Contributed by Alicia Rother
There is no denying that the numbers are pretty grim as far as the Atlantic County economy for 2019 is concerned. Equity, housing, employment and community are all down but there is one thing that you can do to help your small business ride this downturn-adopt smart branding strategies.
Branding Strategies for 2019
As the 2020 Presidential Election kicks in, there is a lot of work ahead to prep up your business for the new economic wave. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that branding strategies are just that – strategies, and the nature of strategies is that they are long term, implementable and should be beneficial for the business. So without delay here are some suggestions:
a. Brand identity
A logo is the face of your brand but it’s not your whole brand identity; it’s a start. If you haven’t got one yet then it’s high time that you do. If you think the sketchy logo that you already have will work then no; it’s time you replace it with a new design that can tell your brand’s message. You can get a logo designed by a designer oruse a DIY logo software to the job – you need to get one.
Not only will you be able to use your logo to create a distinctive brand identity for your small business but you will be able to use it in branding of marketing materials, stationery, website and social media as well. Your brand identity will help channel your business vision, deliver brand promise and speak about your service when you’re not in the room.
Needless to say, a modern logo that is scalable, mobile friendly and vector based will be useful in more than one instances of branding.
b. Move online
Of course a logo alone won’t do the job. You’ll have to get your brand identity out there, and the best way is to get online. There are many ways to get online, one of which is through a website developed to amplify your brand.
With a website, your brand can reach out to more than just the people in Atlantic County. If your business is service based; doesn’t require face-to-face interaction; and not limited by location then this is the best chance to grow your enterprise for the long term. If casinos and sports betting agencies are earning millions online, then so can you.
c. Social Media
In the good old days, creating a buzz had meant going out on the street, gather a bunch of friends to create as much noise as possible. In today’s technological world, the game is on social media. You have to be on social media because that’s the first place that your potential customers will go to check your business out for a thousand and one reasons – Are you an authentic business? What are the reviews like? What are people saying about your brand? Who’s buying your products or services? What are your shop timings? Where are you located? etc. If those are not enough reasons for you to have social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn) created for your small business then I don’t know what does. Be prepared though – social media marketing is hard work and using a social media scheduling tool is imperative to save you time.
Once you set up social media, then you need to have a solid social media strategy in place. Some things to consider are what key metrics to measure success – buzz, leads, conversions, or networking. Then you should work on the content, branding, and voice that you want to maintain for social media channels.
Final Thoughts
These are the three core strategies that you should get to work on immediately in 2019 before you tweak them. Once you are settled with them, then perhaps you can consider integration of chatbots, search engine optimization, voice search, and application development to fully exploit the extent of your brand strategies.
Author Bio
Alicia Rother is a freelance content strategist who works with small businesses and startups to boost their brand reach through creative content design and write-ups. Her area of expertise include digital marketing, infographics, branding, and SEO. For service inquiries you can connect with her here.
The post Branding Strategies to Ride the Economic Waves in Atlantic Country appeared first on SQ Productions.