How to build your brand to grow your business

Managing marketing and communications in the highly competitive higher education or non-profit sectors is no easy task. And few people know it better than Naheed Maalik and Rachel Lloyd.

‘During our time as in-house marketing and communications professionals we discovered a gap in the market,’ say the duo, founders of The Loop.

‘We were often looking to outsource content, PR, media buying, design, digital and print projects to companies that could understand our brand, tone of voice and house style, deliver on time and to quality, and fit our budgets.’

Their choices came down to the big bucks agencies, or the solo marketers and designers – both presenting challenges – the high cost and less personalised service of the former, and the fragmented products and time-consuming nature of the latter.

‘We always talked about how great it would be to work with a single product and service provider,’ says Naheed.

‘After discussing the idea for a few years, in 2018, we quit our jobs, became business partners and started The Loop,’ adds Rachel, explaining how they set up the firm that offers clients a one-stop solution for all their needs– from idea generation to content development, design and media management.

Here are five key tips from The Loop on managing your marcomms and PR:

1. Know and communicate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) . Every business will have at least one thing that makes them different from their competitors. This USP should be at the centre of all marcomms activities.

2. Make a human connection via storytelling. Marketing is about asking your audience to put their trust in you. This trust comes when you make a human connection; tell your audience your story and how you will understand and address their needs.

3. Maximize the content you create . Good content takes time to create but is often under-utilised. Most businesses will have audiences in different places, so when you produce or publish something new, make sure it’s shared across all platforms, and repurpose it for different channels.

4. Develop key messaging and tagline. No matter what your business, a memorable key message and tagline helps with your brand identity and recall. Keep it short but make it catchy - the words should convey the essence of your brand.

5. Develop a visual brand resource. This includes photos, logo, brand colour and palette. A good story becomes better with good photos, and your visual identity boosts your brand awareness.

To learn more, visit the-loop.me