Brand Visibility

By Sam Giannola
DBS Print and Marketing

Have you ever had a friend purchase a new vehicle, perhaps a brand or model you have never seen before only to discover for the rest of the day and into the week that you can’t turn your head without seeing that exact brand or model? Well you are not alone; every day someone is discovering a product or business that has been hiding in plain sight. It is what I like to call Brand Visibility. Visibility is what every business owner is striving to do – make their business visible to the general public. The question business owners need to concern themselves with is CAN ANYONE SEE MY BUSINESS?

When thinking about making your business visible you have lots of choices. Some of the more popular methods of creating visibility are listed here alphabetically:

• Billboards

• Branded clothing

• Coupons

• Direct mail offers

• Logo’ d give away items

• Newspaper ads

• Radio spots

• Signage

• Social media

• Trade shows

• T.V. commercials

• Yellow Pages

The challenge for most business owners is what one method or what combination of methods can create the visibility they need to achieve. While there is no right answer, much will depend on the type of business you are running. The most important aspect of any marketing or advertising plan is to create customers. So it is important to decide on a methodology that will attract the proper demographic you are looking for as customers. It is equally important to measure the results which will give you the ability to know where your customers learned about you or where your brand became visible to them. In today’s cost conscious environment, business owners cannot risk capital on a gimmick or a good feeling. Testing, setting metrics, and measuring results are the only ways to be sure that your capital will not be put at risk. Measuring also will allow for minor tweaks to be made to increase the success of your marketing or advertising plan.

Another important aspect of Brand Visibility is repetition and longevity of the method you choose. You have to realize that becoming visible to your potential customers will require you to use your chosen method multiple times. Advertising once in a newspaper, sending out one direct mail, or any of the other methods that will only be seen briefly will not be sufficient to become visible. You must decide and budget enough capital to reach out multiple times. If you decide direct mail is the answer then you must budget for at least 5 mailings to the same mailing list in a relatively short period of time, this is to ensure your audience has a chance to become aware that you exist and that you are trying to send a message to notice your business. Each of the methods listed above have their own unique qualifiers that will make them a success at creating the visibility you desire. To find out what those qualifiers are you must rely on the experts in the respective field you are interested in. Remember, it is important to get all the information upfront to make sure it fits your needs and to make sure you are giving the method the proper amount of time to work. Running from one idea to another will not only cause each to fail, but it also may just cause you as a business owner to decide not to reach out at all and to remain invisible just to save the capital you think you have been wasting.

Remember, as long as you chose the method wisely, budget properly, measure results, and give the method the proper amount of time to work, your business will soon become visible to many and you will begin to see your sales rise and your business becoming more successful.

Sam Giannola is with DBS Print and Marketing, celebrating 22 years in business. You can contact him at: 23800 W. 10 Mile Rd. Suite 205 Southfield MI 48033 Office: 800.252.7345 Ext. 21; Fax: 248.324.5599 www.DBSPrintMarketing.com