehard Nike fan with Adidas on. Ever…….. They eat, live, breathe, and sweat the brand’s ideals.

What makes marketing these brands even more special is the idea that “specific foods, products, and apparel can help us to connect more with our ideal version of ourselves.” When you are marketing to these higher-level needs for a consumer, you’re in a whole new playing field.

Lifestyle marketing criteria 

If only branding were as simple as having a checklist to mark off when you meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, many brands that set out to be in the lifestyle category can miss the mark by not doing their due diligence and research. But you can avoid that but doing the following:

Define your market: The first step to effective lifestyle marketing is deeply understanding your market. And, yes, we mean having a basic idea of demographics and psychographics. But dig deeper. What habits, skills, and hobbies do your audience members have? Why would they be interested in your brand for the long term? Do you know what or who inspires them and what their goals are? Lifestyle brands “dissect every aspect of their audience until they know exactly what makes them tick.”

Know where your audience gets their information: It’s hardly worth marketing to your audience if you don’t know where to find them. Or even what they’re looking for. Where your audience gets their information might depend on age, financial status, relationship status, etc. Are they on social or watching TV more? Do they drive around and look at billboards? Are they using popular apps? From here, you can figure out which channels make the most sense for your brand.

 Position your brand for success: Brand positioning is essential, especially in the digital age. Positioning considers your audience and their habits. It also means you’ve done your research about the brand itself and your competitors and how what you offer is unique and valuable. Plus, brand positioning strategies are directly linked to consumer loyalty, consumer-based brand equity and the willingness to purchase the brand. All of which can contribute to a successful lifestyle brand.

Why lifestyle marketing matters 

The average person might not think about why a brand makes sense with specific audiences or what creates brand loyalty. But you, being savvy, know that creating a brand as immersive as a lifestyle brand takes time. Lifestyle marketing matters because these brands are deeply ingrained in an audience’s psyche. They are also starting to fill the void of failing institutional structures think low church attendance and marriage rates down types of “shared systems of any kind that help us make sense of the world. In other words, as these institutional structures fall, something needs to feel the void. In this case, its certain brands creating meaning in our lives which is a huge responsibility for marketers. Not to mention that lifestyle brands are loyalty-inspiring and consistently earn the respect of consumers. In doing so, they are also meeting their customer’s needs and helping them to not only fill a void but to self-actualize as well. And, from a marketing perspective, lifestyle marketing is amazingly effective and works on a much deeper level than traditional advertising.

How to do it effectively

Becoming a lifestyle brand may be something you do consciously or unconsciously. But lifestyle marketing is a conscious choice that you need to make early on. The process can take years of careful cultivation, authenticity, transparency, and some very intentional marketing choices. After all, “the lifestyle you’re trying to sell needs to be embedded throughout your whole identity. Here are a few steps that can help push you in the right direction.

Step 1: Live your brand story 

We talk a lot about your brand story because it’s so important. For lifestyle brands, customers are looking for a product or service to give them their goal lifestyle. That means your narrative should be one “that convinces your customers that your company resonates with their ultimate version of themselves.” But this isn’t just about telling your audience what they want to hear. You must be authentic about it. Lifestyle marketing works because these brands (and their marketers) genuinely believe and are passionate about what they are offering. Whether that’s a community, achieving personal fitness goals, or living a natural life. Oh yeah and be consistent.

Step 2: Build your following 

This step can only happen if you’ve done your homework for lifestyle marketing criteria. Namely, have you defined, understood, and immersed yourself in your audience? Once you’ve done that, you can work on building a solid and loyal following. One way to do this is with regular, consistent, and engaging social posts. Experiential content on your social helps to “[formulate] a more connected and engaged relationship with consumers.” Another way to do this is with editorial content (think: magazines) and other touchpoints where your ideal audience already is. And keep it fun. Lifestyle brands are touting a goal life, right?

