Blog 4 - Personal Branding

Personal Branding

"Personal branding is the practice of marketing people and their careers as brands. It is an ongoing process of developing and maintaining a reputation and impression of an individual, group, or organization. Whereas some self-help practices focus on self-improvement, personal branding defines success as a form of self-packaging." (Henderson, 2019). Personal branding can play as a huge advantage for a company or brand. Building a personal brand comes down to gaining the trust and loyalty of your followers by showcasing your knowledge within your field. Building this relationship leads to network growth and an increased client base. According to Hall (2019), 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. 

Social media is one of the most efficient ways to shape your personal brand. It gives you the opportunity to network with a large number of people over a diverse range of platforms. To successfully grow your personal brand using social media you will need to identify your target audience and research trends relating to your area of expertise. Making an informed selection of which social networks to use based on your target audience ensures efficiency of social media posting.  

Posting quality content is the most crucial aspect of building your personal brand. Posting different types of content, regularly ensures your following remains engaged. Video content is the fastest growing in popularity due to the simplicity of ‘stories’. ‘Stories’ are short videos in which you can post instantly on socials such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. “Stories are growing 15 times faster than newsfeeds. More than one billion users are already hooked on the format” (Holmes, 2018).

Gary Vaynerchuk has built an empire of followers via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. His personal brand has been built as a motivational speaker, sharing ‘straight to the point’ content. With 7.8 million Instagram followers, Gary posts informative videos showcasing his insights and views on topical subjects. The topical everyday content allows the viewer to relate to and therefore trust Gary and his brand. He posts regularly and remains relevant with fresh imagery, quotes and videos. 

Brittney Saunders begun creating YouTube content from a young age. It is clear the majority of her audience throughout her career has been younger women who are able to relate to her content. Through posting topical videos, the use of Snapchat and Instagram stories and aesthetically pleasing images, her following has grown significantly, therefore building her personal brand. Since creating this personal brand and becoming an influential public figure, Brittney has been able to collaborate with companies and build her own clothing business. 

References

Henderson, G. (2019) ‘What is Personal Branding?’ Digital Marketing Blog. Available at https://www.digitalmarketing.org/blog/what-is-personal-branding [Accessed 20 Feb 2020]

Basu, T. (2019) ‘How to Build a Personal Brand (Complete Guide to Personal Branding)’. Available at https://www.thinkific.com/blog/personal-branding-guide/ [Accessed 1 March 2020]

Hall, J. (2019) ‘Personal branding trends to tap into on social media’. Available at https://sproutsocial.com/insights/personal-branding-trends-social-media/ [Accessed 15 April 2020]

Holmes, R. (2018) ‘ 4 tips on how to succeed with Stories’. Available at https://www.fastcompany.com/90252767/4-tips-on-how-to-succeed-with-stories [Accessed 15 April 2020]

Blog 3 - Inbound Marketing Methods

Inbound Marketing Methods

Each organisations approach to inbound marketing

Both Subject A and Subject B’s clear focus of inbound marketing is social media content. Social media would create the highest traffic for these particular organisations targeted audience. They place an emphasis on delighting the consumer by sharing helpful hints and offering giveaways on their Facebook pages. 

Subject A goes a step further by creating insightful blogs published on their website. This draws the customer in by contributing valuable information such as ‘How to’ articles and support on the products and services the organisation provides. 

Subject B targets the local community by incorporating a detailed history and subjective mission statement on the homepage of their website. This creates a farther personalised experience for the intended audience.

Both organisations take a subtle approach to their inbound marketing strategy with aesthetically pleasing, yet simple graphics posted regularly on their social media.

Strengths and weaknesses of the inbound marketing approach used by each organisation

Subject A’s use of insightful blogs showcases the knowledge the organisation has about the products and services in which they offer. This acts as an extremely valuable inbound marketing approach as it gains the trust of the consumer. Although subject A does share a handful of stimulating short videos on social media, they could certainly increase in this avenue to attract a more intimate experience. 

Subject B gains the assurance of consumers by taking a community targeted approach. They tailor their marketing to demonstrate their connection to the community. Subject B’s content is quite basic and doesn’t offer enough information or insight of the organisation’s knowledge. 

Both organisations have links to their social media pages as well as call to action links on their webpages which is a simple way of bringing potential customers a step closer to conversion. Each organisation would advantage from encouraging consumers to sign up to an email loyalty subscription option.

