Your brand is the core of your marketing strategy and your business. It may be challenging to deliver your branding message with limited resources, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, thanks to the limitless tools available on the internet.
Wisely focusing your marketing efforts and resources on some of the most crucial elements of your branding needs should be enough to help you become competitive. Here’s how you can promote your small business while staying within your budget:
1. Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social networking sites are more than just a place to meet new friends, they’re also affordable and accessible marketing platforms for business owners. No notable business in this day and age should operate without an active social media account. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter put you at arm’s reach of your customers, both potential and existing. Learn how you can maximize these platforms to add value to your services. These social networking sites also have free messaging tools that you can use to provide prompt customer support without spending a dime. Find out how your competitors are using social media to strengthen their branding campaign and derive ideas from some of their most effective strategies.
2. Maintain a Consistent Theme
Branding is all about leaving an indelible mark on as many people as possible. To do this, you must have a consistent tone and look that people can easily associate with your brand. When developing your logo, make sure it can be easily recognized on various mobile devices so you can use it on all of your social media accounts. Learn as much as you can about your target market so you can develop an effective and relevant tone on all forms of communication—from social media posts to query responses.
3. Draw Attention to Your Brand With Promotional Campaigns
Use your social media accounts to offer giveaways and spread the word about exclusive discounts to connect with a much larger online audience. There is an emerging demand for online-based digital products such as eBooks and training videos. If you have time on your hands, you can create your own eBook or record your own webinar without spending anything. Scour forums that are related to your niche and take note of frequently asked questions posted by other users. Base your eBook or webinar around the solution you think works best for their dilemma. If you can’t write your own eBook, you can visit websites such as Upwork where you can hire a contractor who can write it for you for $150 or less. But if you really want to save money, doing everything yourself is the best way to go.
4. Be Your Own Ambassador
Creating a personal brand as a business owner will have a significant impact on your company’s brand. Being active on forums and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn is a good opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. You can then use your new found voice to raise brand awareness about your business. Asking your employees to do the same will result in a much stronger presence that can help you achieve your goals much sooner.
5. Elevate Your Packaging
Product packaging is a prime branding platform for businesses. Instead of focusing on trendy design elements, try to give your customers a more holistic product experience beginning with your packaging. Find ways to make more use out of the packaging long after they’ve received the product so users will keep it with them for longer.
To become competitive with your branding, you must be willing to do some of the work yourself. Bigger companies have the resources to hire people who can take care of their branding needs, but you can get the same results by using your native product expertise to trump the competition.