According to Hubspot, lack of budget is the third most challenging aspect that new and seasoned businesses will encounter during their operational life. Unless you have a sizeable capital and are willing to invest vast amounts of money into trial and error, you?ll want to know about the most powerful ways to market your brand, even on a limited budget.
Without further ado, here are the 19 most influential ways to promote your brand:
1. Website Creation
Although you may have been working for months or years on perfecting a service or product, you may have to take things one step at a time. It can be frustrating to gain the necessary market exposure when first starting out, but you need to understand that you?re at the awareness stage of things.
Right now, the best thing you can do it create content which is both helpful and educations, in order for people to know who you are and what you can offer. This process can be seen as a smart way of luring customers in so that when they?re ready to buy, they will look at your brand instead of that of your competitors.
Another important thing for this aspect is generating prospective leads and entertaining people. In fact, reports show that approximately 96% of visitors that come to a website are not ready to buy. To make the purchase a reality, focus on SEO strategies.
2. SEO
Following the point we?ve made earlier unless you?re Apple, Nike, or Google, people won?t be aware of your brand and what you can offer. Although search engines are tailored to fit the user and not the name, without the right popularity, you won?t get as far as you?d like to.
The solution is to focus on SEO (search engine optimization) and finding the right keywords that your current and future clients and customers will use in order to find your service or product.
3. Social media
It is estimated that two-thirds of Americans have a social media profile they use on a daily basis ?that?s more than five times the consumers, especially when compared to the last decade. Amongst the most renowned social media platforms you can find Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram, and many others. What separates each one from the others is the uniqueness of the interactions, meaning that you can focus on what suits you most ?instead of trying to master them all at once.
4. Live Streaming
Daunting as it may sound, social media platforms allow users to engage in live-streaming. Among the personal favorites, you can find YouTube and Facebook, where the intention is for you to build your audience and tell your unique story in real time.
5. Unique Brand
One could say that no brand can be unique anymore due to the influx of information that has bombarded the web world. To an extent, this can be viewed as accurate. However, no person will be able to fully replicate your unique brand identity ?especially if you?re fun, outspoken, outrageous, or charming. This combination of factors, or adjectives, is what makes your brand memorable.
Take, for example, Old Spice. While perfumes and body sprays have been around for a long time, this brand injects humour and personality into commercials. For this reason, people can visually recreate when and where they?ve heard or seen the label.
6. Tell a Story
This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. In order to engage your online audience, get personal. It?s well known that customers respond to emotions, be it admiration, surprise, or anger. Thus, connect with your target audience, and that?s because people buy from people.
7. Influencer Marketing
You?ve probably heard of this technique before, especially since a staggering 75% of marketers are estimated to have used influencer marketing to get their brand better known. To put it into practice, you can make use of blogger reviews, endorsements from reliable brands or experts, and even social media posts. This technique will be successful provided that you focus on telling your story and set realistic expectations.
8. Create valuable content
It?s well-known that customers love great content. But so does Google, and there are many ways to share the products and services you offer ?videos, podcasts, infographics, blogging, and other mediums. This method of marketing your brand will not only generate traffic and increase your revenues but will also make you seen as an authoritative expert on a given topic.
In some cases, business owners are reluctant to produce the content themselves. If this is the situation you?re currently in, it?s important to note that you?re not alone. In fact, many entrepreneurs heavily rely on freelance writers, virtual assistants (VA), or web designers. Because writers are creative and innovative, they can even take old content and give it a new and improved spin.
9. Linkedin Publishing
We have previously mentioned the importance of posting your content on different social media outlets, blogs, and other authority websites. One name we have yet to mention is LinkedIn, a site which, if given the right attention, could end up being a home stream for a multitude of users. Although it?s designed as a professional tool for employees and employers, LinkedIn has gained some extraordinary popularity in the past four or so years. This quality has much to do with the fact that professionals share information, services, and products which they find useful or interesting.
10. Helping others
Providing your target market with useful information is an invaluable advice which will contribute to your brand awareness. Education is one of the most influential and well-used tools to create change, and you can do this through podcasts, online webinars, a free-of-charge class, or an event which people can attend.
Additionally, assist your customers by displaying excellent customer service skills, and have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, where people can seamlessly find the information they need on your website ?rather than going to your competitors.
11. Podcasts
Not everyone likes having their voice heard, but procrastination and thinking inside the box won?t help you market your brand either.
