It’s a difficult time for luxury brands right now. With everything going on in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, the thought of promoting expensive watches, cars, clothing, and other products can seem trivial and even crass.
In light of the trials and tribulations of those impacted by coronavirus, luxury items are not on many consumers’ radars.
But business is business, and all companies must find a way to move forward through the pandemic. Countless small businesses worldwide have collapsed in recent months, and many will struggle to stay afloat after the lockdowns end and the virus has retreated.
With this in mind, luxury brands must find a way to push through the difficult times.
Depending on where you are in the world, things are going back to normal, and consumers are starting to loosen their purse strings. As the economy kickstarts, effective marketing is more important for brands than ever to attract customers, boost brand awareness, and keep business booming.
To get you started on your marketing journey, here are just a few of the most effective ways that luxury brands can market themselves online.
Visual social media
One of the great things about luxury brands is how well they translate to visual content. Pictures of stunning cars driving along mountain roads, sleek watches on the wrist of a beautiful person, or an artistic perfume advertisement.
What these all have in common is captivating imagery that catches people’s attention. Visual social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest are excellent ways for luxury brands to attract customers and boost awareness by targeting online users looking for some visual stimulation.
These products evoke aspirational emotions in those who see them, and they immediately want to capture the feeling of style the product conveys.
Functional website
In this day and age, it is absolutely essential for brands to have a good website. Almost everyone in the world is online, and particularly in the current climate, your website will be the number one way that consumers interact with your brand.
Often, luxury brand websites tend to look stylish but not offer much in the way of content or usability.
One of the most crucial elements of a successful website is that it is responsive. This means that whatever device people use to access your site, it will provide just as good a user experience.
Considering that nearly 60% of all search queries now come from a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, a website that is impossible to read or navigate on a phone will only cause you to lose audiences.
Your website should also be stylishly designed and easy for users to navigate to find the information they need.
Brand heritage
You can’t merely market your brand by telling people what you do. Instead, why not tell them why you exist? People love a good story, and one of the most effective marketing strategies is for brands to use their heritage to tell the stories behind their products.
The difference between a luxury product and any other is quality and status, and a rich heritage gives your product more meaning and appeal in the eye of your consumers. Use your online presence to convey your brand heritage, and you will establish yourself as a leader in quality, luxury, and style.
Paid advertising
At the present moment, there are more consumers online than ever, so now seems like a good time to target online audiences.
Paid advertising, whether through social media sites like Facebook or through Google search, is a highly effective method to target your ideal customer wherever they are on the internet. It allows you to leverage high levels of segmentation to pinpoint extremely specific demographics.
You can target ads to people who like certain brands or who have made specific searches on Google. You can also target people by their job titles, where they live, their hobbies, and even what kind of music they listen to. The possibilities are endless, and it’s a fantastic way to attract new, qualified customers.
Search engine optimization
When someone wants to find the answer to a question, look for a product, or learn more about a brand, the majority of the time they will use Google. That’s why the search engine is a powerful tool to have at your disposal.
Many luxury brands neglect search engine optimization, but it is essential for growing your customer base. Most online users will rarely venture beyond the first page of Google search results, and if your website appears beyond that, you might as well not feature at all.
There are several ways to optimize your website for search engines, but here are just a few suggestions to boost your SEO.
Quality content
It’s an old adage in the marketing world that content is king. This is becoming increasingly true, as the brands that create the best, most valuable content are the ones that succeed. It is not enough to simply promote your products.
You need to provide some value to your audience. Share content that is educational, interesting, and solves their problems. This could be in the form of blogs, videos, whitepapers, social media posts, or infographics.
It should be compelling and eye-catching and give your site visitors a reason to keep coming back and to share your content with others. Here are some tips on how to create world-class content.
There are so many different marketing strategies that luxury brands can adopt. By following these tips and applying them to your own business, you will see great success and will soon recover from any loss of profits caused by the pandemic.
For help implementing digital marketing strategies, consider talking to a luxury branding agency.
