3 Steps to Building a Local Branding Strategy

According to the Master of Science in Applied Psychology Program at USC, consumers in the 1970s viewed an average of 500 advertisements per day – a number that’s now risen above 5,000 per day. The rapidly growing amount of ads people see daily has made it increasingly important for businesses to cut through the noise with an effective marketing strategy and impactful messaging. Let’s review three tips that every small business should keep in mind while building a local branding strategy:

Understand Your Audience 

The first step to building a branding strategy is understanding your audience. You have to know who you’re trying to reach in order to target them effectively. Think about your typical customer and build a profile of the type of person you want to reach with your ad campaign. Gaining a better knowledge of your audience’s spending habits and decision-making style will equip you with the background information you need to attract them to your business.

Choose Your Platforms

Once you understand your audience and know who exactly you’re trying to reach, think about the different channels you could use to share your brand’s message. Whether it be print, digital, or a mix of each, finding the right platforms to advertise through is the key to success. A study from the USPS indicated that 68% of marketers saw their website traffic rise by combining both print and digital touchpoints in their marketing strategy. Meanwhile, 60% of the same group indicated they saw an increase to their return on investment. Find what works best for your business and try it out! 

Craft Effective Messaging 

Once you establish where to reach your customers, begin focusing on the message you want to send. Many of the most effective advertising campaigns evoke emotions from consumers. If you saw an ad that focused solely on a product or service next to an ad that made you laugh, cry, or smile, which ad are you more likely to remember and take action on?

Creating ads that have an emotional effect on your audience is a great way to make a first impression that will last. Consumers tend to make buying decisions with their hearts instead of their minds. This is why content marketing continues to rise. It strengthens client relationships and educates consumers before they make a buying decision.