Subtle Marketing Approaches Your Small Business Needs

When it comes to advertising your business, there is a wealth of options at your fingertips. You will often promote yourself without realizing it and reinforce your company’s presence more subliminally. While many more eye-catching methods can be vital in grabbing people’s attention, local businesses, for example, will benefit from both direct and more subtle marketing methods over the years to help build visibility and reinforce their options within the community.

This can be perfect for those businesses that rely on word of mouth over advertisements and need to appeal to a specific customer base who likely may not appreciate more garish methods or use modern applications to benefit from digital marketing strategies.

Branded Merchandise

Branded merchandise might seem like a money drain, but in reality, it can be more impactful than you realize. The humble pen, for example. If you leave them out in reception for people to use, chances are they will grow legs and move from your office. These pens with your branding will then pass hands from one person to the next and be used frequently, putting your company in the forefront of a person’s mind. The same is true for items like mugs and umbrellas that people generally tend to use often but can be reliant on the kindness of others to supply them within a pinch.

The more promotional products you have with your brand name on, the more people will inadvertently be exposed to your company.

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Uniforms

Work uniforms serve a few purposes. Firstly, they are a way of making sure all employees are dressed alike and to company standards. Next, they help customers identify staff members and reduce the need for employees to wear their own clothing, which could become damaged during the working day. But they also can be a more subtle form of advertising. Think of all the places your employees might go when wearing their uniform. How do they travel to work? Will they run errands in their uniform before coming to work or when heading home? Do they use public transport? These are all instances where people will see your company name and branding and be able to form an impression in a person’s mind. This, in turn, will lead them to you when they need something you sell as it will be more familiar to them.

Local Initiatives

Smaller local businesses rely on the community for their business and need to be at the heart of everything to keep going. It doesn’t matter what your business is; whether you are a local bakery, run a mom-and-pop general store, or provide services such as home maintenance and construction, you must be visible to everyone. Working with local charities, plugging your services to help others in need by offering free time and work when the community needs it, sponsoring children’s sports teams, and being a force for good will all get you in the good graces of locals and can be an effective yet indirect approach to placing yourself front and center above the competition.

Working on your marketing strategy isn’t always linear, and sometimes, thinking outside the box and addressing how people are exposed to your company in real life can help you to put more effective measures in place to boost your marketing efforts.