Why does it matter?

On average, it takes 7 exposures to your marketing message for someone to take action. That means they might see your ad in the paper, notice your van driving around, hear someone mention you, pass by your shop, see you on facebook and get a leaflet through the door from you before they actually do business with you.

If they are seeing a different ‘brand’ each time, they won’t be sure it’s you. Don’t forget, a lot of this is subliminal … of course people don’t actually count the number of times they see your logo. But if your product is relevant to them, they will notice it and you want to make sure they know it’s YOU they keep seeing, and not some other, similar business.

The right way to do it

A company that does a fantastic job of presenting themselves consistently is a steam fair that visits our village each year. They have lovely, old-fashioned circus style lettering in distinctive red and yellow colouring. Most of the rides feature the lettering. Their vans are fully branded in the same livery. They even have one with a fairground horse on the top! Last weekend, they were arriving for their annual visit, and there were posters all over the town, stating the location, the times, how to get a money-off voucher. Every approach to the green where they set up had a succession of posters. The local paper had a full page advert. They sent out an update on their facebook page. The vans were driving around.

All this activity used the same logo, the same typeface, the same colour-scheme so you were in no doubt it was them that was coming to town. The result was that all my children could talk about was the fair for days leading up to it. All their friends were going, we bumped into neighbours, friends and colleagues there – it is a popular, anticipated event.

How can you create the same impact?

• Make sure you have a copy of your logo in all the file formats you might need (jpeg, gif, bitmap, png – depending on what you need it for – find out!)
• Always use the same colour-scheme
• Always use the same fonts
• Choose an appropriate style and stick with it

Don’t take a gamble with your brand – take ownership of it!

Valid concerns, but if you don’t promote yourself, how will people know about your business?  Don’t worry! A bit of creative thinking goes a long way…

Firstly, consider the following: 

• What does your business need?
• What you want to achieve?
• Who is interested in your product or service?

Then write down everything you would do if you had an unlimited budget (allow yourself to go crazy here – it’s only on paper!)

Then, take a look at your ideas and see if you could adapt them. For example, if you said you’d have a fleet of taxis carrying your company brand, scale it down a bit.  How about getting some magnetic panels produced that you can put on your car?  Or even cheaper, a promotional flyer in your back windscreen (where garages normally put their details).

Instead of a full page advert in the local paper, how about some free editorial?  See my blog for tips on writing a press release.

Rather than an expensive direct mail campaign, consider email marketing.

Do a joint newsletter with somebody else – then you can combine databases and increase your audience.

Team up with complementary businesses to share the cost of advertising or promotions.

Network and tell people what you’re doing, and what you’re looking for.

Search around for good print deals on leaflets and printed flyers.  For example, www.printing.com often have promotions on some of their products.

Take advantage of the free listings you can get on the online directories such as www.yell.com – there are lots out there. To find them, do an online search for your business type and see what comes up.

If you’re clever and apply a bit of thought, you CAN come up with cost-effective ways to get yourself seen and heard on a budget.  Just Do It (and if you need some help, get in touch)