Five Ways to Promote Your Unique Business Identity

Where's the Beef?

These words became a national catch phrase in the mid
1980's and catapulted the Wendy's hamburger chain into the
limelight as a major player in fast food sales.

Wendy's credits the "Where's the Beef" ad campaign with a
31% jump in sales and a 24% boost in year-end profits.

Not bad for a campaign built on a three-word ad slogan.

Granted, you may not have the budget to build a brand
awareness campaign as Wendy's did, but you certainly should
practice advertising strategies that are built around your
own unique business identity.

Identify Your Uniqueness

If you haven't yet put a finger on the distinct quality
that sets your business apart from your competition, then
you need to get busy. You only need one quality. Just one.

This unique quality that sets you apart from the herd is
your brand. It is the essence - the fabric - that runs
through your operation. It speaks to consumers instantly
about the nature of your service or product, your
reputation, your commitment, your uniqueness.

Once identified, you must be able to clearly communicate
your brand to consumers. There are two easily recognizable
ways to do this: with your logo and tagline.

A branded business has a memorable logo. A straight-
forward example is Ford's blue oval, while a more abstract
example is the Nike checkmark. Your logo is the visual
component of your brand.

The next component is a written or verbal one. It is
referred to as your tagline, and it reflects the exact
position you are assuming in relation to your customer,
your product, and your competitors. Specifically, it
clearly defines the quality which differentiates your
business from competitors while extolling the benefit your
customer will enjoy.

Coca Cola's statement of being 'The Real Thing' is a
classic example of positioning in relation to a competitor.
Clearly, if they're the real thing - the original - then
the other guy isn't. But does this mean anything to
consumers? The benefit to the customer is kind of murky.

For the small business owner it's better to go with a more
narrowly defined tagline that clearly denotes uniqueness.
The sandwich shop Quizno's exemplifies this with their
tagline 'Oven Toasted Tastes Better'.

Five Ways to Promote Your Unique Identity

Your logo and tagline are valuable property. Make them a
visible thread that runs through all your promotions. Here
are five great ways to get your brand name out there in
front of consumers:

1. Give Away Something People Will Expose To Others

Instead of just giving away a freebie that has a one-time
use, provide a valuable service or product that will get
used or seen by other people. I use this strategy by
providing free newsletter templates. At the bottom of the
templates you'll find my brand. It's great exposure and a
wonderful traffic-generating tool.

Free eBooks, free email, free websites, free pens, free t-
shirts, free baseball caps... all these are great examples
of things people use and expose to others. Take a good look
at your own products and services. What can you give away?

2. Encourage Interactivity

We are social creatures. Everyone likes to be included -to
have the opportunity to put in their 2 cents worth.
Encourage people to get involved with your business. Invite
questions, ask for feedback, run a contest, sponsor
teleclasses or chat sessions, or moderate a discussion
board. For every person you make a connection with, you
have created the opportunity to ignite a word-of-mouth
campaign that stretches through everyone they know.

Take a peek at Pepsi.com for a look at brand marketing
through interactivity. On their home page they are actively
recruiting every carbonated beverage drinker on the planet
to "make a difference" and become a Pepsi Advisor.

Strawberry/Kiwi Pepsi. What do you think? Pssst... tell
your friends!

3. Brand Your Digital and Print Communications

If you type it, write it, or touch it... brand it. If
you're within breathing distance of it - try to brand it.
Leave evidence of your unique business identity everywhere
you can. Your website, all your outgoing postal mail, and
all electronic mail should include your business name or
logo, your tagline, email address, website URL, phone
number, and mailing address. And a handy supply of business
cards is a must any time you leave the office.

4. Give Away Your Knowledge

Writing articles and making them available for reprint is
an especially powerful method of spreading your name.
Published articles often remain in the public eye for
years. I have dozens of articles on numerous sites, all of
them tirelessly promoting my business without any effort on
my part. One article in particular that was published in
Success Digest over 3 years ago still brings in traffic to
this day.

5. Make it Easy For Others To Toot Your Horn

Word-of-mouth referrals are the best kind of exposure you
can get. There's nothing more powerful than a personal
endorsement from a satisfied customer. Make it easy for
people to tell their friends and family about your product
or service. Rarely a day goes by on my site that someone
hasn't emailed a friend using my handy online referral
form. This is a branding tool that every business should
employ.

In the end, the name of the game is repeatedly exposing
consumers to your unique business identity - your brand.
The above strategies are viral marketing tools in that they
are far-reaching and long-lasting, and that's a great
combination for long term business success.