We had the opportunity to post some great general marketing and advertising advice from Brandon Serna, who knows a thing or two about it. His post follows.
While almost all businesses cite improving exposure as a goal, there’s no magical formula to build brand awareness. It takes time, resources and a mix of physical, print and online marketing strategies. Check out some tips to improve your business exposure with blogging, print and online directories, social media and physical signage.
Blogging
Blogging is a free way to greatly increase your organization’s online exposure. If your company already has a blog, develop a content strategy for this communication tool. The marketing community recommends a mix of 50 percent educational, 25 percent publicity and 25 percent promotional content. This means at least half of the blog content should be informative educational about your product/service and industry.
People will return to and share a resource that is actually helpful. 25 percent publicity means sharing stories of your employees, the company’s personality and volunteer work. This gives potential customers a feel for the culture of your organization. Finally, restrict yourself to only 25 percent promotion-focused blog posts (sales, service features, new business development, etc). If you do not already have a blog, WordPress is a free resource to build one. However, integrating the blog into your website provides much better results.
Directories
Ensure that your business is easy to find in both online and print directories. The most important step you can take for improving your business exposure online is to claim and optimize your map listing on Google Places. Google verifies ownership, then allows you to submit information to the listing. Adding social media links, pictures, and videos can help increase your business’ position in the search engine results. Many online directories are free and just submitting your information gives you additional online presence. Start by searching online for “your area+your industry+directories”. Say you are a home builder in Denver: search “Denver home builder directory”. If nothing comes up, broaden the search to “Colorado construction directory” and so on. Some of the more well-known directories may charge a fee for listing or for upgraded listings, and you might request information about the quantity and quality of their site traffic to determine if this is a good investment.
The yellow pages are the most obvious print directory, but also consider your local chamber of commerce publications and industry-specific publications. For example, if your organization is a non-profit, be sure to submit your information to annual giving guides in local newspapers.
Social Media
Social media is no longer a fad, but an essential part of any marketing strategy. It works especially well for local marketing. The key to seeing tangible results from social media efforts is engaging other people in a conversation rather than just posting about yourself. If your company already has a Facebook page, think about topics and pictures to post that are helpful and relevant to your online friends rather than strictly promotional messages. Consider hosting a Facebook contest to increase engagement with your profile. If your organization has many locations, look into Facebook’s parent-child features to see how you can manage multiple pages at once.
Twitter is also a free tool to engage with consumers. Tweeting about industry news and events helps showcase your company’s thought leadership. It is also a great way to receive feedback from consumers who tweet compliments and complaints to you. Some people may be wary of exposing “dirty laundry” online, but think of it as a way to receive free customer feedback and immediately answer someone when they are unhappy with your product or service.
Digital marketers strongly encourage engaging with the emerging social network Google+. Google has begun to show Google+ connections and Place pages in the general search results. Place your product keywords throughout your Google+ profile to increase your company’s visibility in these search results.
Signage And More
The most visual step you can take in improve business exposure is to upgrade signage on and in your location. Dimensional letters, monument signs and digital signage can all perk up your look. Consistent branding and legibility are the two most important aspects of a custom sign. Improving business signs starts at the main building sign, but continues across all the directional, reception and door signs throughout the business to create a consistently branded look.
Improving business visibility doesn’t happen overnight, but employing some or all of these strategies can start your organization down the right path.
Guest contribution by Brandon Serna on behalf of FASTSIGNS, a signage company specializing in decals, banners, campaign signs and many other visual communications services around the world.
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