You’re a small business owner, and sometimes, you don’t have the budget to do everything you want to do right now, like hire a business coach or a marketing strategist, or even pay for advertising. And if you’re struggling to get in front of more people, here are a few creative ways to increase your brand’s reach.
Today we’re going to talk about a few creative ways to get in front of more people. You have a great business! It’s time guys…it’s time to get in front of more people so they learn about what you do and how you can help them with your services and products.
Thank You Gifts
A benefit to sending thank you gifts to clients is that they’ll appreciate the thoughtfulness. We’ve actually talked to a few business owners who say that client gifts aren’t really worth it because there’s not really a return on investment. But for us, a thank you gift is a thank you gift. The number one priority when it comes to thank you gifts is really about showing gratitude and not really about expecting something in return. However, in our experience, thank you gifts are a great way for clients to think about you in the future.
Our secret to sending thank you gifts that keep you top of mind is the What. You might have heard about food baskets or chocolates for sending gifts…and they’re great! But we love giving gifts to our clients that have their own branding on products. When we send products that are super useful and specific to their business on top of having their own logo on them, they’re excited about it and think of us when they’re using these products. Hey, we’re a branding studio so I know it’s a lot easier for us to do that, not to mention that it just makes sense.
When it comes to your own business, what are some things that you can send your clients something that they would see or use on a regular basis?
Collaborate with Other Business Owners
Collaborating with other businesses that may have complementary services or products is a great way to increase your brand’s reach in a powerful way. Let’s say you are a wedding planner. Maybe you can collaborate with businesses that rent out event spaces. Teaming up with other business owners helps you build your own little network and community. Doing this not only helps your business grow, but it also helps the businesses you partner up with.
Getting in front of their audience helps your business break into areas it wouldn’t have before and vice versa. Another upside to collaborations is that it’s a win-win. You can bring in more business for the people you partner with…but they can help bring in more business for you. It’s a surefire way to build trust by building long-term relationships.
Create a Challenge
Creating a challenge is really fun and a great way to build engagement with people and help increase your reach. If you think about it, it helps people get excited, they want to participate because they want to support your business, and it helps people learn more about what you do.
The excitement of a challenge can build a great buzz around your brand, build a community of people who want to be a part of it, and it helps spread the word about your business. Plus, you can easily leverage people’s platforms by asking people who are participating in the challenge to tag your business on socials or share the challenge with friends to invite others to join in on the fun. It’s always more fun to have a buddy doing the challenge with you.
Wear or Use Custom Swag
It’s exciting to get your own custom swag, am I right? So when you do, wear (or use) them all the time to increase your brand awareness. Whether you’re on vacation, taking a hike with friends, or even going to the gym, wearing swag with your branding on it can be an easy way to feature your business. When people ask about your sweatshirt, t-shirt, or tumbler, you can talk about what you do and who you help. Plus, people are curious in general. If someone sees something they want to know more about, they can easily Google it and look you up.
Not a fan of custom swag? Don’t sweat it. You can create our own custom notebooks, magnets, or maybe even a backpack! Get creative! Just think about products you would normally use and what makes sense to you.
Direct Mail
Direct Mail is a very traditional way to market your business…and some might even say that direct mail is dead. But, when done in a creative way, it’s a great way to increase your brand’s reach. How do you make something that won’t end up in the trash? Think through different ways to create a direct mail piece and ask yourself how you can make something that’s useful or something that’s designed so well that people want to keep it. Maybe it’s a cool postcard, a calendar, or a mini poster. If you can create something people can use on a regular basis, the likelihood of people remembering your business increases. Just don’t forget to tag it with your logo or website.
Let’s face it, digital marketing and how we market our businesses will always change and evolve. Because of that, it makes it that much more important to stay ahead of your competition when it comes to increasing your brand’s reach. By getting creative and leveraging what’s going on in the current marketing space, your business has the potential to get in front of even more people despite feeling like your business is an oversaturated industry.
If you’re needing some help getting clear on who your target audience is, your messaging, or even how to stand out, we have our free 3-day Branding Intensive coming up. Be sure to sign up on the waiting list and get more details.
Until next time,
Happy Branding!
