Building Your Brand Just Got Easier
For such an overused topic, is there anything new to say? In true 2021 style, the answer is Yes, there’s always something new to think about! The megastores easily weathered out the pandemic vagaries, but smaller businesses have been caught between a rock and a hard place. As they had to close or suspend business along with most of their usual advertising, guess who moved in to fill the gap?
I’d like to look at this through a different lens: Your current dilemma is breaking back into your former customer’s spending routine. Before the pandemic, your customer routinely shopped with you and you enjoyed a fruitful reciprocated relationship. You met your customer’s needs and your business grew. In the disruption your customer turned to another provider, who provided goods, but not a relationship. There is a window of opportunity for you, working yourself back into former circles.
Think about it: Amazon, for example, offers the world at your fingertips, provides next to immediate delivery at no charge, and accepts returns without a murmur of reproach, all great qualities…but there is no face, no voice, no relationship with Amazon. It exists as a blob in the void of the digital world.
You have a face and a voice. You, and you alone, are the key to rebranding your small business. Get your face and voice out there! Be the person who provides the goods and the relationship. Wooing your customers back may be hard and take time, but there are a host of new customers who will resonate with you and your message. Growth will come.
How does that happen?
Be present. Attend community events and meet people, splash your cards around.
Get your face on Facebook.
Tell stories. Put out blog articles and helpful hints. Bring in someone to help you do that while you run your business.
Go old school. I read through all the local advertising circulars. I like to read advertisements put on my doorknob. I like information. I am not the only one.
Invite current customers and friends to share your business. Word of mouth is still a great way to grow a business.
Word of mouth advertising (WOMMA) has a new moniker, and it’s called influencer marketing. Big companies hire influencers to do exactly what I’ve been telling you—splash your business across social media and make you look attractive. Here’s the key: You don’t have to go big. Small local efforts are just as valuable as national campaigns.
Forbes said it this way: Let’s look at the facts. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.
Your neighbors believe one another, and as a small business, you are one of the neighbors. Get your story out there and rebuild your company. Your branding is you, and the ones who will spread word about your business are very, very close. They just need to have the words and experiences to share, which is what your stories will give them. Build a brand with stories and pictures.