Brand Recognition

As the CEO of a small business with little marketing budget, how do others create brand recognition and loyalty?

[David Sandusky]

Thanks for the question, I hope we can help. It is a loaded question with no information on your business or your personal talents. Getting out there with a consistent brand message can come in many forms and through many channels.

Loyalty: do you have clients/customers? Take care of these people and retain them as happy users of you/your products. Create evangelist about you and your business as a result of excellent service. Consider rewarding existing clients/customers for successful referrals and useful feedback.

Discuss?

Thank you! I understand the need for more information. I may get attacked for this, but I don't have a website to send you to yet. My technology is used by those with water bi-product to treat and as far as I know my customers do not have websites (worth talking about) because it has never come up.

I have been calling prospects and pitching the technology with some success. I know I would have more success if my brand was recognized before I call. The call would not be so cold and I might even get a call! That would be nice!

This site has been helpful as I scan the net for ideas. Thank you! I am thinking Public Relations if I can target my base in a particular media as I think I can in trade publications and more.

[David Sandusky]

Sounds like a great idea to target the niche via publications. Sounds like you are comfortable on the phone...you can call these places yourself and create your own press as long as you have the message they are looking for. If you are not sure or don't have time, you might hire a PR person with contacts in your targeted industry.

Regardless, leverage and make sure your network sees the press! Enjoy!

[Carlos]

Get someone to do the website stuff for you. Do you have supportive friends that can offer you hosting? Do you have good knowledge with computers? Then if you do, get your creditcard/debitcard ready, and buy yourself a domain name. After both fronts are covered, point the nameserver of the host that is serving your site, wait a day, and boom, let your friend not only build the site, MANAGE the site. All you would worry about is paying for the domain name every year, pay your friend by contract, hourly wages, or um .....monthly? Whatever you two decide, pay him, and pay him when its due.

Business owners are now thinking that the internet is all the rage (and it is). So, get this done, because you are only losing customers and "reach" if you don't. You may get customers with phone and "face to face" marketing, but its one equation right now, you need to cover all bases. On top of that, customers want to reach your site for information on your products, and/or services from the comfort of their home, they also want to reach you from that medium, as well.

[David Sandusky]

Originally Posted by Carlos

You may get customers with phone and "face to face" marketing, but its one equation right now, you need to cover all bases. On top of that, customers want to reach your site for information on your products, and/or services from the comfort of their home, they also want to reach you from that medium, as well.

Bingo my man! I know a media/communications company in Denver that does not have a website. They are talented and have many years invested in themselves and equipment. Yet, I have nowhere to send leads. I can't just say call and trust me...the "they don't have a website" is something people can't get past.
oh, and yes, they know they need online presence. It is just not getting done?