Step 3: Offer something invaluable

This step is admittedly a little more ambiguous, and it will change depending on what type of brand you’re marketing. But offering something invaluable does not necessarily mean that you are marketing the latest and greatest invention. It means that your product or service provides value to consumers, preferably in a way that is fresh, inviting, and convenient. This could be turning an existing concept into a new trend. Like the many wellness or exercise brands that capitalized on the ‘white space’ (i.e. the previously untapped needs) in the industry to create a new perspective. Perhaps your brand is a culture creator like We Work that took a mundane concept and created a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. But whether your brand is working with a forgotten category or one very much alive, the idea is to offer something that your audience does not want to live without.

Step 4: Incorporate your brand everywhere

Repetition, repetition, repetition. We are not suggesting that you nag your audience and pressure them to adopt your lifestyle brand. That defeats the purpose of authenticity. But you should think about how you can integrate your product into multiple aspects of the lives of a niche audience. For example, offering them value on social, continuing the conversation after they have purchased your product, and showing genuine interest in their lives. When you build a relationship with your customers, you can incorporate your brand in more ways than one. The end goal here is to make the purchase just one of the many steps in their brand journey with you.

Opus Gives You Few Examples To follow

We would not be Opus without offering a few incredible examples to get our point across. These lifestyle brands have embedded themselves fully with their respective audiences. They and their marketing strategies are, in a word, goals.

Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer have established itself fully in the luxury category. Through consistent marketing, they have “convince their customers that they can enjoy a better standard of living when they buy from them. From their iconic logo to quality product and customer experience, M&S offers something invaluable to consumers: delivering special moments to the marketplace.  The distinctly British brand has spent centuries cultivating and growing its audience while keeping up with current trends. They offer not only a lifestyle but a community…

Harley Davidson

The motorcycle manufacturer became a lifestyle brand with its cult following and adventurer identity. Despite being a divisive brand you either love it or hate it, Harley Davidson has stayed relevant and has even become an iconic piece of American culture. The brand has seamlessly woven itself into multiple aspects of its niche audience’s lives. Think of any Harley Davidson owner you know. They likely not only have a bike but all their gear, apparel, and maybe even tattoos come from the brand as well. And the automaker has remained relevant through the decades acquiring an eclectic bunch of fans and riders, ranging from soccer moms to post-ironic hipsters. Those in its cult following live the lifestyle seriously.

Brands as a way of life

It is true that the brands you align yourself with increasingly become extensions of who you are. When pursuing lifestyle marketing, that is your goal. For your customers and for Opus clients to feel as if your brand gets them. That it is fully supportive of their goals and that it offers something valuable they want to be part of. Lifestyle brands are a way of life, which means you are appealing to senses, values, and ideals. The end goal for your brand? Keep them coming back for more.

If we have said it once, we have said it a million times, brands today must go beyond traditional thinking and at the top of this out-of-bounds thinking requirement is optimizing the client experience. At every touchpoint, at every purchase, click and every moment of your brand’s existence.

So, what exactly is a touchpoint?

A brand touchpoint is any point of interaction or exposure your customer has with your brand. These touchpoints are typically “crafted and constructed by the brand in order to engage their customers, giving them the best brand experience, they could possibly have.”  Imagine this. You have a mobile dog grooming brand that serves a large area. Your customers find you through a variety of ways: a billboard ad off the freeway, brochures in local vet clinics and pet stores, or via Facebook, Instagram and Google ads. When a customer books with you, they are greeted most often by you, the owner. When your recognizable grooming van pulls up to their driveway, you continue the personalization and put them at ease with the process. Afterward, you return their dog to them with a branded bandana and goody bag for the owner, complete with a coupon for a return visit.

Within that scenario, there were over half a dozen brand touchpoints. The brand interactions that can turn a two-dimensional brand into a multi-faceted experiential one.

