Branding Experts Share How to Thrive in the 2020’s

Following more than a year-long economic uncertainty caused by the COVID crisis, reports show promising signs of recovery across industries.

Moody’s Analytics’ “Back to Normal Index” indicates that most US states’ overall economy has bounced back by over 75% with some surpassing the pre-COVID performance, most notably Florida with a 101% and South Dacota with a 106% recovery index.

Though business is “going back to normal,” most still struggle to navigate the disrupted markets and changes in consumer behaviors.

DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies, leveraged its 9,000-agencies-strong network for quick insights – or “QuickSights” – on growing brands and businesses online.

This week’s QuickSights feature branding and digital marketing experts’ top advice on how to thrive in the 2020’s.

1. GROWING BRAND EQUITY

ECommerce marketing experts at Evestar highlight the importance of investing in brand equity as a sustainable growth strategy.

• “There is no better time to double down on branding and invest in your own brand equity.” said Lolita Petrossov, CEO and founder of Evestar. “With iOS 14.5 and other privacy concerns, data and paid efforts are likely to be less reliable. Branding can help make sure your company is kept top of mind in the consumer’s mind […]”

2. PUTTING PERSONALIZATION FIRST

Marketing automation has become a top priority for most business as they seek to accelerate and increase performance while reducing cost. While automation comes with clear benefits, brand and digital experts at Rocket Farm said that it should not come at the expense of personalization and building human-to-human (H2H) engagement.

• “Humanizing your brand is key to thriving during the 2020s,” said the company’s Founder and Creative Director Jeff Hickman. “Focus on personalization, not automation.”

3. DEDICATING A PERCENTAGE OF THE GROSS ANNUAL REVENUE TO MARKETING

Marketing experts at Sooner Marketing Solutions claimed that despite the wide adoption of digital marketing, “many companies [they] come across […] do not have a marketing budget.” The company recommended a strategic approach to budgeting.

• “I recommend 4%-12% of your gross annual revenue allocated to both online and offline marketing & advertising,” said Sooner Marketing Solutions’ CEO Braedon Kruse. “This will give you a great starting point, create consistency in your accounting, and help your overall marketing strategy.”

4. LEVERAGING THE EXISTING CONSUMER BASE AND GROWING BRAND LOYALTY

Co-Founder of a dental marketing agency Pain-Free Dental Marketing Andre Santos said that brands should invest in brand loyalty to grow repeat sales as well as awareness through advocacy.

• “For brands to thrive in 2020s, they need to connect with their customers and make them feel inspired,” said Santos. “Customer reviews & video testimonials are critical. Engage with them on social channels. Be authentic & give customers a reason to love your brand! When they do, they will be your biggest advocates.”

To help brands put the upcoming trends into action, DesignRush also released their latest list of the top branding and marketing agencies.

The top branding companies in June are:

1. Evestar – evestar.com

2. Admind Branding & Communications – admindagency.com

3. The Go-To Guy – thegotoguy.co

4. CMB Automotive Marketing – cmbautomotive.com

5. Thainks! – thainks.ca

6. Appetite Creative Solutions – appetitecreative.com

7. Brandit360 – brandit360.com

8. Rocket Farm – rocket.farm

9. Mashman Ventures – mashmanventures.com

10. Insercorp – insercorp.com

11. Sullivan Perkins – sullivanperkins.com

12. Webential – webential.com

13. LIVEWEBMEDIA – livewebmedia.com

14. Mystique Brand Communications – mystique.ca

15. J.Schmid – jschmid.com

16. Milia Marketing – miliamarketing.com

17. MG Empower – mgempower.com

18. Studio52- studio52.tv

19. Pure Fusion- purefusionmedia.com

20. YellowDog – yellowdogdenver.com

21. Sooner Marketing Solutions – soonermarketingsolutions.com

22. Pain Free Dental Marketing – painfreedentalmarketing.com

Brands can explore the top branding agencies by location, size, average hourly rate and portfolio on DesignRush.