Your brand is what people will recognize before they ever do business with you (or should, anyway). Just think about it: When Apple launches some new, high-tech product, you may not know anything about what that gadget does or how the technology behind it works, but you likely have favorable expectations of the product because you know Apple’s reputation as an innovator that produces high-quality and stylish personal technology.
You can recognize popular brands before you even see the name of the company on the product or advertisement. Sometimes, you can recognize brands just by the colors or fonts used in an ad. Think about how easy it is to recognize the Disney or Pepsi font even if you don’t see those brand names.
You don’t have to have a huge marketing budget in order to brand your small business. Starting with even small measures can help you start establishing the recognition you need, and you can grow your strategy as your business grows.
Here are a few tools you should be using to brand your small business now:
Branded Products
Everyone loves to get something free, and people will take a mug with your logo on it or a shirt with your company name on it just because you are offering it for free. Then every time they drink their morning coffee in that mug, they will think of you. Every time they go to the gym in that t-shirt, they and everyone else who sees that shirt will think of you.
Thousands of branded products are available, ranging from inexpensive pens to high-quality furniture and electronics. You can buy whatever products your budget allows and have them branded with your company name, logo, slogan, contact information and more. Give out these items at industry events, community events, or employee activities. You can also give them out on social media or as prizes in your online contest.
Consistent yet Scaled Messaging
The Internet has made it easier for businesses of all sizes to reach their audiences. Yet it has also opened up so many marketing opportunities that you may find it hard to keep up.
One mistake that businesses of all sizes make in marketing in this new landscape is to just stamp their logo on everything along with their slogan and contact information. But what works for an email marketing campaign may not work for a social media post, and what works for a social media post may not work for a direct mail campaign.
While you need to be consistent to establish your brand, you also need to remember to scale your messaging. That means having a variety of logos that can be selected depending on the medium. You should have a collection of logos that come with or without the slogan, that are in color and black and white, and that are a variety of sizes and orientations. You should have similar variety in your slogan, colors, and other aspects of your visual branding.
Think beyond the Web
Yes, the Internet does allow you to connect with vast numbers of your audience, and yes, you can connect with many of those people without paying a dime if you know what you’re doing and aren’t afraid of putting in the time.
However, the Internet is not the be-all-end-all. You can’t forget to take your marketing offline to establish your branding in the community, as well. You can easily do this by attending or sponsoring community events, such as local festivals, fundraisers, or school activities. You can also attend industry events, such as conferences, seminars, and workshops.
For offline events, you’ll need to create the right signage to convey your brand, and you’ll need to train everyone who will participate in these events to ensure that they are consistent in their messaging and the way they present your brand’s values.
Branding is an ongoing process, and it requires that you remain consistent in expressing your values and showcasing what makes you unique. Using these simple tips can help you start to get better brand recognition now, and you can slowly work your way toward more comprehensive (and expensive) marketing campaigns that you get you more widespread exposure.
Dan King
IT Marketing Strategist
The Executive Advertising
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Position: It Marketing Strategist
Company: The Executive Advertising
Company URL: http://www.theexecutiveadvertising.com/
Daniel King is an IT and marketing strategist for The Executive Advertising. Daniel has been a developer and marketer for years, and specializes in digital marketing, brand strategy, and ecommerce sales. Daniel has been creating websites since he was a teenager. He has developed entertainment, affiliate, and ecommerce businesses for over a decade. Daniel now oversees marketing and IT operations at The Executive Advertising, a promotional products company located in Hendersonville, TN.