What you don't know could hurt you
As a small business owner, you have many talents, but no specialty skill when it comes to the back office. Starting in 2018 my Janitorial company started feeling the pressure of not having any employees. During the summer of 2018 my company doubled in size. Although I offered higher wages, more flexibility and a family like environment, I struggled to find any candidates that would even show up to an interview.
When I did hire someone, I had to ask them the big question, what made you show up unlike most others? One of the many complaints I heard surrounded small contractors who wouldn't pay. What I was really being told is, as a small business, I hadn't built any trust.
I took that information and applied it, however I ran into another problem. As I asked the questions and built a little trust over the phone, many would show up for their interview, however none would show up for the first day of work after accepting the job and filling out the paperwork.
I have since asked the question, why can Target and WalMart get employees willing to work at a fraction of the wages I'm offering? I have been pondering this question for many months and it wasn't until just recently I understood the answer, Branding!
What do the big box stores do that small businesses don't
Since I closed down my Janitorial business and ventured into video marketing there's been a lot of self-educating as part of the industry learning curve. As an owner of a Janitorial company, I always believed in branding and brand marketing, however I was never approached and I had to manage other parts of the business while neglecting the most important part of building a business.
Big box stores like Target and WalMart do one thing that most small businesses can't or don't, Brand Marketing. Branding is more than just products and services, it also highlights the work culture. Brand Marketing is about telling your story, engaging in causes, and highlighting who and what makes you the best.
What is Branding
In its simplist terms, Branding is your reputation to the community and your customers. A great example of this is Apple. What makes Apple so special, why are people willing to spend $1000 on an IPhone and think they got a bargain? If you ask any Apple user why they bought an Apple, they'll tell you security and quality.
Even a Microsoft Certified individual such as myself will admit Apple uses the best hardware in the industry. What seperated Apple from Microsoft early on was that Microsoft landed a government contract using a 16 bit system that was thought to be more secure than Apple's 12 bit system. Over the years Apple would prove its critics wrong while building a brand image of Security and Quality.
You may ask why this is all important to hiring, here's your answer. People want to work at Apple because its a reputable brand that requires exellence in all aspects of its business. That in turn attracts those who wish to challenge themselves to be the best by working with the best, so Apple never has a shortage of talent. This cause and effect leads to those who are truely the best to be creative and innovative to stand out.
How to Brand Market on a wallet friendly budget
Branding is simple once you wrap your head around the concept everything you do must fit with your Branding Strategy. Ask yourself what does your brand or company stand for? What are the issues or causes that you are passionate about? What impact do you have on your community? What seperates you from your compitition? What type of employees do you want to attract? Answering these questions will help you in deciding how you will market your Brand Reputation.
Once you've got your narative, ask yourself if there's any room for a mascott? I have a friend that I'm helping out with a company called bee-natural.net. Although his logo is a bee, for his mascott we may be using a bear as the primary and the bee as the secondary mascott. This will be important as you label and design your product or service display.
You want to have all of this done before creating your marketing strategy. The answers to the above questions will assist you in creating your own strategy and deciding where you might need help. These questions will help you decide the 5 W's of marekting. Garfield Media has many of the tools and skills neccessary to assists you in your journey of becoming a household name like Betty Crocker or Pillsbury Doughboy.