How Martha Stewart Maintains her Brand After 40 Years in the Spotlight

Most people know Martha Stewart from her hit TV show Martha Stewart Living, her magazine or her ultra successful home product lines. Whether they followed one of her recipes or purchased a new set of her ceramic pans, customers have connected with Martha throughout her career and continually welcome her into their homes today.

Ask a younger demographic how they know Martha Stewart and you may get a different response. Newer fans may know her as Snoop’s best friend or the ultimate, OG influencer. The business woman, who continues to reinvent herself,  is proud to discuss her ventures with hip hop artists like P.Diddy, Busta Rhymes and most notably, Snoop Dog.

Part of Martha’s charm, which was on full display at Qualtrics’ X4 Experience Management Event last week, is her ability to stay relevant and in the know after all of these years. She is known now, not just for her home decorating and gardening abilities, but her ability to reinvent herself, try new things and engage with audiences young and old alike.

Martha Stewart’s brand started as a reflection of her own point of view, she shared. Her initial business strategy was to figure out what people need based on what she wants and expects out of a product, style or a set of sheets.

Her products and overall brand are guided by 4 pillars of excellence: quality, innovation, beauty and function. “If you don’t innovate and evolve I think you are not going to make it,” she shared. 

It is this focus on innovation that has kept her relevant. The media mogul shared her experience with technology, touting herself as an early adapter with her first computer, a comically large IBM desktop. It stayed in a rarely used room with its own custom desk, of course.

What she initially thought of as a time-saver, became a business in itself. “I found, oh my gosh, this technology will save us so much time, we can take more time off from our hard work. And in fact it's done the opposite, it has complicated our lives so much. We are all glued to our iPhones,” she joked.

But, her insistence on learning about technology and continually adapting has remained a priority today. Her burgeoning social media presence acts as proof. With 5.7M combined Instagram followers, Martha is able to engage with her fans regularly, offering recipes, organization tips and excerpts from her personal life.

She states, “It is the age of influence. This is the age where you have to reach the broadest possible audience with authentic ideas.” And she has done just that; after more than 40 years in the spotlight Martha continues to connect with her followers and commands a crowd like no other.

Martha’s genuine nature and unabashed honesty makes her unique and likable. But, it’s not just a personality trait — she does her homework. She is not afraid of putting in the work and is determined to continue learning new things. “If you don’t learn something new everyday, which is one of my mottos, you cannot be a good teacher…you can’t really be good at something unless you’ve done your homework,” she states.

Before entering an interview or considering a partnership, Martha Stewart makes sure she is in the know. She works to understand what her audience is interested in and focuses on building her knowledge to remain a good teacher. 

“If you want to sustain your relevance, you have to really think about what is relevant to your audience today and tomorrow, and can you think of what might be relevant next week, or next month or next year?” she shares.

Clearly we can all learn something from Martha Stewart. By doing your homework, asking questions and working tirelessly to understand your audience, or customers, you too can build an ever-lasting brand.

CX teams should also take note — building exceptional customer experiences requires a focus on understanding consumers and sustaining relevance over the long term. It is clear to Martha’s audience that she is working to build these relationships and that comes across in everything she posts on social media, every product she releases and every partnership she enters.

In building your business or personal brand, consider how you can better connect with your customers and don’t be afraid to be bold. In the wise words of Martha Stewart, “You have to know your value, know your worth… if you’re unique, different and fabulous, know it.”