The internet has allowed small businesses to grow quickly than in the past, overwhelming your existing business. Every time you look at your phone or walk down the street, you’re bombarded with a constant stream of advertisements and it’s impossible to pay attention to everything.
So how do you get the limelight? How do you stand out and attract new customers without sounding loud or obnoxious? How can you put your business at the top of the list when people think about your product or service?
Often times it comes down to creative marketing and giving your customers a way to be both constantly and subtly aware of you and your product. A great way to do this is with small items that your customers can use that also has your logo on it. Things like full color branded Bic lighters and key chains might sound odd at first but they are proven to be an inexpensive yet highly effective form of business promotion.
The widespread use of matchbooks is derived from this very idea. It was a simple concept and custom matchbooks with the name of the bar or hotel were affordable enough to were even smaller privately owned places used this as part of their marketing strategy.
Now you have more choices than ever and you can have your logo printed on everything from hoodies to backpacks to phone cases. Whatever type of business you are running, you shouldn’t miss out on giving away promotional products.
Creating a Brand Properly
You might be already wondering, as you establish a new business, how to be better than other businesses? How to have a unique business and products that people won’t find in other business? Why should you be the choice rather than a nearby store?
If you’re done laying out a business plan, it’s time to discuss with an Artist about your company logo. New businesses should have a logo that is clear and dynamic because it will be the first thing to be seen by the public or the online users.
One good example is the Nike “Swoosh”. Regardless of the color or context, as soon as you see that symbol, you automatically think of the brand, of track stars and basketball players. Hands down it’s one of the most effective logo ever created and yet it’s also one of the most simplistic and noninvasive images in media and marketing. That’s why it works so well.
Logos are a science of their own and different people have different ideas of why some work and others don’t. Your logo should represent your business in a simple, recognizable way.
You may start with creating three good logos and ask your friends and potential clients if they like any of them. Just because you love an idea, doesn’t always mean that it translates well to the public.
Cost of advertising
Any starting small business would need some resources to advertise so the business would progress and take advantage of word of mouth advertising in the future.
There are inexpensive yet creative ways to let people know about your business.
If you running a small business, then you might not still have a decent advertising budget. You don’t have to spend on a one time promotion because you can browse other options and determine how to use your time and money wisely without losing the most impact.
Fortunately, you can use unique items to expand your options for the overall theme of your business. Items like custom printed phone cases and Bic lighters would surely go well with your business needs and more importantly, your budget.
Why are promotions so important?
The simple repetition method is used in most advertising to mold the thought of people about a certain product. If you constantly see a product labeled “Refreshing” multiple times per day, after a certain point you will start to subconsciously associate the two in your mind.
By giving people something they can use every day, you somehow allow them to advertise your product when they bring that specific item with them. The name of a coffee shop on their mug, the name of a band or a sports team on their shirt, the logo of an outdoor company stitched into their backpack. It’s all around us to the point that most people don’t notice it.
Through promotions, you are reminding your clients that you are always ready to help them and your brand is more exposed every time someone sees your item. They might not pay attention the first time or the fifteenth but at some point, it becomes an association.
Determine your target market
Business growth is one of your prime goals and using Google Analytics can surely help. You can use this tool to determine your site’s visitors and your products’ buyers and some of them would turn out different from who you expect.
For example: There was a producer of custom premium plastic bags who believed that the ideal markets for his products are bakeries and delis. When various states legalized cannabis, he saw and swing in sales since it turned out that his bags were perfect for the requirements to sell cannabis on the retail market. Seeing this made him decide to advertise his brand to the purchasers of his product. Keep in mind, his product never changed, only who he advertised to. Now, this market generates over 90% of his business sales.
Your brick and mortar customers might be different than your online clients so pay attention to both and adjust your marketing accordingly. Because some business owners believe that they know more than their clients, they just ignore what their clients have to say about their product or service, which is a huge mistake.
As with the logo, you need to take the time to ask them what they honestly think about your business. What’s working and not? What do they want to see more of? You can get different opinions from everyone, but not every idea is worth entertaining. In cases where you receive a barrage of the same comments or complaints, you should find a way to solve them.
Take advantage of Social Media
Almost every kind of business appears on social media today to advertise themselves. If you own a business, they you should be present in this platform as well and be updated always. It can be overwhelming for those who are new to social media, but once you already get your accounts created and linked, you just need to build your online visibility by investing a couple of minutes every day.
You can attract newly established business easily using social media because it provide exposure and access in means you wouldn’t think possible. Your business will have an online identity and reputation when you set up an account on Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram. These are often the first thing that people check when they are looking into a business and no matter what kind of business you operate, this is critical to making a strong, professional first impression.
If you want to get people talking about your brand, establish a contest. For a free promotion, set prizes with your logo labeled on them. Another way to use this is to have your customers pose with photos of your products on Instagram.
Know how the long game is played
How your customers will respond to various promotions is unpredictable at best and often time people get frustrated after spending a ton of money advertising without seeing an immediate response. I had a client who printed and passed out over 1,000 stickers with his business logo at an event in the hopes that he would get a sudden upsurge in traffic. He can’t believe that there were no results that day and after a week. In fact, a response came up after three weeks. Although people had obtained the stickers and they know who gave them, they are still clueless about it so they had to look for this site by asking other people during the event.
Although the results came longer than expected, the items he used such as stickers or lighters and his logo that can be seen many times by many people has been effective in reaching out to people he don’t aim to reach. His logo is clean and eye-catching. Sometimes, the best concepts don’t actually reach the masses quickly.
You can’t expect to have a great reputation later in the morning. It takes years to earn the public trust and be the go to business for what you do. This is why you need start building it as soon as possible with branding and promotions.
Go for gimmicks sometimes
To continue with the example above. He was participating a Cannabis industry and aimed to stand out from the crowd. He also needed a way to keep the stickers from getting damaged. He came up with an idea of putting two to three stickers into small plastic bags, where small amounts of Marijuana are usually contained. People were curious about his stickers and decided to keep it instead of getting passed out along with dozen others. They stuck out and at the same time, fit the overall theme of both the event and the attendees.
Such idea might be add but it never failed to gain a handsome amount of optimistic feedback. Is this idea sensible in a school setting? No, but it’s clear that considering the message you will convey is not enough, you should also pay attention to the audience you will promote your brand to.
Conclusion
The way in which we do commerce has changed drastically over the past few years and it’s affected every type of business from writers to architects to bar owners. With the help of today’s tools and resources, it is much easier to reach a broader audience and our customers can feel more close to the business.
A strong logo and some research are necessary to find products that don’t cost much in promoting your business and brand. You will know the needs of your customers if you read and understand their feedback and opinions on your product and service. Don’t forget to take note of all your marketing concepts. Not all of them will be good and even less will be great and some of the very best might even sound strange at first.
Your logo can be placed on many different items. From coffee mugs to hoodies, to lighters and phone cases, there is an endless way for you to build your brand and build a customer base by utilizing various promotional products.
Custom Full Color Bic Lighters 