Building your Brand

Integrating online and offline marketing strategies

IntroIt's no secret that branding plays an important role

in the growth and long-term success of a business.

When done correctly, it can boost your business's exposure both online and offline.

The best part is that branding has never been as easy and as affordable as it is today.

This will highlight an integrated online and offline strategy of promoting your brand’s image.

Promoting your brand online

Marketing Your Brand on FacebookPerhaps the best way to develop an online

presence is by creating a business profile on Facebook. Due to the popularity of this social media site and the ease with which you can connect with your audience, it's the perfect place to create a buzz.

Get people to like your brand by seeing that others “like” your brand.

Branding on Facebook – Getting StartedTo get started, you will need to

make a profile for your brand and include some background information on your business.

For example, you might add a brief business history, showcase your employees and explain the types of products or services that you offer.

From there, you will simply need to post content on your Facebook timeline.

What do I post on Facebook? Anything that supports building customer

engagement should or spreads your marketing message can be posted on Facebook

This might include: New promotions Interesting industry content Videos (post them to Youtube first) Pictures And more

Just be sure to keep it interesting and engage your audience by responding to comments.

Promoting Your Brand on Twitter  Twitter is another social media powerhouse that can build

your brand awareness. More simplistic interface than Facebook Less is more – You can’t post more than 160 characters, but this

makes you get to the point. Readers get to view the important material and cut out the fluff. Make the most of this opportunity.

Use your logo as your twitter profile image Interact and retweet posts from other similar, non-competing

businesses

Branding with SEO Another branding technique we will discuss is search engine

optimization (SEO)

To take advantage of SEO, you will need to conduct some keyword research to find targeted phrases to base your content around.

You will then need to incorporate your keywords throughout the body of your content.

SEO requires you to tag your content correctly and to perform some pretty extensive backlinking.

This means creating links on relevant websites that lead back to your business's website. In time, you can expect a sizable amount of organic traffic from this technique. 

Promoting your brand offline

Ways to Promote Your Brand Offline Promotional Products and Giveaways

Contests

Word of Mouth

Hosting Events

Partnering with other companies

Putting logos on floor mats and other items in your office

Handing out flyers

While many businesses focus primarily on newer online branding techniques, more traditional offline ones can be highly effective as well. For example, making promotional products like t-shirts, stickers, and business cards can help you gain momentum and distinguish your business as a unique entity within your industry.

Here are some great ideas for promotional products iPhone holders and accessories Custom USB Flash Drives for data storage Embroidered logo T-shirts Promotional pens

The key is that you are supposed to give the items away for free and hope that they enjoy the item enough to keep it with them. Pens are a traditional recommended giveaway, but with new technology emerging, products like customized USB drives and iphone accessories are becoming more popular.

Giving away items with your logo on it

Market Your Brand with Contests Having contests can also help you make breakthroughs with your

business. For instance, events like raffles or competitions for cash and prizes can help you establish an offline presence within your community.

This technique is effective because of the level of fun that participants often have at these events.

Promote Your Logo by Putting it on a Sign Besides this, investing in a great looking sign for the exterior of

your business is perfect for branding. Doing so should help you stand out and attract the attention of your targeted audience. It's especially helpful when using bold letters or images on the sign.

Create Strategic Partnerships In addition, it's a good idea to form partnerships with other area

businesses. Much like social networking, this is usually an effective way to build business relationships while simultaneously gaining exposure.

To take advantage of this technique, you may want to contact some relevant businesses in your area via email, phone or social media profiles. You can then negotiate some deals that will help all parties involved. 

Integrate Your Branding Efforts Combining both online and offline marketing and branding strategies is

something that is often overlooked. When you integrate your marketing approach, you can maximize results driven from your marketing initiatives.

The best way to build your brand is to customize an online and offline approach around the behaviors of your target audience.

Example: If you’re holding an offline contest, use your online presence to promote it. Sponsoring a race? Then you should be posting updates about the race to your social media channels. Then you should also ask people who attend the race to like you on facebook or follow you on Twitter.

Then, video tape the race and post it to YouTube. Tell the people who attend where they can find the race video.

Brand uniformity is important. Make sure your online and offline branding efforts reflect your company’s marketing goals, culture, and integrity.

Promoting your brand online