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E is for Economical: AbuLLard's ABCs of Branding

Marketing on a Shoestring

For small business, it�s a numbers game. You need to get the word out to as many people as you can, as fast as you can, and as consistently as you can. How do you do that when you don't have a large marketing budget?

Oddly, many secrets of creating a good brand are inexpensive and often just good business.  We have found that all too often companies jump into the aspects of the implementation without first figuring out what it is they really need to say or what the best channel of implementation is. This can result in spending a lot of money on inappropriate or ineffective marketing and advertising. 

Perhaps the hardest step is the first one: Create the brand vision and strategy. If you spend the time to do this � it will save you money and moreover any marketing will be much more effective.   

By developing a clear brand strategy and making sure that everyone in your company not only understands it but acts according to it, you will present a consistent �face� to your customers. A clear message makes it easy for you to develop a good brand reputation. It also makes it easy for your customers to become your sales people which is the essence of "guerilla" marketing.

Our second major finding is that small businesses try to save money by doing it themselves on the desktop. True, desktop publishing has made it easy for �everyone� to create their own presentations, letters, and other documents but it hasn�t given �anyone� the training in design principles, printing, and presentation techniques. These are the disciplines that are required to create a brand image that carries a clear consistent look and feel across all marketing materials.

The look of all marketing brochures, documents and presentations contributes to the overall �brand image.� A consistent, professional image helps establish your brand in a memorable way that will make it easy for people to remember you, and talk about you.

Get professionally made templates and build them in to your IT systems. Make sure everyone in your company understands how to use them and the importance of using them. Get some basic training on how to use them effectively. One company we worked with is showing about a 90% cost savings in the creation of presentations as well as significant savings in the creation of proposals.

A third recommendation is that if you are going to work with a Branding and/or Marketing Professional, let them know what your budget is. This way they can make sure you put your dollars where they make the most sense. If they don�t know your budget, they can�t advise you wisely. So help them help you.

If you need help doing this, contact AbuLLard. He'll be glad to help!

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