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3 Ways to Promote Your Brand
It's one thing to put time and energy into conceiving and creating a brand. But without proper promotion, a brand is just a business with a clever concept and an artful logo. The essence of a brand is recognition, something people will see and identify with the company and their products and services. If you aren't actively promoting your brand to the masses then that crucial recognition is still missing. Not everyone can afford to buy ad space on a Stadium Jumbotron or commercial time during Grey's Anatomy. In fact the vast majority of businesses need to be much more creative. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get your name out to the public without having a marketing budget that could feed a third world nation.
Social Media
If you're looking for cheap promotion, there's nothing that beats social media. But of course the trade off on low over-head is that properly using social media to champion a brand is time consuming. Sure you can set up automated programs to follow people and auto-tweet deals and sales pitches, but that's not really going to get you anywhere. If you follow people but never talk to them, re-tweet their updates or start conversations, then you aren't really getting the full benefit. The fact is, people will never notice you if all you do is self-promote. People will notice you however, when you contribute useful insights to a conversation or help them spread their own content. Taking the time to engage with people through social media, in a real way, is the crux of using social media as a business. The formation of real relationships is the in a way the smartest and fastest way to use social media. Because frankly, if you're doing it wrong, you can keep at it for hours a day for infinity without gaining traction. But when you do it right, people will start to pay attention to what you have to say.
Logo Products
Sure, logo products tend to be little trinkets but in their own way they can carry a lot of value. If you have a booth at trade shows or conferences, having swag is almost essential for getting traffic. There is a sea of vendors, and the mildly curious can often be drawn to a booth simply to see what they are giving away. And everybody loves free stuff. The bigger, brighter and more creative your products are, the more attention you can grab and the more you can ingratiate yourself into the memories of causal passers-by.
If you aren't planning to travel, that's ok, you can still use branded items to spread your name. Whether you have a traditional brick and mortar business or an online one, seemingly trivial items can go a long way. It may not seem like pens, pencils or magnets are going to go the distance, but they are an inexpensive way to keep your brand name in front of your customers. When you choose logo products that stay out on desks, getting used often or even better, being passed on to third parties, you are creating a constant little reminder of your existence. Do people choose where they do business based on whose writing utensil they have? No, not necessarily. But if you have a strong business to begin with, they may choose the first one that pops into their minds, and if you're branded notepad is sitting out on their desk, that just may be you.
Community Involvement
Even if you can't "go big" and put your ads in front of a huge captive television audience, there are plenty of opportunities to play to smaller crowds right in your own town. Every home owner knows the value of having a good relationship with the neighbors, and in business the same concept can apply. No, it's not because you want someone to call the cops if they see a masked man carrying a stereo out of your house, but it's because the people who are closest to you can be your biggest supporters. If you're online exclusively, don't worry, you have a community too it's just based in cyber land. In any case, interacting with the community closest to you or in your industry can do wonders for increasing your visibility.
It doesn't cost a fortune to become a community benefactor either. It's actually surprisingly easy to find opportunities to sponsor or participate in events. Whether it's being the benefactor of a local little league team, or donating to a charity event, it's an easy way to present your brand name in a human context. These acts of good will are good for the soul, and business. When you sponsor a person or group you can get customers, links, publicity and good will. With this kind of promotion there are some costs involved, but very few drawbacks.
It doesn't take a lot of money to advertise a business and bolster a brand; all it takes is a little bit of innovation and practical thinking. When you make the most of the low cost opportunities for promoting a brand online, with products and in your community you can get publicity without breaking the bank. Advertising is a tricky business in any industry, because it can be so plastic and impersonal. But when you manage to turn advertising into something that engages, and unites people then you are a brand that not only does good work, but brings people together. And that isn't just a good way to do business, it a good way to live.
Sarah is a freelance writer for Quality Logo Products. Their website caters to businesses looking to create customized branded items. Sarah has been a blogger and marketer for an number of years while also working in brand consulting. |
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