The brand image is why companies like Apple are able to sell a tablet with similar (or lower) specs as the competitors while charging a higher price. When your business is just getting its start it can hard to imagine holding this level of power in the marketplace, but it’s very possible that it can be achieved through the right moves and investments.
Your business doesn’t have the financial backing for big budget marketing and advertising campaigns like Apple, but your business can make valuable moves to improve its brand image on a realistic budget.
Here are some of the different investments that work toward scaling the brand image:
- Redefine the USP –When you developed a business plan you may have worked through a section to help you determine the USP (unique selling point). If it has been some time then it would be worth your while to redefine the USP for your modern audience. By doing so you can connect on their level, which may have evolved since you first made entry into the market.
- A Content-fueled Blog – Each new piece of content created for the blog of your business is another opportunity to share something valuable to your community and drive people into your sales funnel. Content, though, can be difficult to create, which is why outsourcing the work to freelancers can be a worthy investment. Finding the right freelance content developer will not only provide your business with those benefits but more of your time can be spent on bigger activities such as closing B2B or B2C deals.
- Physical Giveaways – The little things really add to the whole experience and when this experience is memorable it increases the chance to keep those individuals as long-term customers. A great way to do this on a budget is by creating physical items that are given away through social channels, during shipping, or a surprise gift. Look for bulk flash drives for sale, which MemorySuppliers.com let’s customize to fit your brand image. Since individuals will use these items often, your business will get prolonged exposure.
- Create a Premium Tier – There are some drawbacks to dividing the community based on different priced tiers but ultimately it will “weed out” those that may actually be using a lot of your time and resources. Essentially what you can do is create a tiered version of your existing product/service that comes at a premium. Not only do you earn more on the front-end but those willing to invest in the higher tiers are far more likely to be devout evangelists to your brand (thus increasing their customer lifetime value). You can approach this by adding items such as faster customer support, larger volume, or additional licenses (for example).
- Associate with Authorities – People shift from brand to brand, frequently, due to the associations. You see this when there is a growth in popularity when an authority figure gets behind a brand (such as an endorsement). By spending the time, energy, and sometimes money to associate with authorities in your industry you are essentially tapping into their market and driving their followers to your brand.
- Get (Really) Social – Take to Facebook, Twitter, and other important social media channels to connect, identify, advertise, and engage with your community. Do so not as a secondary set of actions for your daily routine but as a primary item on your to-do list. Empower your team by allowing them to respond to consumer feedback. Doing so allows your business to reach and satisfy more people in the marketplace along with giving the business a reputation of being extremely helpful, authoritative, and valuable.
There are many investments worth your while, some free and some monetary, that will go toward scaling your brand. It is your job, as the business owner, to envision the long-term gain and start action immediately so not a day is wasted. Select one or two of the items included in this list and see where it takes your business; it can’t hurt to try.