How Can Companies Build Multiple Sister Brands?
When it comes to developing a successful company that spans many websites, there is a lot to consider. You have to establish yourself as a brand, earn the trust of the customers who make up your target audience, and have to present a reason for them to choose you over your competitors, or even competitors in another sector. So, what are some ways in which companies that span multiple brands are able to build a cohesive approach to gaining and retaining customers?
Establish Yourself as a Brand
Once you have one successful brand, it can be difficult to know where to
begin with the establishment of another one. The first brand might be successful and have a following, so the second brand would need to target a different range of customers and provide something different, that can’t be added to the existing offering.
Research and strategic planning at the start can help launch the second brand and keep it the theme of the company, while also appealing to a different group. For instance, Unilever own both Dove and Radox. The former is marketed at women who want a luxurious experience when bathing and keeping clean, while the latter is more unisex and appeals to those who want a refreshing experience when showering – hence the zingier flavors. These brands are owned by the same parent company, but appeal to different branches of the target market.
Earn Customer Trust
Customers will never use a site or interact with a brand if they don’t trust them. Data shows that Facebook actually began to lose users and saw a drop in engagement in its site since the data breach in 2018. Being open and honest with customers can help win their trust, and a degree of transparency can go a long way. A privacy policy that outlines how a user’s
data is collected and stored on the site is also useful in building trust with the company.
Many companies also go down the ethical route to showcase what their company does for the wider world. This could be social issues in the local area, national issues, or even international dilemmas. By showing how the company is primed to do good, customers are more likely to trust that they will be good to them. This includes protecting their personal data and ensuring that, if anything does happen, they warn them early.
Convince Customers to Choose You
Once a potential customer knows of your brand – or the brands of your fellow sister sites – the hard part can be convincing them to evolve into a fully-fledged customer. There are a number of ways that companies do this. Clothes companies Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, owned by Mahmud Kamani, often run promotions for free shipping if you spend a certain amount with them.
Furthermore, streaming services make use of free trials for up to a month for those who haven’t used their platform yet. Also, online casinos like VegasSlots.co.uk, for example, tend to offer welcome bonuses for new customers,
many of these in the form of free spins. These vary from operator to operator, with some offering 10 free spins and others going as far as 70 free spins.
This helps entice customers into using one site over another. Many companies also offer referral points, such as bargain shopping app Shopmium, which offers free cashback for any referrals made, especially if they actually begin using the app.
Building a strong brand and a series of sister brands can be difficult. But, there are many tricks which can help companies gain an edge. Many of these benefit the customer as well – from free trials and welcome offers to ensuring your data is safe. Ensuring cohesion with the brands and sister companies can help the strengths of one spread to the other and create a more loyal customer base. We can see this with parent companies such as Apple and Nintendo, whose every brand is adopted happily by its loyal customers.