Have you taken the time and spent the money to boldly promote your brand to the civic and business community in your market? If you are not on the first page of a Google search you need to ask yourself…how do I build my brand?
Brand awareness is what you tout. Brand awareness is the goal of every marketer and every company. After 50 years in this industry, I can make the following observation. Overall, we are woefully inept at self-branding. There are two reasons: time and money. We know you have the creative capability, or you wouldn’t be in the business. Still, 95% (I made up that number) of the companies, fail at self –branding.
A dimensional mailing program to 50 or 100 prospects seeking leads is not aggressive branding. It is a benign lead procurement campaign. Leaving a pen on the desk of prospects after a visit is not an aggressive branding campaign, it is a goodwill gesture.
Tossing out 500 tee shirts with your logo, your message, your brand at a sporting event can have a priceless return. Taking a piece of clip art with a theme of creativity and making it your own, then printing it on a tee shirt and getting it to every local graphic artist is priceless. We know people covet “goody” and, I hate to use the word … “bling”. So, bling them your brand. What inspired this writing was a visit to a local B2B networking meeting. There I saw aggressive brand building. A distributor invested in an attractive colored tee shirt. On it was a simple phrase and a creative stick figure illustration - create to be great. They were packed in the form of a light bulb. Their three booth attendants all wore the shirt and they offered one to almost every passerby. I know these will wind up being worn in the business and civic community. I know because the design is something you would buy in a store.
Imprinting a Christmas red tee shirt with a creative cartoon or image, garnished with your logo, and spreading them in your community at holiday time is priceless.
I was impressed a few years ago when I went to the Kutztown Amish Festival in Pennsylvania. I saw billboard/outdoor advertising, branded apparel and event sponsorship all promoting Lasting Impressions in Reading, PA. Rick Mann earned my respect in a big way. He knew how to brand himself better than most I have ever encountered. The jazz concert held in the Reading Arena added to his image through his sponsorship. It took marketing creativity and a bit of cash but his business grew at the expense of his competitors. His name and brand recognition got him immediate hits.
Surely, you can come up with a creative design, place it on a tee shirt and give away a bunch.
Just one clerk in a 7-11 type store can expose your brand to thousands of potential customers. Just one Koozie with your brand and the High School logo can spread your brand into homes and businesses throughout your community.
You know what bold, conspicuous vehicles can spread your image better than I. I am only a supplier. You also know how to co-op your promotion with other businesses to get distribution. I am reminded of calendar advertising. For decades funeral parlors have donated wall calendars to churches in the community. Their brand winds up in homes and is visible where and when needed.
Think big, think bold, think wide, think pragmatic. You need to budget a percentage of your annual sales to marketing. However, if you don’t have a written plan for advertising and marketing, it will not be money well spent. Plan your brand.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.