The laws of smart brand promotion

What steps as a business owner are you taking as a business owner to promote your brand?

Some business owners have brand promotions down to an exact science, while others struggle with how to spread the word about their products and services.

So, are you one that has it down to an exact science, or are you one of those struggling at each and every turn?

Be on Target with Promotions

You can start out by doing an assessment of your brand promotions to date.

Have they been effective? If not, why are they not gaining traction with consumers? Are you promoting in the right areas, notably with quality blog content and on social media?

In the event your brand promotions need a little kick in the rear, here are some tidbits to help you along the way:

1. Content

First and foremost, you need a strong push when it comes to content marketing. No matter what product or service you offer, it is imperative that you let as many consumers as possible know about it. One way to do this is with stellar content marketing efforts. This begins with your website’s blog. Look to see how often you update it with fresh copy, if the copy is both informative and authoritative, and how you market it to the public. If you do not have the time in-house to write and market your content, consider outsourcing such needs to the pros that do it for a living. Either way, be sure that your content is getting out in front of as many eyes as possible;

2. Google

While there are other search engines out there, more people than not turn to Google when searching for products, services and just about any kind of needed information. As a result, it is critical that your website has a strong Google ranking, allowing you to rank at or near the top when people search for you. Strong marketing content of course helps in this endeavor, as better content means an overall better ranking. If you do a Google search of your brand and do not rank within the first couple of pages, you have plenty of work to do. Better content, properly using social media, and avoid Google penalties (being viewed as a spammer, stuffing irrelevant keywords in articles, not updating your site regularly etc. will land you in a bad ranking position;

3. Social Media

Speaking of social media a moment ago, your brand needs a constant and strong push here. For example, if you’re an injury attorney in the Southeast, perhaps the Atlanta area, you want to stand out from your competitors both with your website and your social media initiatives. When consumers go looking for a truck accident lawyer in Atlanta, you want to rank at the top of their Internet search. Having a steady and authoritative presence on social media is one of the pieces to the puzzle in achieving such a ranking. You should also be encouraging your employees in using social media to help promote your brand. Remember, your employees play an integral role in your company, especially when it comes to representing your brand. Even though some companies are hesitant to let workers use social media while on the job, it behooves you to do the opposite. The more your employees tweet, share, pin etc. regarding your brand, the more potential customers can enter the picture;

4. Customers

Last but certainly not least, always go out of your way to make customers happy (including those individuals that may turn into potential customers down the road). The level to which you go to assist customers goes a long way in determining if you have a successful brand or one that is just so-so. Remember, more and more consumers are turning to social media to voice their opinions about businesses, so treating your customers well can tilt the scales in your favor. If a customer has a beef with your company, settle it as quickly as possible, preventing bad news about your brand from festering online and in-person.

Promoting your brand doesn’t have to be difficult, it just takes some time and ultimately some commonsense.

As a business owner, what are you doing to best promote your brand?

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business and marketing topics on the web.