If you?re the proud owner of a brand which offers a niche service or product, it?s essential to maximise on podcasts ?since these industries don?t receive much on the airwaves. Of course, if you have developed a product which is similar to others, it may be hard to grab the attention you want, or it may just take a bit more time. However, don?t knock it ?til you?ve tried it.
12. Giveaways
While it doesn?t exactly qualify as a giveaway, Bluehost really caught our attention here with their 70% discounts. But for it to be a true giveaway it often needs to be a tangible product. It?s a well-known fact that customers feel more incentivized and valued when they receive complimentary gifts. In other words, be prepared and willing to build brand awareness and connect with potential customers by offering small presents ?at least once in a while. It also doesn?t have to cost you an arm and a leg, as online eBooks for example are a great way of achieving the support you?re looking for. Other examples include fridge magnets, pens, key chains, or even small journals.
Social media is another platform on which you can advertise and promote products, offering generous discounts or samples in exchange for honest reviews. Don?t forget about how appealing challenges can also be (i.e., Ice Bucket Challenge) for increasing brand awareness and making people feel involved in your mission.
13. Infographics
What better way to catch a person?s eye than to display fascinating market data in a colorful and bright way? Another bonus is the fact that users are more inclined to listen to this brand building tool since it inspires faith and credibility.
Easy to post and share on social media and easy to read, infographics are a content powerhouse which you should start using today!
14. Car Wraps
Don?t worry, your windows and mirrors will still be visible! However, the rest of the car will be a walking or rather driving advertisement. This powerful way can quickly attract attention to your brand because you can have it sit in busy parking lots, at events, or just around town.
For those who have not yet heard of car wraps, they are customized designs that can cover your entire car, attracting a generous amount of attention to your business or message. If you don?t have the budget to do this for a company car, you can choose to experiment with your own. In this way, you will allow people to become familiar with your brand, slowly but surely.
15. Remarketing Campaigns
Boosting brand awareness wouldn?t be the same without remarketing. In fact, many businesses are placing their ads all across the web ?not only on their websites but everywhere where they could get the much-needed exposure. It?s important for potential customers to see your brand advertised, as this will again create the feeling of authority and trust.
Don?t forget about blogs, podcasts, or social media either, because this will give consumers the feeling that your brand is much larger than it actually is. All in all, remarketing is an excellent way to increase your conversion rate quickly, even starting from today.
16. Paid Social Advertising
You may have heard people say that ?if you can?t beat them, join them?. We understand that it may be increasingly difficult to have an organic social marketing, as there are so many websites already built and out there.
If you?re struggling with this point, you have the option of paid social advertising. While we acknowledge that this isn?t your preference, it?s good to note that some platforms (Facebook and Twitter) are relatively inexpensive for the exposure that they offer. This aspect doesn?t mean that you?ll wake up overnight and see incredible results, but every piece of publicity and familiarity will get you one step closer to achieving your goals.
17. Networking
Networking events such as company parties, trade shows, and other such examples are ideal for increasing brand awareness. Not only will it allow you to get out of the office and mingle with real people, but it will introduce you to potential clients and customers who are there to hear more about different and upcoming brands.
Instead of going to these events with the sole intention of selling a service, open your mind to the prospect of educating yourself, learning from success stories and connecting with people on a personal level.
18. Strong Branding
Although you may want to focus on the critical things, to begin with, it?s important to separate your brand from others, even when first starting out. To get your name and goal noticed, select a logo which highlights your business, products or services, and connects to your target audience.
It?s important to also consider using colors, styles, or shapes which mean something to you, as every single detail will work together in creating who you are.
19. Links to customers
How many times have you purchased an item from a seller who had no reviews? If the answer is less than five times, or even never, there isn?t any need to feel embarrassed. The truth is that not many of us want to be a business?s first customer.
There is an idea behind this aspect, and it?s called social proof. According to research into the field of psychology, humans are always looking for evidence and reason to support their decisions. For example, if you hear that a vendor is reliable, you are more likely to believe they are trustworthy.
Social proof is such a wide-spread phenomenon that word of mouth and online reviews are at the forefront of our businesses ?influencing the buying decision as well.
Conclusion
To sum up, we have presented the 19 most influential ways to market your brand. We understand that this may be a lot to take it, or that you may have already made the first few steps in the right direction.
Last wise words: be patient, give yourself and your customers? time to discover and appreciate your brand.