Which organisations was best at is inbound marketing and why

It is clear subject A takes a more appropriate approach to its inbound marketing strategy by creating a personalised experience based on the products and services the organisation has to offer. Subject A’s use of relevant blogs demonstrates the organisation is very knowledgeable within their industry. Showcasing this knowledge in blogs, offers a relaxed way of gaining the trust of potential customers. Sharing short videos containing helpful product information attracts the attention of consumers and educates them on the organisation’s products. 

Give examples of how each organisation could improve its inbound marketing

Subject A could take their strategy a step further by incorporating infographics on their webpage. This is a simple yet effective method to provide insightful information in a time efficient manner. Posting blogs more regularly will also help the relationship growth with prospective customers.

Subject B’s first step to improve its inbound marketing strategy will be to create relative blogs for their webpage. Sharing the links to informative blogs on their social media will see increased traffic on their webpage. 

Both subjects could benefit from posting more engaging content on social media. Relative video content is a major aspect in which both organisations need to focus on, to attract a broader audience to the business. Short ‘how to’ guides is one of the simplest methods to demonstrate not only the organisations knowledge but what products and services the business has to offer. 

References

Bond, C. (2019) 9 Examples of Inbound Marketing that Gets Customers. Available at https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/11/05/inbound-marketing-examples [Accessed 27 Feb 2020]

Optimizely (2019) Inbound Marketing. Available at https://www.optimizely.com/anz/optimization-glossary/inbound-marketing/ [Accessed 27 Feb 2020]

Subject A - https://www.wolfstores.com.au

Subject B - https://echovoicedata.com.au

Blog 2 - How Consumers Use technology

How Consumers Use Technology and its Impact on their Lives

Technology is now a part of every person’s life, relying on it to complete even the simplest of tasks. Technology advancements bring us endless opportunities and increased efficiency to everyday life. It’s impact on our lives has been massive and the convenience it has provided means technology IS the future. In this presentation, we will dive a little deeper into the fundamentals of how technology has advanced and how its development has impacted our lives. Statistics have shown over the past 15 years the percentage of the world population accessing the internet has increased dramatically. 

This increase gives us a deeper understanding of how substantial the growth of the internet has been. In 1995, just 0.4% of the worlds population accessed the internet, fast forward to 2019 where this figure has increased to a massive 58.8%.This increase can be connected to many different factors. Firstly, over the years the variety of products, services and applications offered online has risen and lead to improved accessibility. Another consideration to make, is that the quality, speed and consistency of the internet ensures consumers can rely on technology more than ever. Also, the way consumers access the internet has expanded significantly which has most definitely influenced the number of people using the internet. Accessing the internet has never been so easy. 

Technology advances in connected devices means consumers can literally wear the internet on their wrist. People essentially have access to the internet anywhere, at any time, thanks to the convenience of mobile phones, tablets and laptops. The average home in Australia has 17 connected devices. This number is constantly on the rise thanks to increased popularity and availability of connected devices including smart homes. Smart homes bring a level of simplicity to our lives that is unmatched, with the main factors influencing the increased trend being security, comfort, cost savings and control.

Technology is unquestionably a major part of everyday life. The internet connects us to people all over the world, allowing us to communicate with loved ones, colleagues and even strangers instantly. Figures show that emailing, messaging and social media are the leading online activities used by adults. Entertainment is the next highest followed by online shopping. Use of financial services such as banking and paying bills closely follows. It is evident that the internet adds a greater level of convenience to our regular day-to-day lives. 

Online shopping has provided a laid-back experience for consumers, allowing us to browse and purchase from the comfort of our living room. Consumers have the luxury of being able to purchase almost anything online. Tools and hardware are the most popular products purchased online. Booking services online is yet another way convenience has been bought to everyday life giving consumers the ability to browse and book services online such as accommodation, flights and appointments. 

Online video consumption continues to rise significantly each year with 92% of internet users watching videos each month. This can be linked to the increased popularity of video-sharing website, streaming services and online gaming. YouTube reports that mobile video consumption increases 100% every year and on average, Facebook generates 8 billion video views per day.

The growth of social media would have to be the most significant contributor to the rise of internet usage of past years. With many different social media websites, consumer trends show that the use of social media is expanding within every age category. Over the past 10 years, social media use by people over the age of 65 has increased by over 10 times from just 3% to 37%. 

With the increases in usage and advancing technology, evidently the hours spent online each day has skyrocketed. On average, 6 hours and 42 minutes are spent online every day. This is over 25% of  consumers entire day spent using technology. 

