Not everyone has the ability to spend millions on advertising
and become a household name. Especially when you're just
starting out, but you do want customers to remember your brand
first whenever they think about a product you make. So how do
you brand yourself like Coke, Nike, Yahoo, KFC, or Dell? Here
are 3 easy ways to put your brand in the minds of your customers.
1. Brand your small business online presence. Whatever your
company name is, you should also have the .com name. If you run
a real-world brick and mortar location named say... Last Drop
Coffee Shop, then you should also register lastdrop.com and
lastdropcoffeeshop.com. Even if you just put up an informational
website rather then selling coffee online, having the extra
facet to your brand name can only help.
If you are a self-proprietor, or hold a position such as realtor
or insurance agent. You should have yourname.com. Some companies
may give you web space like companyname/yourname.com, but if you
need people to remember your name then register it as a domain,
and slap it on your business cards.
2. Get your small business on promotional items that people use
every day. Giving out calendars, pens, notepads, coffee mugs,
clocks, or calculators with your brand on them is a great way to
be remembered. Most people don't staple your business card to
the wall, but a good-looking calendar can be in front of a
customer 365 days a year.
When buying promotional items, think about the things you use
often. Try to be different too, if you give out pens use high
quality ones, not a cheap one that will get thrown away.
3. If you can't tell the world about your small business, at
least tell your neighbor. Look at your local market first. For
the cost of putting your name in front of every person in the
state, you could get your name in front of everyone in your town
dozens of times, and repetition is the key. No one remembers the
things they hear once; everyone remembers something repeated
every day.
For the cost of one super bowl commercial, your businesses
commercial could be played 20 times a day, for a full year in
front of a local market.
There is an almost endless source of local marketing for your
small business. Local newspapers, radio stations, phone books.
Also check out more unconventional spaces. How about a banner on
the left field wall of your local minor league team, or a press
release in a regional journal.
When figuring out how to brand your business, try looking
through the eyes of the customer first. Where do they look when
they want your product? Do you sell something consumable, when
will the need to purchase again, and what's the best way to keep
your business name in front of them. Be creative. Find more
information on small business needs at Small Business
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