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Monday, September 10, 2007

3 Easy Ways To Brand Your Small Business Name

by: Adam Kirby

Not everyone has the ability to spend millions on advertising and become a household name. Especially when you’re just starting out, but you do want customers to remember your brand first whenever they think about a product you make. So how do you brand yourself like Coke, Nike, Yahoo, KFC, or Dell? Here are 3 easy ways to put your brand in the minds of your customers.

1. Brand your small business online presence. Whatever your company name is, you should also have the .com name.

If you run a real-world brick and mortar location named say… Last Drop Coffee Shop, then you should also register lastdrop.com and lastdropcoffeeshop.com. Even if you just put up an informational website rather then selling coffee online, having the extra facet to your brand name can only help.

If you are a self-proprietor, or hold a position such as realtor or insurance agent. You should have yourname.com. Some companies may give you web space like companyname/yourname.com, but if you need people to remember your name then register it as a domain, and slap it on your business cards.

2. Get your small business on promotional items that people use every day. Giving out calendars, pens, notepads, coffee mugs, clocks, or calculators with your brand on them is a great way to be remembered. Most people don’t staple your business card to the wall, but a good-looking calendar can be in front of a customer 365 days a year.

When buying promotional items, think about the things you use often. Try to be different too, if you give out pens use high quality ones, not a cheap one that will get thrown away.

3. If you can’t tell the world about your small business, at least tell your neighbor. Look at your local market first. For the cost of putting your name in front of every person in the state, you could get your name in front of everyone in your town dozens of times, and repetition is the key. No one remembers the things they hear once; everyone remembers something repeated every day.

For the cost of one super bowl commercial, your businesses commercial could be played 20 times a day, for a full year in front of a local market.

There is an almost endless source of local marketing for your small business. Local newspapers, radio stations, phone books. Also check out more unconventional spaces. How about a banner on the left field wall of your local minor league team, or a press release in a regional journal.

When figuring out how to brand your business, try looking through the eyes of the customer first. Where do they look when they want your product? Do you sell something consumable, when will the need to purchase again, and what’s the best way to keep your business name in front of them. Be creative. Find more information on small business needs at http://emazin.com/small-business/

About The Author

Adam K has been involved in business advertising and marketing for 11 years, and has help businesses from fast food to fine dining and schools to social clubs make a name for themselves across the United States. His small business site for articles, information, links, latest news and more can be found at http://emazin.com/small-business/

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