A message about branding from our sponsor Garfield Media, LLC
Why Do I Believe In Organic Brand Marketing
I grew up in an environment that revered small business owners as much as veteran soldiers. As the years have moved along, I wanted to know the best marketing strategies for my first business many years ago. As a young in business entrepreneur or stuggling small business owner, branding seems like Mt. Everest and costs more money than you have. Fotunately, that couldn't be further from the truth.
As a small business owner, because I committed to brand marketing, I was able to find budget friendly ways to market my business. I have learned over the years that without a brand marketing strategy in place, you'll always be a struggling business owner. What really worked for me was simplifying the termonlogy, which will be covered in a minute.
There are two ways invest in brand marketing. First, you could take the extra time to learn different pieces of software such as the Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Davinci Resolve, etc. so that you can market yourself on a shoestring budget. Secondly, you could hire out the help through individuals such as Garfield Media or other content apps. Unfortunately all inexpensive things must come to an end, you'll only get so far without help from a professional such as Garfield Media or other Marketing and Media companies.
Brand Awareness
What is a brand? A brand could be simply defined as your reputation to the community and what emotions your product or service brings out in current and future customers. Creating your brand image is like creating a personality for your business. Your brand may stand for causes, community involvement projects, or even a movement. Overall, branding is more important than sales because it creates awareness and loyalty.
As a young business, current clients may know the quality of service you offer, future and potential customers are completely unaware. Using a brand mascot allows your business to reach a broader range of potential customers. Think of any character you ever watched on a commercial, for me it was Tony the Tiger and Green Giant. How many years has it been since you've seen that mascot and what could you tell me about that brand?
Instant Recognition
If I used a thumbnail with a cartoon tiger on it, would your brain automatically associate it to Tony the Tiger? When you use a mascot for your branded content, as time moves along, your audience will automatically recognize it.
So what are the benefits of instant recognition? When an individual recognizes your mascot, subconciously all the feelings and emotions towards that mascot reveal themselves during the interaction. Depending how you use your brand mascot, it can be seen as an authority in your industry. Think of McGruff the Crime Dog, when people think of crime prevention, they think of McGruff making "him" as an authority in Law Enforcement.
An even better example would be Wal-Mart's mascot, I think his name is Rollo. Whenever you see a smiley face with sunglasses rolling back a price, subconciously you're thinking about Wal-Mart. There doesn't even need to be a logo or background colors that match for your brain to think about Wal-Mart. What business owner wouldn't want a brand recognized as easily and by all audiences?
Mascot Merchandise
At first glance, you might think I'm a little crazy for this one, but hear me out. Mascot Merchandising is important in your overall brand marketing, here's how.
You can offer prizes of your Mascot such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, or stuffed animals. This creates opportunities for your branded merchandise to increase your audience and brand awareness.
You can offer Mascot Merchandise to your clients, especially new clients depending on the industry you're in. Everyone wants to be part of the club, so Mascot Merchandise allows for subtle opportunities for Us Vs. Them branding strategies.
I think the best part of Mascot Merchandising, if you're successful, is that a company can make a net profit on the merchandising and possibly offsetting the advertising budget. Just like the YouTube, if you're good, you can get paid well.