Four States Small Business Blog

Many company leaders tend to view a marketing budget as a discretionary item, liable to cuts as needed. However, such a viewpoint is ultimately self-defeating. The reality is that a marketing budget is an investment that can yield rich dividends in the near future and in the long term.

When calculating a brand's value, one of the most important metrics is awareness. While most businesses are concerned about raising brand awareness, not everyone realizes that there are different levels of awareness. The most important distinction is between top of mind (or unaided) vs. aided awareness. In order to identify these differences in awareness, you need to ask certain questions. There can be dramatic differences in the results produced from different types of awareness. In one study of car purchasing behavior, a Nielsen study found that top-of-mind awareness drives 90% of purchasing intent. 

Have you ever noticed that some brand campaign efforts focus less on selling a product or service, and more on building a positive awareness and perception of the brand? This is known as brand awareness, and it is a powerful marketing tool. Why? Because people who are ready to make a purchase will turn to the brand that readily comes to mind first.

When it comes to building your brand, the process is not all that different from building a house. 

A call to action, or CTA, tells the reader on your website what you want them to do. CTA buttons are buttons that the reader can click that will direct them towards your conversion goal, whether it is a purchase or a subscription or something else. 

Think for a moment about the impact of the name Porsche or Tiffany’s. 

What is the most valuable property your company can hope to possess or control? Your physical assets may already be quite substantial. But what is crucial to your growth and development is your ability to dominate mental real estate.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”. To grow their organizations, brands need a roadmap. Imagine yourself daydreaming of a vacation in Colorado. If you do not have a roadmap in front of you to help you get there, you will make a lot of wrong turns in your effort to get across the country, and end up wasting a lot of time and energy.

Your products and services are amazing, and your main goal as a small business is to make sure your potential customers know that too. Getting the word out has become a challenging endeavor as competitors crowd the marketplace, so what can you do to stand out? Rather than resorting to the same tactics that everyone else in your industry is using, why not try these secret small business advertising techniques instead? Here are seven fun and exciting ways to increase your advertising, boost your results, and increase sales: