11 October 2021
By Roger Jones II
roger@TheCork.ie
As a small business owner, you may believe that branding is better left to big companies. However, the fact is that regardless of how large (or small) your firm is, if you’re in business, you need to think about branding.
Larger corporations can afford to spend more money on branding. However, you don’t actually need a large bank account to come up with an excellent branding plan. There are many things you can do to help your business stand out, get your consumers’ attention, and make your company unique without breaking the bank. Read on to find out more.
Use Networking
Traditional networking is one of the most effective methods to spread the word about your business. Simple things such as giving out business cards and attending live industry events fall under this category. It is also critical to engage your workers in your branding plan and make them realise that they are the face of your company.
The more networking you can do (and this is often free, especially if you use your existing contacts or find a website such as LinkedIn to help put you in front of the right people), the more potential customers, investors, partners, and mentors you can meet. So not only will good networking help you with your branding, but it can help in lots of other ways too.
Use Branded Accessories
Branded clothing such as t-shirts, baseball caps, and even tote bags for shopping is an inexpensive yet highly effective branding method, and you will not only have a uniform for your team – which can help with morale and boost productivity – but you can advertise no matter where you are or what you’re doing.
Not only that, but if you also sell these items to customers, they will effectively be paying you to advertise your business. Whether it’s a bag they take shopping with them every week or a hat they wear all the time, people will see the brand, and eventually, they will start to take notice. You might even consider giving away some branded items such as car stickers using PVC vinyl sticker printing, pens, and mousepads, as this won’t cost you a lot of money but will build your brand much more quickly. Give away a free gift with every purchase, and you’ll also impress your customers, ensuring they come back time and again.
Investing in branded accessories does more than just boost your business image. First, it plays a huge role in marketing your company’s products and services by making branded promotional products available to your clients. Secondly, it creates a connection between your brand and your customers. And thirdly, you can also motivate your workers with branded gifts and increase productivity as a result. Several companies like Dynamic Gift produce various promotional products and corporate gifts for businesses.
Use Social Media
Organic social media marketing on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, among others, are among the most effective low-cost branding strategies. Don’t only use these sites to advertise your offerings, however; this will become very boring very quickly, and customers these days are much less keen on being sold to directly, so it will put them off using you altogether. Instead, share helpful information and news with your target audience.
This kind of content might not be talking about your goods and services directly, but it will help people understand your brand better and become comfortable with you. In that way, they will not only begin to recognize your brand, but they will also be more likely to buy from you.
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