In today’s competitive markets, brand awareness is key to gaining and retaining customers. However, to get that brand recognition, you need a solid marketing strategy that maximises brand exposure in the first place.
This guide will get you started with the basics.
Social media.
It’s not enough to simply have a website nowadays; you must have a social presence too and engage with influencers to share your brand and get it noticed amongst your target audience. Research the platforms that your audience use and spend time developing content that resonates with them.
Look at videos, product explainers, promotional posts, competitions and other forms of online engagement, focusing on shareability at all times. Remember that content can be repurposed across your digital platforms to maximise its lifespan. Hire a social media marketing team member or freelancer who constantly manages your accounts and is available to answer questions, to engage with customers and to use social monitoring tools to see how effective your activity is proving to be.
Influencers.
Social media influencers are a key part of online life and can be considered as sponsorship and endorsements for the Twitter and YouTube generation. You are most likely to consider a professional sponsorship arrangement with an influencer if you are in a B2C market but there are also occasions where a B2B product offer might benefit from this kind of arrangement. A marketing agency can be a good point of call here to help broker a deal and to access the agencies which provide representation for individuals whose following might be a natural link for your brand.
Online advertising.
PPC is a great way to get instant traffic to your website and to put your branded adverts and offers in front of your target customers’ eyes. Really pinpoint your search criteria to ensure that only relevant users will click through to your adverts, to maximise your ROI.
Traditional print.
Yes, the world talks endlessly about digital media now, but print media still has a key place in the marketing mix of most businesses. Think about flyers, business cards, brochures, pull up stands and the other types of material that your customers need to see in order to be aware of you. This could be anything from flyers through a door to handouts at an event or a glossy brochure direct to your prospect’s door.
Signage.
Customers need to be able to find you! Make sure your signage is truly fit for purpose with your logo and basic contact details on it. Invest in quality signage to help customers find you en route and to spot your premises when they arrive. Consider lit signage or digital signage for changing advertising campaigns.
A good printer can help advise on the right kinds of materials for the signage that you are thinking of, weighing up factors such as accessibility, durability and lifespan against cost. Do use a professional designer to ensure that the finish is absolutely perfect and looks suitably professional.
Live Chat.
If you integrate live chat onto your website, this can act as a form of promotion by providing an immediate and excellent customer service touchpoint. There are various software add-ons which can do this for you, using machine-learning when your customer services team are offline and live agents with access to a database of knowledge to help guide your customers to their intended purchase point.
PR.
This is one of the traditional forms of promotional marketing and shouldn’t be overlooked, even in this day and age. The right kind of exposure in well circulated offline and online publications can really position your business perfectly within your target audience’s minds. For example, you might want to share news stories with media relations and journalists about your corporate social responsibility activity which benefits the local community. Or you might just want to shout about a new product launch. Whatever it is you want to shout about, reaching out to friendly journalists who will show you in a positive light allows you to position your brand in the right way.
Promotional materials.
From uber cool branded bags to jazzy stand-out promo umbrellas, these types of marketing giveaways are still incredibly powerful tools for building brand recognition and presence. Promotional items are immediate, instantly recognisable and – ideally – provide real utility and value for their recipients. Every time your prospects or customers drink from your branded mug, pull out your branded pen, umbrella, bag or portable USB, they will be reminded of your brand and will have immediate recall (and so will others around them).
SEO.
Search Engine Optimisation is a long-term online marketing strategy that will help to build your search rankings for certain key terms. Local search is also essential if you have a local business of any kind. It works for promotional marketing if you invest in SEO and keep working on it.
A specialist digital marketing expert can help to identify the right keywords for your target audience and to work on optimisation activities that focus on these and which avoid competing for overly generic terms with bigger brands that already have an established presence. The trick is to be smart, consistent and targeted for the right results.
Conclusion.
The right promotional marketing strategy is essential to maximise and build your brand exposure as part of a wider marketing strategy. Remember to consider all promotional elements within a full marketing mix and track your efforts to measure where you are gaining the most ROI.
You may want to focus on a few activities to begin with, to allow you to see what is working and what isn’t. This will depend on factors such as your marketing objectives, your budget and your available marketing resource. With careful planning, deployment and the measurement of your efforts, you will be far better positioned to plan future investment and efforts.
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