Unfortunately for many people getting the professional assistance of a branding expert is typically beyond their budget limitations.
Until the day comes when business picks up to the point where you can afford that kind of outside help, there’s a few things you can do yourself to improve your business’s brand online.
It just demands a little creativity and a willingness to put yourself out there for the world to see, because otherwise nobody is ever going to find you.
You need to get involved with social media.
Anyone running a private practice, contracting service or business must understand that social media is the cheapest, simplest way to get in touch with prospective customers. A Facebook account can be where you found a fervent fan base.
For example the folks who started StorageMart were one of the first business independents who saw the potential of Facebook friendship in getting more business, which resulted in their storage unit service sales exploding.
Tweeting can keep your product or service fresh in the minds of previous clientele and give you an available means to market deals and new offerings without spending a penny.
Social media is probably the most important part of business branding.
But don’t forget about search engine optimization. Google your name one day or the name of your business and see what other words people are adding to it when forming search phrases, which usually appear before you type them.
If there’s something potentially destructive, you might want to consider getting in touch with a reputation management service.
They’re sensibly priced for small fry capitalists, but if you can’t afford it then do a little bit of amateur SEO augmentation and find blogs and other smaller veins of the social media system and increase the amount of constructive content about you and your business.
The more websites and webpages wherein you’re cited as a highly regarded business, the more likely search engine results will work for you and not against you.
Until the day arrives when your massage parlor or law practice gets so many Twitter subscribers that you have to hire an assistant just to Tweet back for you, personal branding might have to remain a personal responsibility.
But if you’re independent, it’s essential. If you’re an entrepreneur, it should come natural.