Branding a Small Business Without Paying A Dime


By Mason Hipp


As a young entrepreneur I was always looking for ways to brand my small companies. I didn't want to hire a firm and I was always open to learning. These are some things I've learned along the way that you might find helpful.

My top 5 ways of building a brand for your small business - without paying a dime.

Build a Website A website is something that almost any small business owner can build and maintain on his/her own without too much difficulty. There are a dozen or more free services out there that will not only give you free hosting but help you build a website as well.

Market Your Website Using free directories and forums, begin to grow your web presence so that you start bringing visitors to your website. Also be sure to tell all of your friends, family, and clients about your new website.

Create a Positioning Statement Take an hour or so to sit down and brainstorm. Decide what type of business you have, who you are marketing to, and why you are different from your competition. Take this information and formulate it into a 30 second long statement that you can easily memorize. Now, whenever someone asks what you do, you can project a clear and consistent image of your company. These statements will also assist you in maintaining a consistent image in other areas of your company.

Call or Visit Potential Clients No matter what type of business you are in it can be very valuable to call or visit potential clients or customers. Even though cold calling is usually unsuccessful in getting a customer on the spot - it can be very good at placing your company in their mind. This is what branding is all about. Using your positioning statement above can compound results from this - projecting a consistent image of your company into whatever circle you are in.

Offer Knowledge to the Community Offer to speak out at a local gathering. If you are an expert in your field you should offer at least some of that knowledge to the community in order to further your image. It is relatively easy to find people looking for free speakers - use the opportunity to brand yourself to a room full of people. Another way to do this is to write free articles for magazines or newspapers or the internet. Getting your name out as an expert in your field will increase the public awareness of your brand. For free.

With a little bit of effort and some learning along the way, it is easy for small business owners to profit from even free branding. Try some of these ideas and see for yourself. Branding is not a joke, even for small businesses it is a neccessity


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