When you first set up your business it is likely that you put a lot into deciding how you want to present yourself to your customers and what you want to offer. It is a time where getting everything “just so” requires a lot of work, but you are excited about the process and it doesn’t seem so bad. After a while though, many business owners and/or managers just want to get on with day-to-day operations and active branding starts to fall off their radar. Unfortunately, businesses that allow this to happen for too long may see negative consequences when it comes to their bottom line. Branding your business isn’t something that is done just once and then forgotten or placed on autopilot.
What is Active Branding?
Active branding is a marketing method that involves action. It can include things like handing out promotional products, interacting with potential customers or clients, and networking with compatible businesses. In short, you are devoting time toward getting attention for your brand, and assuring that the image you present is the one that you want to present.
With active branding, companies consider their entire image and seek to widen their base both deeper into their most popular markets as well as venture into new ones.
Branding can be supported in a variety of ways. Your company logo can be tweaked, and a slogan that reflects your company’s values can be devised. You can change up product packaging, or look for ways to present your product with less packaging to reflect a stronger sense of being environmental consciousness.
Your company website is an excellent place to present your brand to your customers, and assure that you are being seen the way you want to be seen. It is a great place to test out new logos, explore new product ideas, and invite interaction with and amongst clients and customers that will give you ideas on how to evolve your business to meet their needs and keep your own excitement level fresh.
Staying Visible
Regardless of what you do to change up your brand, one thing that needs to always be on your radar is making sure that both existing and potential customers can find you. One of the great things about the active branding process is that it benefits your passive marketing strategy as well. While passive marketing doesn’t require quite as much innovative marketing muscle as active marketing, it is still important. It helps new customers find you in the first place.
Inbound marketing is key for passive marketing and thinks with your potential customers’ needs in mind. It anticipates what they might need and what words they might use to find the services you provide. Using the right keywords in your company blogs and other content can help assure that you are found, but it is the more thought out active marketing, and the quality of your products and services that will keep them coming back for more.