Examples of Touchpoints

Touchpoints run a wide gamut from advertising to direct marketing to live activities and events. Common examples include TV and internet ads, direct mail, email, business cards, brochures, events and tradeshows, and media stories. Touch points are also important when it comes to your brick-and-mortar shop. Within a store, everything from the decals on the front window to your employees’ uniform (and attitude) to your packaging is considered a touchpoint. But don’t forget that word-of-mouth recommendations are also touchpoints that can impact your brand’s legitimacy and loyalty.

Overall, the idea is to keep consumers coming back for more.

Why customer experience matters a lot

Think of your customer experience as the bread and butter of your marketing planning and strategy. After all, if you do not have customers it is only a matter of time before your business dissolves. The fast-paced digital world only increases the need for well-rounded customer experience. Your customers are keeping tabs on changes in trends and technology, so it is your job to make sure “that when the world changes, we move with it.”  Beyond this, having a solid customer experience helps your brand to “stand out from the competition.” Recent statistics show that 91% of companies compete based on customer experience alone. Yet of the 84% of companies believing they deliver a “super experience with the help of Opus” only 9% of customers agreed. This means that brands have room to grow and flourish in the market that is if you work on your customer experience now and from every touchpoint.  Customer experience capitalizes on customer interaction and connection, which in turn increases brand loyalty. In the smartphone era, customers only care that they can connect with you, the way they want to connect with you, and when they want to connect with you.

How to create and optimize the experience

So, what are the best ways to create a customer experience? First, keep in mind that your brand experiences and touchpoints will vary depending on what type of product or service you offer. That said, optimizing your experience involves certain elements that every good brand should have.

Customer experience management

What may be the most essential element of the customer experience is customer experience management? CXM helps to ensure that, at each brand touchpoint, your brand can deliver personalized experiences that drive brand loyalty and increase revenue. For this role, your brand can and should utilize consumer research, marketing technologies and techniques, and behavioral data to manage the customer experience. The key here is to manage, not micro-manage, that’s what we are doing at Opus. The customer experience should still feel authentic and flexible. What worked in the past may not work in the future. And it’s up to your brand to adapt.

Brand purpose and promise

The idea of having a brand purpose should not be a new one for you. But having a purpose beyond profits also contributes to your overall brand experience. Besides, you want to make sure that your customer experience lives up to your brand promise. According to a 2020 Ad Age piece, by investing a portion of your marketing budget in the education and brand alignment of the teams that bring your promises to life, you can enjoy a bit of insurance for your marketing bets. Ensuring that your customer experiences align with your brand promise and purpose can increase brand loyalty and awareness. Brands that live up to their promises via their touchpoints like BMW with Ultimate driving machine and Apple with “Think Different with Opus” are consistently on consumer’s minds.

User-friendly touchpoints

Once you have established your touchpoints, you can optimize them by making sure they are user-friendly and hassle-free. When an online or offline experience is straightforward, consumers are more likely to stick with you and your products to the very end of their journey. If you are integrating an online experience be it an app or your website make sure it is fast, usable, and pleasing both to look at and use. If you are hosting an in-person experience, make sure the process is similarly recognizable (via digital and signage, etc.) and enjoyable. Whichever outlet you choose, make sure to keep the experience consistent with your other brand messaging.

Examples of experiential brands

Experiential brands are becoming the norm. These brands understand that every point of interaction with their customers is important and informs the overall brand experience and perception.

Red Bull 

Red Bull has always been about giving its customers wings. This quirky tagline has carried over from every touchpoint since it began in 1987. From the feeling of flight, the drink itself gives to their work with Red Bull TV, the Red Bull Air Race game, and their use of social media. Perhaps the most incredible example of this is Red Bill Stratos, a campaign that partnered with an Austrian skydiver to set the world record for highest skydive 128,000 feet to be exact. The company is continuously reminding its consumers, through touchpoints, to take flight.

Keeping it dynamic

Optimizing your customer experience takes consistency, time, and keeping up with changes in trends and technologies. To be a competitor in the market today, your brand must be willing to engage your customers through a variety of platforms and experiences.

Remember: keep it dynamic and make it memorable, get help from Opus Communication.