Do you dream of your brand becoming a household name? Maybe you want to be well known in your town, state, or perhaps your industry. To become well known like the big brands is certainly a goal to aspire to.
Use branding to amplify your strengths and unique talents in the marketplace. Be honest with yourself and what your business is all about. You can’t please everyone. Your business needs to focus on the needs of your audience and stay laser-focused.
Be confident. Be passionate. Be authentic.
Not all brand building is online. We have included tips for both online and off-line to help build awareness for your brand.
Building Your Brand Online
Referral Programs: What are they? A company will offer an incentive to the customer if they bring in new business in the form of a sign-up, client, or customer order. Example: a business offers $50 for every new sign-up that a customer brings in through word-of-mouth, social sharing, or directly through email. This works well for online businesses that offer monthly memberships.
Guest Posting: If your industry has a lot of blog traffic, this could be an excellent way to drive readers back to your website. The key is to create a valuable blog post that would benefit the blog and its audience. If you can provide superior value and knowledge, it is more likely the reader will want to learn more about you, the author. Typically there will be a link back to your website in the “About Author” section.
Infographics & Memes: Social sharing is a great way to expand your reach. Infographics are used to educate your audience on a topic they are interested in. You can also provide statistics and data related to your business, products, and related topics. A meme is an image with text overlay. Sharing inspirational quotes, words, hashtags, and phrases are commonly shared by fans. Remember to include your company logo and website on the image so it can be traced back to you.
Free Content: You can’t go wrong by offering free content that includes your brand logo. These would include free downloads, checklists, images, e-books, or a free trial of your product. You should include your logo and/or a watermark to distinguish it from the upgraded, or paid version.
Online Contests: There are many apps that can help you manage and run an online contest to build awareness and drive social traffic. They will also help you track analytics, giving insight into your customer’s preferences. You can tailor the contest so people “enter” or “vote” by liking your page, sharing the contest with friends, or emailing it to others.
Social Advertising: Sometimes increasing brand awareness comes down to ad dollars. The online space is overcrowded, and building your fan base can feel like an uphill climb. Pick your most popular social media channel and start advertising to jump to the front of the pack. Check your analytics often and tweak your images, descriptions, and keywords to find the ad that resonates best with your audience.
Influencer Marketing: Having the right person share your service or product with their audience can really boost your branding efforts. Consider sponsoring or partnering with an athlete, celebrity, or thought leader in your industry. Keep track of who mentions your products on social media. If someone with a large following likes your product, it would be worth reaching out and forming a relationship.
Building Your Brand Off-Line
Get Local: Getting involved with your local community can boost your know, like, and trust factor. Sponsor a local team, charity, or event to get your brand in front of new people that will help spread the word.
Drive Your Brand: Every time you drive your car or truck you have the opportunity to expose your brand to thousands of new people. There are multiple ways to outfit your vehicle. Try a custom decal, magnetic sign, bumper sticker, or go all out with a car wrap, making sure to include your business name, logo, and website.
Free Products: Ever wonder why businesses give away simple items like pens, notepads, and magnets? It is a great way to keep your brand in front of your customers, in their homes and at the office. How many times have you reached for a pen and noticed that it had a business name and phone number on it? You can get creative with interesting items like water bottles, USB drives, sunglasses, even stress balls.
If you need help taking your brand to the next level we can help, contact us for more information.
