It never ceases to amaze me when talking to business owners about marketing and advertising they always complain about their response rate and not the person that prepared the marketing message. Why the consistent remarks, I wondered? Was it because they didn’t understand the basics, or were they just too thickheaded to understand how marketing and advertising work? In today’s market place, businesses want instant results to their marketing campaigns, but seem to forget that marketing and advertising are just like dating. Yes, dating! When you start dating you get to know the person over time, don’t you? That’s the same approach that should be taken with consumers when you are trying to introduce your products and services to them. My dad, now 82, owned a successful sign and advertising business, established back in 1945, and on more than one occasion he would remind me to never forget to market and advertise my business. He would say: “A business without a sign is a sign of no business.”
Hmmmm. What an interesting thought.
Businesses have to constantly and consistently put their name out there. Show their audience they’re alive. So run the flag up the pole and let them know you are there.
Why Is Branding Your Business Important? Branding will always be an integral part of a successful business plan. Branding allows your company to introduce itself and allows the consumers in your area to get to know your company and everything that comes with it. Business branding does not present just the products, services, and location of the company, but also establishes an image of the business as a whole. The positive image you create for your business will create a lasting recall for the consumers in your area.
People generally buy products and services for two reasons:
1. They need to solve problems. (Practical)
2. They want to feel good. (Emotional)
A solid branding strategy is your answer to helping your customers satisfy each of those two reasons. Give life to your business. People embrace positive thoughts, so create encouraging branding phrases. Messages similar to “You can do it,” or “You too can change”. Customer recall is one of the chief reasons your business brand is so vital. It creates customer preference for your products and services over your competition’s.
Branding must be seen consistently, convey a positive image, be distinct, and clearly describe what your business can do for its customers. When you perform strong business branding and follow up with various marketing activities, your business will grow and you will have the competitive edge.
Are You Wasting Your Advertising Dollars? If you aren’t receiving the results you need and want, the answer may be that the consumers in your area do not have a clear picture of who you are, where you are located, and what great services and/or products you offer. In order to win the loyalty of the consumers in their areas, businesses need to apply two very important branding strategies:
1. Constantly send your message to the consumer.
2. Consistently repeat the messages you are sending.
Solid branding with repetition helps a business with a smaller budget compete with businesses that spend many thousands on advertising. Your marketplace position, your differentiating factor, and your consumer awareness should come first, before you execute any advertising efforts.
All businesses are, or should be, marketing organizations. The problem is most businesses put the proverbial cart before the horse. The cart is advertising; the horse is the branding. When consumers realize a need, the horse has already told them who you are, what products and services you have for them, and where your business is located.
This brings me to a point where I would like to share with you a new marketing medium that will help you with branding your business; it’s called GFA e-Branding and e-Marketing. Our email database is the largest in the nation, totaling over 250 million emails. It includes 100% opt-in subscribers and is updated daily. You can now contact more fitness-minded people for just a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.
Pricing is 1 cent per email sent, which entails sending out your email campaign once a week for four consecutive weeks.
How many email addresses are within a five-mile radius of your location? You might be surprised. Give me a call.
For more information on this subject, give us a call at 925-672-4800 and we will gladly do our best to answer your questions. You can also visit our website at www.globalfitnessassociation.com/info for more information.
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