8 Crucial Apple Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

From the iPhone to AirPods, Apple has proven to be a marketing champion. While it may seem like Apple uses magic, the secret is impressive marketing that any business can implement.

Apple marketing includes everything from impressive visuals and emotional appeals to a strong brand voice and product networks. Every business can learn something from an Apple marketing campaign.

So, what is Apple’s marketing strategy? Below, we will cover eight Apple marketing examples and how you can try them in your marketing campaign. Apple marketing strategies include:

1. Highlight value over price
2. Show, don’t tell
3. Know your customer and their language
4. Be emotional
5. Create networks
6. Employ people-first marketing
7. Keep it simple
8. Create your narrative

Read on to break down these Apple strategies!

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8 Apple strategies to live by

Apple’s marketing is not exclusive to their brand — you can use Apple marketing strategies to see results in your own campaigns. We’ve gathered 8 key Apple marketing strategies that any company and industry can use. Implement the following into your marketing strategy to see the benefits firsthand!

1. Highlight value over price

A unique value proposition (UVP) — also known as a unique selling proposition (USP) — tells prospects why they should buy from/work with you instead of your competitors. Ideally, your UVP will make the comparison clearly without you having to mention your competitor.

Apple marketing leans into its UVP when promoting its products and services, which is crucial in the competitive tech landscape. Instead of pointing out why they are better than Google, Microsoft, or Samsung, they focus inward on how their product improves users’ daily lives.

They are transparent with their pricing, but that isn’t the focus of their marketing. They charge corresponding amounts to the product’s value, and make it seem like the only reasonable option for all that you get.

2. Show, don’t tell

Apple strategies use product placement and reviews to its advantage. Their products have appeared in several TV shows and films, as well as in celebrities’ hands.

While you may be unable to place your product or service in a movie like Legally Blonde or Knives Out, you can get people buzzing about your offerings with reviews.

Using review marketing and gathering your customers’ opinions can help you:

• Understand how people feel about your services
• Improve your marketing strategy by understanding what people like
• Show your customers that you care about their input
• Advertise your success stories to prospects

Influencer marketing can also help you reach more people on social platforms. Finding and working with social influencers can make your product more desirable with real-life examples.

3. Know your customer and their language

Apple is for everyone — at least, that’s how they make it seem. They know who their customer is and how to reach them.

While Apple doesn’t skimp on each product’s technical features, their marketing strategy includes them in language that most people can understand. Instead of listing each privacy feature and the software that supports it, they say, “privacy is built-in.”

You can establish your audience by building target personas and understanding how your customer thinks. When listing your features, keep it simple at first, but give the industry specialists a chance to learn more — just like Apple would.

4. Be emotional

Capturing life’s special moments on a quality smartphone camera. Dancing and listening to immersive music. Calling for help during an emergency. All these experiences appeal to Apple customers’ emotions.

Customers are more likely to commit when they see messages that trigger their emotions — 94% of consumers are more likely to recommend a business they connect with. Apple fits right into people’s lives and improves them seamlessly while helping them enjoy a better experience.

This safety feature appeals to customers’ safety and peace of mind:

When you appeal to customers’ emotions, you connect with them and make them more likely to buy. Think about how people feel when they use your product. Create compelling messages, images, videos, art, and audio that echo those emotions.

5. Emphasize your internal network

Any Apple product is a ticket to a connective world of devices and services. You can access iTunes, AirDrop images to your friends, and use AirPods to listen to your favorite tunes — all while working in the network of Apple devices.

Apple positions its other products as a logical next step. If you have an iPhone, it makes sense to get AirPods. If you want a smartwatch, you can connect it to your Mac or iPhone. Your notifications, data, and storage become one seamless experience.

If you have interconnected products or services, highlight them. You don’t have to push people to buy your entire lineup or commit to multiple services. You should emphasize how they all work together, so you can be the first option if they need something else later.

6. Focus on community

Over time, Apple has garnered a following and formed a community of users so strong that people will camp out and wait for their products. Their brand voice is cool, relaxed, and fun — a partner that can help you take on the world and improve it one day at a time.

People see themselves and their identity in Apple, and owning their products makes users part of a larger community. You can create the same environment no matter what your business does.

Try the following tactics:

• Highlight your users’ experiences on your social media or blog
• Interact with your viewers via comments, tweets, or videos
• Create referral programs that encourage customers to connect friends and family with your business

7. Keep it simple

Above all else, Apple’s marketing is simple. It’s straightforward. It’s sleek.

Investing in technology can be stressful, especially for those unfamiliar with the market. Apple strategies use direct descriptions and images that highlight the benefits.

You can also see simplicity in their product design. They use clean edges, simple interfaces, and limited options to avoid overwhelming their customers.

Here’s how you can echo that simplicity in your marketing strategy:

• Use white space: Don’t clutter your website or marketing materials with tons of text. Make it easy to read and navigate.
• Pay attention to colors: Color improves brand recognition by 80%. Stick to a few branded colors and create attractive, cohesive visuals.
• Choose your high points: Don’t list every single benefit or feature on a product page. Stick to the main ones at the top, and then break each option down later.

8. Create a narrative

Apple is a famous storyteller, which makes them stand out.

Consider the “Misunderstood” ad from 2013. Throughout the holiday ad, a teenage boy is constantly on his phone instead of enjoying time with his family. However, at the end, you see that the boy has been editing a family video on his phone the whole time.

Again, Apple shows how its products integrate to create connections and serve its users. Apple shows how they value family, connection, and closeness, all while pointing to the iPhone to foster those values.

What’s your story? What are your values? Create an “about us” page on your website explaining them, and then echo those values in other materials. Once you outline your values, it will be easier to explain them to customers.

Apple marketing examples in other businesses

Let’s look at a few examples of how other businesses echo Apple strategies in their own way.

Uber’s UVP

Like Apple, Uber paints itself as the ideal solution for users without comparing itself to traditional transportation options. Compared to ordering a taxi, a user can:

• Book a car in seconds
• Pay using cashless options
• Schedule rides in advance

The driver also knows where to go, making it easier to get to your destination. Instead of creating this comparison, they highlight their benefits, leaving users to draw the connection themselves.

Spotify’s user-generated content

Spotify connects with each user and offers unique perks based on the individual. They make their streaming app an experience, much like how Apple’s marketing sells the iPhone as an experience.

One example of their user-generated content is the customized playlists and suggestions that each user can access. Spotify accesses users’ listening data to create weekly playlists with new suggestions, combinations of their favorite artists and genres, and more.

Arizona Tea’s word-of-mouth marketing

Arizona has been around since 1992, and they have managed to keep the brand alive by offering a quality product at an affordable price — 99 cents a can.

While Arizona was making waves before the first iPhone, they are an excellent example of how reviews and word-of-mouth can influence people to enjoy your product.

They also keep it simple like Apple — Arizona uses minimal advertising while maintaining a profit. They don’t go overboard with their marketing strategy. Instead, they focus on the people who enjoy their product and make it accessible.

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