The internet has allowed small businesses to grow quickly than in the past, overwhelming your existing business. Numerous advertisements appear on your phone and the walls along the streets, and paying attention to them is just hard.
So how do you get the limelight? How do you stand out and attract new customers without sounding loud or obnoxious? How can you make your business reach the top when your product or service is already the talk of the town?
This is the case where creative marketing matters as well as the subtle yet effective method to let your customers know about your product or service. For example, you may provide small items that can be used by your customers and attach it with your business logo. It might sound weird that you will be giving out things like key chains and lighters, it can't be denied that they can promote your business very effectively without costing you a fortune.
This idea was very popular with matchbooks. The use of custom matchbooks that is labeled with the bar or hotel's name is a simple and affordable concept used even by smaller private places as one of their marketing techniques.
Now you have more choices than ever and you can have your logo printed on everything from hoodies to backpacks to phone cases. All kinds of businesses should consider promotional products as a small yet vital aspects in their success.
Creating a Brand Properly
As a new business owner, you begin to ask yourself how do you lead the market? How are you unique and what do you offer that no other business can provide? Why should people patronize your product or service rather than the other merchant?If you're done laying out a business plan, it's time to discuss with an Artist about your company logo. Whether you are running a Costume shop or a Tech company, it is very important to have a powerful, straightforward logo since it will be the face of your company.
One of the best examples is the Nike "Swoosh". Seeing the symbol will always remind you of the brand, basketball players and track stars. Undoubtedly, it's one of the most effective, simplistic and noninvasive logos in marketing and media.
There's something scientific about logos that is why some work while others don't. It needs to be a simple, recognizable, visual representation of your business.
You may create at least three prospective logos and ask your friends and potentials customers what they can say about them. The point is, even if you love a concept, it doesn't imply that the public would also think the same.
Economics and advertising budget.
A small business could end up enjoying a "Word of mouth" advertising, but before that happens, the owner should have funds to advertise his or her business so the public will notice it.There are inexpensive yet creative ways to let people know about your business.
As a small business, you might not have a large budget to advertise with and this is understandable as you grow. Don't dump your entire budget in a one time only promotion, instead, look at all of your options and make an informed decision on how to make the most out of your time and money while having the most impact.
By using unique items, there are more options you can use to complement your business' theme. You won't surely worry about meeting your business needs as well as your budget once you consider items like custom printed Bic lighters and phone cases.
The importance of promotions
Most advertisements repeat something to change how people think. If you constantly see a product labeled "Refreshing" multiple times per day, after a certain point you will start to subconsciously associate the two in your mind. When you give people things they can use, they will use them and if you take a look at just about anyone walking by, I can almost promise you they have some form of advertisement on them. The name of a coffee shop on their mug, the name of a band or a sports team on their shirt, the logo of an outdoor company stitched into their backpack. It's all around us to the point that most people don't notice it. Logo lighters are another way to promote your brand. 99centbics.com is one of the best providers you can find for custom bic lighters. These types of Promotions give you a way to remind your customers that "Hey, we are here when you need us" and gives your brand exposure to everyone that see's the item. It's not about getting attention instantly but actually slowly associating them with your product or service.Determine your target market
If you're not using Google Analytics or something similar, you are really losing out on ways to grow your business. This tool will allow you to know exactly who is visiting your site and buying your products and it might not always be who you think.For instance: There was a manufacturer custom high-quality plastic bags who thought his market where places such as bakeries and delis. His sales began to increase when cannabis was legalized in various states. His bags turned out to be an ideal container of cannabis to be sold on the retail market. After seeing this, he decided that his target market should be the same people purchasing his product. Keep in mind, his product never changed, only who he advertised to. Now, his booming sales are hugely contributed by this market by over 90%.
Your brick and mortar customers might be different than your online clients so pay attention to both and adjust your marketing accordingly. Because some business owners believe that they know more than their clients, they just ignore what their clients have to say about their product or service, which is a huge mistake.
As with the logo, you need to take the time to ask them what they honestly think about your business. What's working? What's not? What are their suggestions? Everyone has an opinion and you don't need to jump on every idea that comes across your desk, but at the same time, if you keep on hearing the same complaints or comments from multiple sources, you need to address it.
Using Social Media to your advantage.
Social media is considered a game changer for all types of business and it's vital for you as a business owner to be always updated on it. You might find it confusing at fir but once you have created an account for your business, you just need to spend a couple of minutes per day to maintain your online exposure.Utilizing social media is one of the easiest ways to attract new business since it gives you access and exposure in ways never before possible. Your business will have an online identity and reputation when you set up an account on Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram.
Set up a content where the prizes are labeled with your logo. The contest itself is enough to create a buzz and your logo on the prizes is a free promotion. Another way to use this is to have your customers pose with photos of your products on Instagram.
Learn to play the long game
Once you set up your various promotions, you won't know how your customers will respond to them. Remember, there are people who have spent a lot on advertising but still haven't received a single response. I had a client who printed and passed out over 1,000 stickers with his business logo at an event in the hopes that he would get a sudden upsurge in traffic. It surprised him that what he expected failed to happen that day or sooner. In fact, it took close to a month for him to get a response at all. The stickers are successfully distributed but they still lack the details people need to find his brand, causing people in that event to get around looking for his site.At the same time, by passing out items such as stickers or lighters, items that are inexpensive to produce yet have a long visual life, he's made sure that his logo will be seen repeatedly over the long term by people he wouldn't have reached otherwise. And yes, his logo is clean and it catches people's eye. Sometimes even the best ideas take a bit of time to catch on with the masses.
Remember that building a reputation is a long process. There's no shortcut to achieving a huge client base and becoming a lucrative business. If you start building it today, branding and promotions would significantly help.
Go for gimmicks sometimes
To continue with the example above. He was at a Cannabis industry event and don't want to end up getting lost in the crowd but rather stand out. He also aimed to keep the stickers intact and flawless. He came up with an idea of putting two to three stickers into small plastic bags, where small amounts of Marijuana are usually contained. Instead of his stickers getting lost in the dozens of others being passed out, people had to pay just a bit more attention to his. They stuck out and at the same time, fit the overall theme of both the event and the attendees.Such idea might be add but it never failed to gain a handsome amount of optimistic feedback. Is this a favorable idea for a school function? No, but it's clear that considering the message you will convey is not enough, you should also pay attention to the audience you will promote your brand to.
In Closing
The commerce of today has been so different from that of the past few years. All kinds of businesses have been influenced by such change, starting from bar owners to writers to architects. With the help of today's tools and resources, it is much easier to reach a broader audience and our customers can feel more close to the business.With a strong logo and a little bit of research, you can find products that will promote your brand and business without breaking your budget. Let your business grow by listening to the feedback and comments from your customers. Take time to know them and jot down any marketing ideas you will learn. You can't expect each one of them to be good and the great ones are very less in number and the very best might not sound one at first.
You can use several items where you can put your logo on. Coffee mugs, lighters, hoodies, and phone cases are excellent promotional products you can use not only for building your brand but also your customer base.
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