When marketing your brand being seen and heard is one part of the chain that is needed for success, although at times this can be easier said than done.
Starting out you have the time to keep up your appearances and make sure your potential customers are aware of your brand.
However, when you get a lot of work it becomes more difficult to do, especially when all of a sudden you are swamped with work.
What can happen is you drop out of sight or you cut back on the number of times your brand or you appear. Initially you may think it doesn’t matter however over time it can affect your business.
A cliché, but true – out of sight, out of mind.
There are no black and white answers to maintaining the awareness and presence of your brand, however to kick off the discussions here are a few suggestions:
Be where you customers are
This is obvious and the key is actually knowing where your customers hang out and when. Find out, don’t guess and just hope they may turn up. It is likely they are also under time pressure and you will find that they frequent certain places online and offline more often than others and at certain times.
Frequent only a few places
Once you find where they are make sure you turn up on a regular basis and not just do guest appearances in many places at different times.
Work out what you can commit to on a regular basis
The best way is to actually think of how much time if you are very busy you can spare to have a presence. This also relates to sending out newsletters or doing blog posts etc. Think of the minimum commitment you need to maintain your presence and ensure it happens. Technology can help with this area.
Don’t keep adding new marketing tactics
Once you have made a decision as to where and how often you are going to keep up your marketing appearances then don’t just add another to the mix. Make a judgement call if you need to on what you are going to drop.
Large companies know you need to keep up the awareness and presence of brands if you want to be chosen by customers. In small business the same thing applies because if you don’t then competitors are likely to replace your brand in the minds of your customers.
As there are no definitive answers how do you juggle work and keeping the awareness and presence of your brand high in the minds of your customers?
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The Problem of Maintaining Brand Awareness…
When marketing your brand being seen and heard is one part of the chain that is needed for success, although at times this can be easier said than done.There are no black and white answers to maintaining the awareness and presence of your brand. Here a…
Good points Susan. Out of sight out of mind is so true. As you say, it’s better to concentrate on the key online places instead of trying to be everywhere once in a while.
Catarina Alexon recently posted..Would you read an article about yourself
Hi Catarina,
It is a little time consuming at first to find the right places, but it is worth it.
Great suggestions Susan. I especially liked “frequenting only a few places”. This allows me to keep it simple and build higher quality relationships.
Keyuri Joshi recently posted..Sara Tucholsky- 5 Minutes of Must See Inspiration for Parents and Children
Hi Keyuri,
Very good points about keeping it simple and relationships. It is so true.
Branding is more and more about the diligent creation of compelling content and yes that takes TIME! This is why excellent content creators will be in high demand in the near future.
Catherine Lockey recently posted..Startups Score Big with a Strong Marketing Offense!
Hi Catherine,
Content is important and the trick is to find out what is compelling content that customers want.
Thans for your comment Catherine.
Branding so important. I have written about it several times in the last month. Know your brand and stay true to it. Polish the brand and keep up with technology.
Rob
Rob Berman recently posted..Working With A Publicist
Hi Rob,
You are right about knowing your brand and also making sure you have a presence in your customers’ minds.
Thanks for your comment
It is important to visit places frequently if in person or on the web. I signed up for lots of groups on LinkeIn only to find I couldn’t keep up with the conversations.It was good at first because each group had its own personality. I visit some groups more than others depending on the value of the relationships.
Hi Julia,
I did a similar thing and now I have cut back I find it is more beneficial. When you say value of the relationships can you expand on that a little. For example is it where there is more interaction?
I couldn’t help but think “stay the course” while reading this Susan. Great tips. You are so right about being where your customers are (or readers if you’re a blogger). As many here have already mentioned, LinkedIn is a great site for business minded people. Following other bloggers who have complimentary customers is helpful too. I’ve found some great blogs on LinkedIn (like this one).
Sherryl Perry recently posted..3 Tips for Building Awareness & Getting Your Website on Track
Hi Sherryl,
I must admit that the blogs from LinkedIn that I follow like yours have incresed my learning and really enjoy reading and commenting. Your comment about “stay the course” is a great reminder that once you find where your customers are do not flit to another place.
Appreciate your comments.