What is Micro-Branding? Traditionally, the term has been defined as a local brand that serves a specific geographic location or market niche. However, the discipline has evolved to mean much more. The rapid expansion of the Internet has made it possible and sometimes necessary to classify customer groups into more specific and targeted segments. Large companies and organizations are embracing this practice, taking advantage of marketing opportunities directly to meet the needs of specific consumer groups.
In practice, this concept is nothing new. For years there have been lesser known products that have found success with small groups of consumers. Specialty wines, fine arts, niche products, all bought by thousands of people over and over again, but most of us have never heard of them. They are successful thanks to a relatively small group of enthusiasts with high brand loyalty. These products often find a worldwide audience without achieving overall success.
With the advent of inexpensive but powerful search engines, social media, and other direct communication tools, it is now possible for businesses to create products or services that target a very specific group of consumers. By identifying potential consumer groups that meet on online sites and communities, you have the opportunity to exponentially expand the number of people and groups interested in your brand. Simply put, the Internet makes it easy to reach enough people with the same interests to make it worth the cost of producing specialty products that may not be attractive to major markets.
While traditional mass marketing feels unfocused, unappealing, and full of empty promises, micro-branding conveys a personalized message through a unique proposition. Additionally, micro-brand products and services can achieve greater brand loyalty by satisfying a very specific need.
However, there are certainly challenges to the micro-brand approach. The first is to create the correct message. To attract a specific group of consumers, it is essential to get it right. Listening to the target community is imperative to understanding their needs and determining the best way to communicate your brand deliverables. Pay close attention to user experiences and comments to find out where your message or perhaps your brand has failed to deliver on its promise.
But perhaps the most challenging aspect of micro-branding, especially for large companies offering a variety of different products, is not losing brand identity. Care must be taken to ensure that the messages delivered through micromarketing do not contradict the core aspects of the brand. Consumer niches provide a great opportunity, but they are not worth examining if they compromise the underlying brand identity.
