How does a customer, prospect or partner develop a deep understanding of what you do, and what you uniquely bring to the table? It’s through your brand: a long developed collection of value statements, graphical representations and work examples that work together to communicate all that your organization offers.
But as William Buffett famously said, “It takes 20 years to build a brand and five minutes to ruin it. If you’ll think about that, you’ll do things differently.” As a small business owner, it is a challenge to find the necessary time and energy to flush out a professional brand. That’s why the team at Bombastic has created our exclusive Brand Building Calendar. With a focus on the 5 top digital marketing brand building tasks, you can quickly take the guess work out of your brand building marketing.
How to boost your branding in 5 core digital marketing areas
1. Keep your website content fresh
Your customers – and search engines – look for updated information on your website to understand what you are up to, and what you offer. Reinforce your mission with updates to your About page, client list, project/product portfolio and blog posts.
And don’t forget: keep your graphics fresh. Photos, videos, infographics and videos are a critical part of communicating to your website visitors. How long have you had that same home page image, we wonder?
How often? Plan on updating your website content at least once a month.
2. Plan for impactful digital advertising
Whether you have seasonal promotions to support, or just need to keep ahead of the competition, plan for digital advertising. Studies have proven that organic search results are incredibly difficult to boost without advertising. Plus, social media platforms are not including organic business posts at the same rate as you might be used to. Setting aside even a small budget for ads on Google, Bing, Facebook, and LinkedIn will ensure you reach a broad audience.
How often? We suggest our clients plan on ads once a quarter, even if you only have $20 to spare.
3. Consciously plan your email outreach
Email newsletters are the rock stars of your customer retention arsenal. They also provide a medium to dive into detail that adds nuance to your branding profile. Plus, you aren’t at the mercy of social media & search engine algorithms that may or may not include a critical branding message in their feeds.
How often? This will vary by your industry and if your business is seasonal, but think of compelling messages to send at least once a month. Be careful, though: sending out repetitive messages can backfire. Keep those emails relevant.
4. Send push notifications through your mobile app
Having your mobile app embedded on your customer’s phone is a powerful tool that often goes under-utilized. Make sure you use push notifications so your app doesn’t get lost on the 6th screen of your customer’s phone. As you add new content and new promotions, have your app do the leg work and let users know.
How often? Don’t over do it. We recommend to send a push notification only when you have a substantial piece of content or offer for your clients. But aim for once a month.
5. Create premium content – often
There’s a golden rule in marketing: Show, Don’t Tell. Creating premium content is the ultimate expression of this rule. Are you a food business? Then regularly create recipes that put your expertise on display. Are you a business consulting firm? Write intriguing white papers that go into great detail and demonstrate your personality. Are you a personal trainer? Video is a perfect medium to show how your knowledge + energy can strengthen your customers.
Without premium content, you will fail to engage your customers on a detailed level, and your brand will be one dimensional. Make sure you take time to lift your eyes from the day-to-day grind and allow yourself the luxury of exploring your brand mission in new and inviting ways.
How often? If you have time to blog or create once a week, that’s ideal. But make sure you are creating premium content at least once a month to really have your brand shine.