Small businesses don't generally have the budget or time to compete with the big brand names, like Coca-Cola or IBM. That shouldn't mean the exclusion of "must do" basics to build brand awareness for your small business, via the internet. A brand is defined as a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's goods or services as distinctive from the competition.
What's Your Message?
Brand building for a small business isn't just about the products or services you offer, such as logo, taglines, catchphrases, graphics, shapes, colors, sounds, scents, tastes, or movements. For branding purposes these things are important, to be sure. However, branding is not just about the product but about the perception of the purchaser.
Do People Like You?
For the small business owner branding can be as simple as being "you". Do people like and remember you? Do they speak highly of your business and the way you do business with them? If they do, odds are - they will purchase from you rather than your competition. They will also tell their friends and thereby increase your positive brand image in the marketplace, as well as increase sales.
Join The Discussion
With the increasing use of social networking websites, like Facebook and Twitter, it is a must to participate in the discussion to build brand awareness. By keeping customers informed, offering incentives, and providing one-on-one direct contact with them, a continued following will develop.
Find Your Niche
To start, you may want to consider building your brand using a smaller niche market approach. For instance, if you are a small business offering cleaning services you might want to establish a niche market by specializing in blind cleaning services. Start small and then build brand loyalty and offer your full range of services or products.
Keep In Contact
Make sure you build an email list of your existing and new customers. You also want to make sure your website offers a email sign-up function for a mailing list or newsletter. If you create a mailing list you then have a direct marketing window to notify people who are interested in your products. You can also notify them of new products on your website or specials. Send emails regularly, at least once a month. For brand loyalty to continue to grow you should keep in constant contact with your customers.
Our Conclusion
The small business owner is running short on time, running their business. Here are some simple tips to start branding your company that don't take a great deal of time. After all, you have to reach out to new, potential customers seeking your products or services. Why not continually reach out to your existing customers too?
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