COST-EFFECTIVE BRANDING TECHNIQUES THAT YOU CAN START USING TODAY:
1) DEVELOP A STRONG UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION
Imagine yourself sitting across the table from your best Potential
customer. In one sentence -- one very short Sentence -- clearly
communicate how he or she will benefit From doing business with you.
Your message should be clear, the language simple, and it Should be
easy to remember. There's no room for wordy Corporate mumbo jumbo here.
I know this is a
pretty tall order... but your hours of agonizing, writing,
brainstorming, and rewriting will pay Off in the end. This will be the
message that your market Will identify you by and associate you with.
2) TARGET YOUR MARKET
The beauty of running an online business is that you can Reach
literally hundreds of thousands of targeted potential Customers all
over the world -- people who want to buy what You’re selling --
for little or no cost.
It's what has made it possible for small and home-based Business owners
like you to take the Internet by storm and MAKE OUTRAGEOUS PROFITS WITH
VERY LIMITED ADVERTISING BUDGETS.
Why would you turn a blind eye to this CRITICAL ADVANTAGE BY? Spreading
your limited advertising dollars across the entire Web -- trying to
sell your product to everyone -- instead of Focusing on those people
who want to buy from you?
It just doesn't make sense.
So I know I've already mentioned this, but it's worth saying Again.
It's ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that you target your Market.
3) WHENEVER POSSIBLE, MAKE YOUR MESSAGE INTERACTIVE
If you can compel people to actively engage your marketing Message
rather than passively hear or view it, you'll Dramatically increase the
probability that they're going to Absorb it, remember it, and repeat
it.
One of the
best ways to make your marketing message Interactive is through VIRAL
MARKETING. To read a previous Marketing Tips article that explains
exactly what you can do To make your marketing message viral, visit...
http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue33/page1.html
4) BE CONSISTENT IN VOICE, FORMAT, AND DELIVERY
In order to engrave your brand in the minds of your target Market, you
need to consistently repeat your message to Them...
* DESIGN A SIGNATURE FILE that contains your message and Attach it to
the end of every e-mail you send. It costs You nothing and it's an
easy, effective way to repeat Your message to those people you have
direct contact With -- your best potential and repeat customers!
* Your web site design, logos, and graphics should, if Possible,
VISUALLY EMPHASIZE AND REINFORCE your message. Check out the McDonald's
web site at http://www.mcdonalds.com Does that yellow and red look
familiar? Think about how You can similarly use your web site design to
further Impress your brand in the memory of your visitors.
* Your NEWSLETTER CONTENT AND YOUR WEB SITE CONTENT should All
ultimately contribute to your marketing message. There is no room for
distractions like articles or links That don't move you towards your
main goal (to sell your Product, remember?).
5) NURTURE EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS AND SUBSCRIBERS
If they already know you, if they're already familiar with Who you are
and what you do, if they've already bought Something from you, then you
should be building on these Existing relationships.
MAINTAIN REGULAR CONTACT VIA E-MAIL (it's free!), and Consistently
remind them who you are, what you do, and most Importantly, how they
stand to benefit from continuing to do Business with you.
If you play your cards right, not only will you PROFIT FROM THEIR
REPEAT BUSINESS, you may also persuade them to "spread The good word"
to others with similar interests.
6) BE VISIBLE TO YOUR BEST POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
A big part of branding is obviously about getting your name In front of
your best potential customers, so that when the Time comes for them to
buy, THEY'LL CHOOSE YOU OVER THE COMPETITION!
Here are a few powerful ways that you can do this...
* WRITE ARTICLES that contain information that will be of Interest to
your target market and then offer them to Industry newsletters and web
sites free of charge. Web Masters and editors will appreciate the free,
quality Content and you'll get your name and URL in front of Your
target market.
*
PARTICIPATE IN NEWSGROUPS AND DISCUSSION FORUMS where Your target
market hangs out. This is an easy, no-cost Way to develop your
reputation as an industry expert. Simply make yourself available to
answer questions and Provide participants with information that they
will value.
*
SUBMIT YOUR WEB SITE TO THE SEARCH ENGINES AND DIRECTORIES. Also be
sure to search for directories that Are geared towards your industry
and request a listing.
* REQUEST LINKS FROM SITES WHERE YOU’RE TARGET MARKET MEETS. This
is not only a great way to increase your visibility, It’s also an
extremely powerful way to attract large Volumes of highly targeted
traffic -- yet it's frequently Dismissed or overlooked!
* USE BANNER ADVERTISING - IN MODERATION! With well- Designed banners
and a targeted ad campaign, you CAN Make money with banner advertising.
Just be sure to Educate yourself on the latest, most cutting-edge
banner Techniques before getting started.
To read an article on designing effective banners that Really work,
visit... http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue35/page1.html
* START YOUR OWN AFFILIATE PROGRAM. With your own Affiliate Program,
you can enlist an army of affiliates Who will spread your name and your
marketing message? Across the web -- and you don't pay them a cent
until They make a sale.
To read an article on how you can start and profit from Your very own
Affiliate Program, visit...
http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletter/issue19/index.html
DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL:
With branding being hyped as one of *the* marketing Strategies to
pursue right now, I worry that some of you May be steered off-track.
While it's a good idea to be aware of and actively direct How your
e-business is being branded, remember that there is A key difference
between creating awareness and actually Closing sales.
Given the innumerable marketing strategies that you can use To
simultaneously create brand awareness AND draw targeted Traffic to your
web site, there is no reason for you to be Spending your limited
advertising dollars on branding Techniques that don't return a
significant profit.
Avoid being sucked in by the myth that the entire web needs To know who
you are. Focus on your target market and Realize that most forms of
traffic generation ultimately Enhance awareness of your brand.
You are spelling out your brand message, directly and Indirectly, with
everything that you do, say, and sell. About the Author Corey Rudi is
the owner of four highly Successful online businesses that attract more
than 6,000,000 visitors and generate over $5.2 million each year. To
check out his site that's JAM-PACKED WITH THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU
NEED to start, build, and grow your very Own, profitable Internet
business, I highly recommend Visiting
