Log into the news, and you’ll find story after story about the imminent reopening of business in America.
After months of quarantine and stay-at-home orders, governor’s across America are looking at the next step in the fight against COVID-19. Sure, things will be different. There are still social distancing guidelines, protective masks, and health checks, but the people and businesses in our country are looking ahead to hitting the ground running (safely and healthy) once companies get the go ahead to reopen.
Even as we are all excited to get started, we need to recognize that things will be different. We’re not going to be traveling across the world to customer sites. There will be fewer in-person meetings and more Zoom and GoToMeetings in our business dealings. We’ll have to learn to adapt and find new ways to reach and influence customers.
Brand Promotion can help.
What is Brand Promotion
Brand promotion is the strategic application of customized marketing to build a brand identity. It uses cross promotional tactics to develop and support a brand identity, boost your brand, and connect with and influence customers and prospects.
Brand promotion works across multiple channels – digital and web content, promotional material and specialty items like awards, marketing communication, collateral material and tchotchkes, print material and even location marketing. Brand promotion works like another tool in your business kit – the right strategy and skilled application of the tool can help you reach your business goals.
With the changes sweeping across the business world today, reaching and influencing customers feels more difficult than ever. Heading to a coffee shop for a quick meeting or flying across the country for a sales visit is almost impossible. You have fewer options to close a sale and make an impression on a prospect. Companies need to incorporate brand promotion to influence earlier in the sales process and seize an advantage on the competition.
Tips for Using Brand Promotion Today
Brand promotion is a method of informing, influencing and convincing a prospect or customer to purchase a brand’s product or service.
Done correctly, brand promotion has many benefits, including:
- Informing a prospect about a feature, benefit or price.
- Increase demand for your business.
- Separate your product or service from the competition.
- Increase the effectiveness of other marketing efforts, like inbound and content marketing.
- Build a positive brand image.
Today, with limits to engagement for sales, companies are looking for more avenues to connect with prospects, brand promotion is more important than ever before. Here are a few tips for making the most of your brand promotion effort.
The Personal Touch Even While Social Distancing
It used to be the follow-up to a sales phone call might be a business visit and a presentation. A handshake and heading out for a cup of coffee might be all you need to close the deal. Today, an office visit just isn’t possible, and there may not be tables open in the coffee shop.
A personalized piece of marketing collateral can help take the edge off not conducting a visit and provide a personal touch in place of a handshake. Send a short, personalized video after the meeting to go over ideas for the next step in the sales process.
Try providing the prospect a link and password to a special landing page where they can get a behind the scenes look at your product or service. By tailoring your follow-up to the prospect, you can add that personal touch even while social distancing.
Useful in the New Normal
The world has changed, and it’s silly to ignore the changes happening around us. Look at ways you can recognize and support the new normal with your brand promotion.
For example, why not support a charity with your sales efforts? Donate a portion of every sales to a select charity, a local hospital or a group like the Freestore Foodbank. Let the customer select the group to donate to and run the donations like a contest between the charities.
Product and service giveaways is another way to introduce your company to a potential customer without a site visit. Let a prospect test a product or service for a period of time, and then conduct a follow-up call to review the work. Things have changed, but that means there are new opportunities to capitalize on.
Combine Digital and 3D Marketing
A big part of social distancing is physical distance. You can bridge that distance with brand promotion and 3D marketing. Don’t hesitate to send a hard copy of your marketing collateral to a prospect even after they download it from your website. A brochure with a glossy, visceral feel and colorful graphics can get you and your brand in the hands of a prospect.
In the same way, follow-up a sales call with a useful 3D marketing package. Look at filling the package with useful promotional items like a branded notebook that includes questions for the prospect’s requirements analysis. 3D marketing means providing that physical connection to your brand even when you can’t conduct a site visit.
A Bigger Splash than a Business Card or a Handshake
Just because you can’t make an impression on a prospect with a lunch, you can still make an impact. Look at sponsoring promotional contests for prospects, like a sign-up for a free service or even a giveaway completely unrelated to your business. As you are setting up an initial online meeting, mention the giveaway. Collect useful additional information from the prospect to sign up for the contest.
Prospecting can also be done in the age of social distancing. Ask a current prospect for a referral after the meeting, with an offer in exchange for the referral. Look at providing a discount on the first order for a referral, and an additional discount for future orders for more referrals. Over time, you are selling more and prospecting more, with more leads than you know what to do with.
Where Will Business be in the Future?
The world has changed, but in many ways, business is still the same. You still need to provide a product or service that solves a problem for your customers. You still need to communicate that solution to the customer.
Successful businesses know they need to make a connection with a prospect and will use the tools they have available (even in the age of social distancing and face masks) to make that connection.
Strategic brand promotion provides your business the tools to engage and influence customers and prospects, while also building a positive brand image for the company. Adding goals and metrics for your brand promotion campaigns will also allow you to optimize and improve efforts over time, even as you and your company continue to manage current business disruption and new regulations and restrictions.
The world will continue to change, but you can adapt and change with it to stay a step ahead of the competition.
If you’d like to learn more, contact the brand promotion experts at GO2 Partners for a free consultation. Discuss your business goals with a marketing expert, ask about our cutting edge 20/20 Marketing program and how it’s reshaping modern business. See how you can utilize brand promotion in meeting those goals.
