Not everyone has the opportunity to spend millions on advertising and become a household name. Especially not when you're just starting out, but you want customers to remember your brand first when they think of a product you make. So how can you make yourself stand out like Coke, Nike, Yahoo, KFC or Dell? Here are 3 simple ways to keep your brand in the minds of your customers.
1. Brand your online presence as a small business. Whatever your business name is, you should also have the .com name.
If you've a retail shop in the real world with the name... Last Drop Coffee Shop, then you should also register lastdrop.com and lastdropcoffeeshop.com. Even if you're just setting up an informational website and not selling coffee online, the additional facet of your brand name can only help.
If you're a self-employed person or hold a position like a real estate agent or insurance agent. You should have yourname.com. Some companies may provide you with web space, such as companyname/journame.com, but if you want people to remember your name, register it as a domain and stick it on your business cards.
2. Put your small business on promotional items that people use every day. Give away calendars, pens, notepads, coffee mugs, watches or calculators with your company logo to be remembered. Most people don't pin your business card to the wall, but a good-looking calendar can be in front of a customer's eyes 365 days a year.
When buying promotional items, think about the things you use frequently. Also, try to be different: If you're handing out pens, use high-quality pens, not cheap ones that get thrown away.
3. If you can't tell the whole world about your small business, at least tell your neighbour. Check out your local market first. For the cost of getting your name out to everyone in the country, you can get your name out dozens of times in your town, and repetition is key. No one remembers things they've heard once; everyone remembers something repeated every day.
For the cost of a Super Bowl commercial, your company's ad could be played 20 times a day in front of a local market for an entire year.
There's a seemingly endless source of local marketing for your small business. Local newspapers, radio stations, phone books. Look at more unconventional venues as well. How about a banner on the left field wall of your local second division team or a press release in a regional magazine?
When considering how to market your business, first try to see through the eyes of the customer. Where are they looking when they search for your product? Are you selling something consumable, when will they want to buy it again, and how can you best keep your company's name in their mind? Be creative. For more information on small business needs, click here
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