The modern meaning of a brand has come a long way from the time when cattle ranchers used brands to identify their cattle. A brand is so much more than a simple image or logo. It represents how your company is viewed by the general public. Your brand encompasses your company’s ideals, goals, qualities, and values. It becomes an abbreviation for your business that includes all of its core details compacted into a set of shapes and colors.
In time, consumers should be able to immediately recognize your company based on your brand. This, of course, requires a long and intensive marketing process. We can see many examples of this working flawlessly in our daily lives. The arches combined with a red and yellow color scheme immediately reminds us of a certain fast-food chain. A brown delivery truck quickly brings UPS to mind while purple and orange lettering reminds us of their competition.
These companies didn’t become synonymous with their brand designs overnight. They relied on ongoing marketing efforts that haven’t slowed down despite their worldwide recognition. But how do you help your business and your brand reach this same level of recognition? What marketing tools should you use to build brand awareness?
Simply slapping your brand design onto some object and throwing it into the world may make a difference, but you need to consider the cost versus the impact it will have. There are certain tools and mediums that work better for small businesses. Here are some of the marketing canvases that work the best.
1. Vehicle Wraps
A vehicle wrap is a temporary vinyl decal that can be attached to the outside of a vehicle without requiring an expensive paint job. It allows businesses to quickly change a vehicle to match the design scheme of their brand. With a vehicle wrap, you can enjoy persistent advertising around the clock as long as the vehicle is visible. Chances are, you’ve seen plenty of vans and trucks that sport wraps for their parent company.
The efficiency of a vehicle wrap is heavily dependent on the local area of your business and the size of your fleet. Even a single vehicle with a wrap can make a huge impact if you live in an urban area with a lot of traffic. If your business involves regularly driving to meet customers or partners, then there is very little reason not to invest in a wrap.
Vehicle wraps may cost as little as $1,500 for a partial wrap up to $4,000 for a full wrap on a large van. The price is most often calculated according to the square footage.
2. Brand Signage
The use of signs as a form of marketing has been around for a very long time. Archaeologists have unearthed ancient advertising signs made from stone from as far back as 3000 B.C. It’s considered a “must-have” advertising tool that almost always performs well in terms of ROI.
At first, a sign is simply a blank canvas. That’s part of what makes it a powerful marketing tool for every business on the planet. You’re free to take that canvas and cover it with whatever you think will work best for your current marketing strategy. You can choose to embrace simplicity with only a company name and color scheme or you can go creative and design something that really grabs people’s attention.
The good news is that you can invest in numerous signs and still spend less than most other marketing avenues. The average storefront sign with lettering and a logo will cost anywhere from $250 to $1,000. However, if you want to invest in a unique, graphical design, then you will need to consider the expense of the artist as well.
3. Digital Banners
The digital side of brand marketing has changed a lot over the last two decades. But one marketing avenue that has remained firm is the digital banner. Sometimes referred to as banner ads, these are simple advertisements that are displayed in long format across the top or down the side of web pages. Banner advertisements have the advantage of being affordable while also having the potential to reach a worldwide audience.
Designing an effective banner requires the work of a skilled graphic design artist. Modern internet users are hesitant to interact with advertisements that seem intrusive or aggressive. A successful banner ad will be simple yet clearly convey your brand. It shouldn’t contain too much information while still having enough to encourage viewers to visit your website.
There are two important costs associated with banner ads. The first is the cost of designing the ad. This will vary depending on the complexity of the design. Costs for a simple banner ad can range anywhere from $20 to $150, which is considerably more affordable than many alternatives.
The second cost is the cost of displaying it on a particular website. Pricing is often calculated in terms of “cost per click”, which can range anywhere from $0.50 to $4.00.
Don’t Let Your Brand Be Forgotten
Big corporations never stop spreading brand awareness because they know that consumers have a short attention span. They do their best to remain within our scope of vision using signs, banners, colorful vehicles, and a variety of other marketing tools. If you want your company’s brand to eventually have this same recognition, then you need to adopt a similar strategy. These three marketing options are a great place to start.
