Building a brand takes time and costs money. So, it is often difficult for small businesses to successfully build a brand that works and one that they are recognized for. We understand that your budget is tight and the economy has not been very accommodating lately.
However, there are proven inexpensive ways to increase brand awareness that you can take advantage of. Who says that building your brand has to be expensive? Who says that you need large billboard ads to get the requisite market and brand penetration that you desire?
You do not need to spend tons of cash or have an unlimited advertising budget to become well known by both those who are important in the industry and your target market.
Incentivize Referrals
You probably have a target market or audience already, right? If you do not, this might not work for you. However, if you already have a list of customers and buyers –particularly people who have bought multiple times from you- this will work like gangbusters.
Create an incentive program that will help them get significant rebates, commissions, bonuses and extras from referring people to your business. For instance, if you run a small plastic surgery clinic, you can offer free rhinoplasty to anyone who refers one or two high paying clients to your establishment. Offers like this, particularly when irresistible – the key word being irresistible, can be quite sufficient.
Networking and Trade Shows
If you have not been networking within your industry, now is the time to start doing that. Networking events are great places to meet new leads and buyers. The same goes for trade shows. Attend trade shows and fairs where you display your booth, products and services.
This is in fact, the best way to generate and drum up new business. You may also want to attend trade shows in complementary verticals and industries. Just make sure that your products are relevant to that industry.
Cheap Promotional Products
If you have not been doing this, you have been missing out on an enormous opportunity to change and put your business out there. Start producing promotional products and materials that you can give out to people, whether buyers or not. These products are meant to spread the word about your business and make more people aware of your business.
So, not taking advantage of it is kind of like shooting yourself in the foot. That said, think up a few unique promotional products ideas and talk to a seasoned promotional products creator. You could even ask them for individual ideas and see what they come up with. Promotional products just work.
Research has shown that many people were more likely to purchase products from businesses whose promotional products they have. Here’s an extra tip you should use to get even more mileage from your promotional products: you know how we mentioned attending trade fairs and networking events?
How about you get a list of possible attendees and send them a kit with your promotional products pre-event and then watch how they’ll flock to your booth at the event. Try it and watch what happens.
Do Some Press Releases
Press releases are hugely underrated. Moreover, considering how much traffic and business inquiries they can generate, one wonders why they have not been used more extensively. Lucky for you though, you can take advantage of that by strategically doing a series for your new product launch or use it to get the word out about your business.
It is easy and has the ability to be picked up by news outlets, and doesn’t cost a ton of money. Try doing a press release at least once a month and you’ll see how much mileage you’ll get for a couple of hundred dollars.
This article was written by Oscar King. In the past, Oscar has sucessfully helped many small businesses across the U.S. promote their brands and get them recognized and well known. When Oscar is in Orlando he preffers to use dg promotions for all of his advertising requirements. To learn more about Oscar you can visit his profile on Google+
