by Peter Fishburn

By taking the time to answer a few questions, you can better understand what kind of marketing and advertising your business could benefit from most.

Are you trying to build relationships with businesses, clients, prospects?

We are constantly told that building relationships with customers and prospects are what business is built on.  When someone knows you, they are more likely to do business with you.  Refer business to you.  Feel good about you and your business which means more business.

Are you trying to build your brand? 

Brand awareness is important, however, who do you want to know about your brand?  Is it the whole world, your particular state, your county or just your city?  I would guess it’s the people who have the ability to impact your business. You only want to build your brand with the companies you want to do business with.

Are you trying to differentiate your business from your competition?

There is a lot of competition out there, not only from businesses that sell a similar product or service as you but also other options that might be a solution to what your customers are looking for. To be remembered, you will want to stand out.

What kind of advertising will allow you to track results and measure impact?
It is the effective and creative use of promotional items. When you give someone a promotional item you start the relationship building process. They are actually thanking you for advertising to them. Has anyone ever thanked you for any other type of advertising? How you follow up continues the relationship building process and having a plan to do so is very important. People will tend to like your business, do business with you and refer business to you when you use a properly placed promotional item. As you build a relationship with your client, your brand becomes more recognizable and more respected. It is always in front of your audience (up to seven months or more), they are reminded of you every day, and the good feelings they have towards you come to the surface. Finally, you are differentiating your business from your competition.  What has your competition done to say they care?

Giving someone a promotional item does not automatically mean you will establish that relationship.  There must be a plan and a process in place to make your promotion effective, targeted and to achieve the results you want. When you know exactly who you have targeted with your promotion, you can track the results when they contact your company or when they purchase from you. Only then can you measure the results of your campaign, evaluate what worked and improve upon it.

Peter Fishburn has been helping clients achieve positive results with branding for over 20 years. For more information, programs or a consultation on how promotional campaigns could benefit your business, contact Peter at pfishburn@brownandbigelow.com