Hop on Spotify or Apple Music, and we guarantee you’ll find a playlist for just about anything – working out, holiday parties, road trips, relaxing in a bubble bath. You get the picture.

Songs have the power to evoke real emotion. Whether it’s Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. when you’re in your feels, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor to keep your spirits high during times of adversity, or Don't Stop Believin' by Journey as your go-to motivational anthem, the right song can make all the difference. Even in the workplace.

You see, the right track can inspire new ideas. It can help you gain clarity and tick off some of those boxes on your to-do list.

Unlike the lyrics of your favorite songs, the digital marketing space isn’t set in stone. It’s a living, breathing entity that moves, grooves, and requires you to continually uplevel your strategy to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success.

To cultivate a thriving marketing and branding strategy, you need to keep your learning hat on and continuously explore new ways to strengthen your game plan. In the spirit of pumpin’ up the jams, here are five songs that can help you improve your marketing and branding efforts.

*Listen to the* *Branding Playlist on Spotify*

“Memories” by Elvis Presley

“Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine”

In an era where consumers are constantly bombarded with a sea of content, storytelling can serve as a powerful tool for forging authentic connections with your audience. As Forbes shares: “Storytelling is a fundamental human experience that unites people and drives stronger, deeper connections. From the earliest recorded history, storytelling was a method used by cavemen to communicate, educate, share, and connect.”

Think about it: why should a potential customer give you the time of day? Enter: storytelling. Story-based marketing has the ability to captivate, motivate, and persuade – all things that are integral to crafting a memorable brand and driving sales.

It’s also an effective tool for cultivating trust and humanizing your brand. It fosters loyalty. It takes an otherwise transactional relationship and transforms it into something meaningful and relatable. Because the reality is: people don’t buy products. They buy stories, lifestyles, and experiences.

So whether it’s stories of “holding hands and red bouquets,” “twilight trimmed in purple haze,” or “laughing eyes and simple ways,” your words have the power to build connections, evoke emotion, and make your brand relatable.

“Can't Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue

From blogging and social media to email marketing and responding to customer reviews, your content should be unique, identifiable, and consistent across all channels in terms of style and tone of voice. Consistency is non-negotiable. Why? Because it’s the secret ingredient to strengthening brand awareness and establishing credibility.

Remember the days of cramming for exams? Everyone had their flashcards in hand, silently quizzing themselves. There’s a reason mnemonic devices like flashcards are so effective – they use the power of repetition. And that’s why it’s important to deliver a consistent experience (even in look and feel) when a consumer engages with your business.

Just think of big-name brands like Nike, Geico, or Apple. Everything from their logos to their TV commercials is instantly recognizable. As Kylie Minogue sings, “I just can’t get you out of my head.” Any brand can adopt the same principle these household names adhere to – and that’s brand consistency.

“I’m a Believer” by The Monkees

“Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried”

There’s A LOT of digital noise out there. And today’s consumers are savvy. They consume so much content that they can immediately spot phony, disingenuous brands. Pretending to care about a social cause, but not actually doing anything about it? Don’t be surprised when you’re canceled. Pushy sales? Not going to cut it.

Being honest, authentic, and even vulnerable is crucial for building trust and driving long-term success. Otherwise, you’ll leave your audience singing: “When I needed sunshine, I got rain.”

From the values your brand stands for to the ‘why’ behind what you do, messaging that’s genuine will always reign supreme. And by leaning on your story – your authenticity – you’ll connect with your audience on an emotional level and immerse them in an experience.

This is how you capture hearts and keep people engaged. Gimmicks or lies can destroy your reputation. And as Warren Buffet infamously said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation but only 5 minutes to destroy it. Keep that in mind to do things differently.”

“Train in Vain” by The Clash

Say hello to one of my all-time favorite songs. Seriously, only The Clash could make a breakup song sound so darn cheerful. Their lyrics – “Did you stand by me? No, not at all.” – are a tale of caution. You DO want to stand by your customers. And you can do so by taking a customer-centric approach to your marketing strategy.

In lieu of putting your products out into the world and hoping someone will take the bait, customer-centric marketing uses personalization and focuses on messaging and content that speaks to the unique needs of your target audience. When you put your customers’ needs first, it can help you attract more attention, convert more leads into business, and bolster retention numbers.

In fact, according to Neil Patel, “Having loyal customers who make repeat purchases can be a major benefit to your bottom line. And, there’s proof. Loyal customers end up being worth ten times their original purchase.”

When you build a community of loyal customers who are happy and actively engaged with your brand, they’ll drive referral business and lower your customer acquisition costs. And keep in mind: your customers are living, breathing people. As their needs evolve, you need to evolve as well.

That means continually listening to their feedback, deploying surveys, and using analytics to make data-driven decisions (i.e. what kind of content are they engaging with, where in the customer journey are you losing conversations, and so on). Investing time in truly understanding the needs, interests, and pain points of your target audience will pay dividends in the long run.

Final Thoughts: “Don't Stop Believing”

Marketing is an ever-evolving discipline. New trends, new technology, and new platforms are always cropping up, and that means you need to stay nimble and adapt as needed. While there’s no cookie-cutter formula for success, these best practices provide a roadmap for developing an effective marketing strategy. And as Journey sings, “Some'll win, some will lose,” but the key is to always build upon these learnings and, of course, “Don't stop believin'.”

Need help with positioning, branding, or breaking into the new era of marketing? A little guidance from an expert can make a big difference to your results. JonesHaus can help you effectively position your brand to build genuine trust and brand loyalty with customers. Contact us today to learn more.