Developments in technology and growth in internet usage over the past 15 to 20 years indicates the substantial influence it has had on consumers lives. It is relevant to almost everything we do and adds a new level of convenience to everyday life. It is clear that technology has improved our lives and made day-to-day life a whole lot easier.

Presentation Document - Slideshare

https://www.slideshare.net/SarahDay44/how-consumers-use-technology-and-its-impact-on-their-lives-228601401 

Video Pitch - Vimeo

https://vimeo.com/377187233

Blog 1 - Apple Marketing Mix

Apple's Extended Marketing Mix

Product

Global Gadgets (2017) | Apple is The Leading Premium Gadgets Manufacturer in The World. https://medium.com/@globalgadgets/apple-is-the-leading-premium-gadgets-manufacturer-in-the-world-5606ac06c7d2 [Accessed 23 July 2019]

Price
iGeeksBlog (2018) | Apple’s Pricing Strategy: Best Things Are Always Cheapest. https://www.igeeksblog.com/apple-pricing-strategy/ [Accessed 23 July 2019]

Product

Dezeen.com (2013) | Apple trademarks ‘distinctive design’ of its stores. https://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/25/apple-trademarks-design-stores/ [Accessed 23 July 2019]

Promotion
Engadget.com (2019) | Apple took out a CES ad to troll its competitors over privacy. https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/05/apple-ces-2019-privacy-advertising/ [Accessed 25 July2019]

People
BBC News, Singapore (2018) | Five big things that have made Apple. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45044963 [Accessed 25 July 2019]

Physical Evidence 
YouTube (2018) | Apple Explained. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9A_P9CeGtg [Accessed 31 July 2019]

Process
interaction-design.org (2019) | Apple’s Product Development Process – Inside the World’s Greatest Design Organisation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/apple-s-product-development-process-inside-the-world-s-greatest-design-organization [Accessed 31 July 2019]

Product

“Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably” (Chartered Institute of Marketing). The success of a business relies heavily on the development of the product or service being offered. Without product demand, the profitability of a business is at risk.

Apple have experienced marketing success by creating high-end products and leading the way in technology within the electronic industry. These quality products generate customer loyalty and confidence in the Apple brand. Differentiation is a key aspect in product development which ensures Apple remains a step above its competitors.

Apple sell a large range of electronic devices including mobile phones, tablets, computers, laptops, smart watches and more. Apple products are highly renowned world-wide for their user-friendly interface, sleek, modern design and constantly adapting technology. To date the most noteworthy product Apple have released is the Apple iPhone which has revolutionised the mobile phone industry. iPhone sales consistently make up around 60% of Apple’s overall revenue (Statista, 2019). 

Apple products are designed following intensive research, as understanding what consumers want ensures the sustainability of a company (Marketing 91, 2019). The elegant, modern design of not only Apple products but also the Apple logo symbolises luxury which appeals to consumers. The Apple logo and Apple products are recognised around the globe which builds trust and confidence in the brand, which is religiously followed by millions of people (Global Gadgets, 2017). 92% of iPhone users who plan to get a new phone in the next 12 months say they’re “somewhat or extremely likely” to stick with Apple (Business Insider Australia, 2017). This loyalty to Apple products ensures customer retention and therefore, is a successful marketing strategy.

Apple is at the forefront of the electronic/technology industry. With creative, innovative products Apple is able to keep consumers captivated with what new features or impressive new devices will be released next. The hype around the release of an Apple product is second to none, with thousands of loyal followers lining up for hours, sometimes days before the anticipated launch of a new iPhone. Having the latest and greatest iPhone is somewhat of a superior status symbol, prompting consumers to aspire to be the first to get their hands on the newest products (The Guardian, 2017). 

Apple sets itself apart from competitors with a “Think Different, Be Different” attitude (Tech.pinions, 2012). Product differentiation is a marketing strategy in which Apple excels in, due to the distinctive design of their products. When Apple released their most significant products – the iPod, iPhone and iPad - no other electronic products compared to the advanced features or unique style of these iconic devices (Bizfluent, 2018). Since the release of these products competitors such as Samsung have battled to create equivalent products, releasing comparable smart phones and tablets. Although Samsung is arguably the next most successful tech company, Apple still stands out as the clear leader with Samsung’s market capitalization of about $154 billion, barely a quarter the size of Apple’s. (Investopedia, 2019)

In conclusion, it is evident that product is an extremely successful marketing tool for Apple and the market leading company would not be where it is today without such successful, innovative products. Being a market leader and with a loyal customer base Apple are in a prominent position to continue to progress and grow the business with a product development a key strategy to their success.