When brands begin to fall short and face difficulties either in market share, in their data, on social media, or anywhere, it is usually due to those brands not taking the time to look deeper at things.

On day two of the DigitalSummit Portland 2019 the overall theme that I noticed in the workshops I attended was “Taking a Deeper Look”. In one way or another.

Throughout day two of the conference, all the speakers I saw discussed why brands face difficulties and what successful brands did to overcome their roadblocks. And that is what I shall be discussing below.

Takeaway 1) Take a Deeper Look at Your Data

Data is key in today’s business landscape, especially in terms of marketing, we know this. 

But the first key takeaway that I gathered from my second day at the DigitalSummit conference was that: 

While every company knows that they need to collect data, most don’t know what to do with it. 

A large number of companies and marketers don’t know how to take a deeper look at their data in order to gain the insights that they need to help them succeed. And a huge part of this problem is because companies do not give themselves enough time to take a deeper look at the data to begin with.

The digital marketing world is full of tight deadlines, and unexpected urgent tasks are most likely also a common occurrence. But while meeting deadlines is important, quality takes time. 

So if you want to be able to harness the full potential of your data, instead of just having pages of reports that don’t really mean much, you have to allow the time to take a deeper look into the data. This is because the answers, of what is and isn’t working for you business, will usually be there. But those answers usually won’t be as obvious as you think. 

Think of your data as being like icebergs in the ocean. If you only give yourself time to view what’s easy to spot on the surface, you are bound for trouble sooner or later. Because just like those icebergs the real dangers are hidden deep beneath the surface.

Takeaway 2) Take a Deeper Look at Your Brand

If you’re finding that your brand is really struggling to connect with your target audience, or to gain traction within your business’ niche industry, it usually is due to the fact that you haven’t taken a deeper look at who your brand really is. 

Sure you may have a nifty mission statement, but are you being the most defined version of yourself? Or, “do you have a specific niche identity?”, as Scott Dikkers, the founder of The Onion, stated in his keynote speech. 

What it really boils down to is authenticity. 

Because people have so many options and such easy access to anything, it truly is a buyer’s market. Thus, it is more important than ever to cater to buyers in order to be successful. And a huge thing that digital age consumers want from the companies they shop at, is authenticity. 

If people sense anything contrived or fake they will go shop somewhere else. But it seems that what a lot of Brands struggle with is not necessarily avoiding being contrived. Rather they struggle with taking a deeper look at who they are as a company. They struggle to develop a defined, authentic identity that buyer’s truly want to connect with. 

The last key takeaway from my day two workshops at DigitalSummit, is that playing it safe with your brand identity is almost as bad for your company’s success as being hated. No scratch that, it is worse. 

In order to draw in your target audience like a magnet, and make them love your brand, you have to have a strong identity. Though this identity will naturally end up turning off other people outside of your target audience, that is okay. Because it shows you are eliciting a response from people. If you try to play it safe and “please everyone” you will please no one and begin fade into obscurity. 

So if you find that nothing that you’ve been doing is working, maybe it’s time to take a deeper look at your brand and hone in on your specific niche identity.

Conclusion

The DigitalSummit Portland 2019 conference was a great event, with a lot of fantastic speakers and lessons and I am very grateful that I went. During day two, I was given a great reminder of the importance of taking a deeper look at things. Hopefully these last two takeaways give you nice food for thought to get you going on the right path as well. 

But let us know if this was helpful in the comments below!  And if you’re a brand looking for a digital marketing agency to help you grow your business online, reach out to us here at Anvil Media.