What Your Business Can Learn From Apple's Marketing

Back in the day I had an iPod. I had a couple of the different versions over time. Pretty much everyone had one in the early 2000s. Many other manufacturers had their own version of an MP3 player in the same market space, some had better specifications and more features than the Apple iPod, but none were as well known. Indeed, even if you had a Microsoft Zune or a Creative ZEN the chances are that you thought of it as an iPod rather than an MP3 player, such was the omnipresence of the brand.

Why did I buy them? They weren't the cheapest MP3 player around, there were other brands with bigger storage options, the battery life was pretty average, and they didn't always sync very well with non-Mac operating systems. They were marketed brilliantly though. '1000 songs in your pocket' was the tagline. Lots of lovely colours to choose from. They felt robust yet elegant. The message that I could be doing my high-impact cardio session in the gym whilst listening to a motivational podcast downloaded from iTunes (full disclosure, I didn't ever do a high-impact cardio session in the gym..). What I bought was the marketing.

Apple's marketing and branding strategies since their early days in the late 1970s have contributed hugely to them becoming one of the biggest and most recognisable companies in the world, with a reputation for making sleek, innovative, desirable products. So, what makes Apple's messaging so good, and what can you (and I) learn from them with our own branding and marketing?

1. Premium can still be popular. It doesn't have to be a race to the bottom of the bargain bin. Apple products have an air of exclusivity about them, even though they are used daily by millions of users worldwide. This feeling that a customer is buying something 'high-end' has been carefully cultivated over the history of the company. You won't see Apple running a 'Buy One Get One Free' campaign. It's rare that Apple will tell you how much a new product is going to cost. Everything from the packaging to the product itself hints at quality. Owning an Apple product is seen as a lifestyle choice, a symbol of your status, and whilst it comes at a slight premium it isn't completely prohibitive.

   
   

2. Build a loyal community of customers, treat them well and make them feel special. The typical Apple customer will wait for the release of the next iPhone or Mac rather than replace their current model with another brand. They'll even queue outside the stores overnight to be amongst the first to get their hands on a new product on the day of release. The price or specifications of a rival won't sway them. Apple know that as long as they make quality products, and treat their customers to a premium experience whether in-store or on their website, then sales and word of mouth recommendations will look after themselves. This brand loyalty stems from a feeling that their customers belong to a community of trendsetters, nonconformists and mavericks, pushing back against societal and technological standards. Apple's iconic '1984' advert was a perfect representation of this, as was their 'Think Different' campaign in the late 90s.

3. People want to buy solutions to problems. Emphasise the benefits of your product or service rather than just features and specifications. Imagine if the genius (reputedly Steve Jobs himself) that came up with the '1000 songs in your pocket' tagline alongside the silhouetted figure dancing with earbuds in for the original iPod had climbed out of bed on the other side that morning and instead gone with '5 GB of storage, 160 Kbps MP3 format, 60mW output' underneath a photo of the iPod itself. Even adding 'in your pocket' at the end wouldn't really save it. Apple have done the same with their iPhone advertising over the years, for instance emphasising how the camera is clever enough to adjust itself to ambient conditions by showing wedding photos with and without refinement rather than just listing the technical jargon behind it all.

   
   

4. Keep your message simple, clear and memorable. Apple's products are renowned for being minimalist, sleek and easy to use. They apply those qualities to their branding and marketing. The iconic Apple logo was introduced around a year after the company was founded and has remained more or less unaltered (other than changes in colour) for almost 50 years. It's simple but unmistakeable, unfussy and easy to add to products so they are identifiable. You are never in doubt when a character in a movie is using a Mac or an iPhone, it's plain to see. Their marketing campaigns and taglines are equally simple, clear but also stick in the mind. We've already mentioned their '1984' advertisement and their 'Think Different' campaign. There's also the 'Get a Mac' promotion from the early 2000s, and 'There's An App For That' became a catchphrase used by everyone including non-Apple disciples. All of those taglines, and the campaigns that went with them, are short, direct, and pretty much do exactly what they say on the tin (did you see what I did there? Another great tagline that has become part of general language, but is remembered by anyone of a certain age as a plug for Ronseal wood stain).

   
   

5. Create an ecosystem within your product or service range. Apple have built an ecosystem across their entire range of products and devices, making it not only possible, but advantageous, to utilise interconnectivity features from device to device. Whilst rivals such as Google and Samsung now occupy the same territory as Apple on this front it was Apple who were very much in the vanguard and still lead the way when it comes to integration of devices and services. Once a user is first introduced to an Apple device, perhaps a MacBook, an iPhone or an Apple Watch, they quickly see how those devices are optimised to work well together and to connect effortlessly with features and services like iCloud and Apple Pay. Benefits unique to Apple users as a result of this interconnectivity only serve to increase brand loyalty and encourage customers to buy more Apple products and services.

6. Don't be afraid to tell your brand story and show your brand personality. Apple have never tried to hide their modest, almost shambolic, beginnings, with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak assembling the Apple 1 in a garage with scarcely a cent in the bank between them. The company's journey to where it is now is the stuff of legend. The story of perseverance, innovation and risk taking over time only serves to amplify the emotional bond its customers feel, and also emphasises the maverick personality of the brand. People buy into other people much more than they buy into a faceless organisation, this is true more than ever in the 2020s. Small and medium sized businesses can really take advantage of this. Nobody is particularly interested in what you have for breakfast every day, but a little slice of your origin story and your core beliefs can help build trust between you and potential clients.

In summary, whilst very few of us have the size or the reach of a brand like Apple there is no reason we can't learn a couple of lessons from what they do well and incorporate them into our own marketing strategy.

Whether you are a one-person business or a much larger organisation, and whether you are selling a physical product or a service of some kind, think about why someone has found your website or Instagram account. They have a problem they need solving - perhaps they need a device or product to do a specific job (a piece of clothing, white goods, a new coffee maker), or maybe they are looking for someone to provide a service of some kind (a plumber, a restaurant, a copywriter) - make sure your website makes it clear how you can solve that problem for them, and how choosing you will benefit them more than if they went elsewhere.

Use simple, memorable taglines in your advertising. Design a logo that is not too cluttered.

Know your value and don't feel pressured into undercharging for work. If the first question a potential customer asks is 'How much will it cost?' be very wary.

Don't take your customers for granted, treat them with respect and reward their loyalty.

If you offer multiple goods or services then look to see how you can link them together to benefit both yourself and your customers.

Don't try to be too corporate. It worked in the 1980s, but it's a turn off for many customers now - mind numbing call centres and tick-box questions with no room for deviation have seen to that. Be professional but also human in your communication with potential clients.

Apple doesn't just sell products and services, it sells a story, a lifestyle, an experience. We would all do well to take note.