Sticky Brands are outstanding marketers. They use all the tools at their disposal to make their brand highly visible — they make their brands appear to be everywhere.
To research my new book, Sticky Branding, I interviewed over 150 CEOs and business owners to understand how they make their brands stand out in highly competitive industries.
Over and over again I heard a variation of the same phrase, “If you don’t blow your own horn, nobody will.”
Create the impression your brand is everywhere
Let’s look at an example from the book.
Brilliant is a rapidly growing staffing firm with offices in Chicago and Southern Florida. The company specializes in recruiting accounting, finance, and IT professionals for mid-sized companies.
The firm’s marketing strategy is to be everywhere. Jim Wong, CEO of Brilliant, says, “I want us to be everywhere, or I want people to think we’re everywhere.”
To create the impression the brand is everywhere, the firm employs three core programs to engage its customers:
- Sponsorship: Brilliant sponsors events and associations that serve small- and mid-sized companies in its geographic markets.
- Content Marketing: Brilliant publishes weekly email newsletters that are tailored for its audiences. The company has four business units, and each one has corresponding email programs.
- Social Media: Brilliant places the most emphasis on Facebook and LinkedIn, because these are the social networks that both employers and job seekers are actively involved in.
Sponsorship is Brilliant’s primary vehicle for participating and supporting its communities, while content marketing and social media are designed to reinforce and enhance that investment.
Jim says, “It builds confidence in our brand. It’s like, ‘I saw them online, and then I saw them sponsoring our conference last month. They’re everywhere.’ Popping up everywhere leads prospects back to us, and it sets the condition for a sale.”
Make your brand heard
Sticky Brands stand out, because they’re not afraid to promote their brands. They blow their horn, and they make their brand heard.
Create a buzz and an energy around your brand that captivates your market and draws people to you. The goal is simple: be everywhere.
Use all the tools and programs at your disposal to engage your customers and make your brand appear to be everywhere.
