A Virgin Approach to Branding (Part 2)

In yesterday’s post I blogged about a great AMA networking event I recently attended. Porter Gale, VP Marketing for Virgin America was invited in to speak about building a brand. In this post I wanted to point out how expansion stage software companies could use the same tactics to build brands. (To get my full summary on the event, please read this post).

• Identify your key influencers early on. 
  • This is a no brainer if you are an expansion stage company. A solid approach to influence marketing can help in creating competitive advantage over the larger players in any industry, exactly as in Virgin America’s strategy. By targeting a unique set of influencers for your company, you will generate buzz as long as you provide them with the right message. I have written a lot on influence marketing in this blog, but here are some key posts: 1, 2, and 3.
• Focus on the customer’s experience.
  • Be like Virgin America and focus on the small details that will make your customers’ or users’ experiences better. Develop an easy-to-use interface and strive everyday to keep your customers happy.
• Utilize social media to listen and engage.
  • Pay attention to what is being said about your brand online. If your brand is not well known yet, pay attention to what is being said about your industry online. Once you have identified opportunities where you can add value, engage with your customers, users, and influencers. If you need help on tracking social media, please review my colleague Tien Anh’s blog.
• A big budget does not equate to success.
  • Expansion stage companies with small marketing budgets can still successfully build brand awareness. Utilize similar tactics as Virgin America and develop strategic marketing partnerships to further your marketing dollar. A successful influence marketing and content marketing strategy may also help keep costs low and returns high.

Now you can take a Virgin approach to branding.