5 Branding Tips For Entrepreneurs

As we all know, the goal for all businesses is to turn a profit. Without sales and marketing your outlook would be dismal. Thus, it is important to get the word out about your company and to brand correctly from the start. This might mean you use things like an exhibition stand to help you promote your business (if this is something that interests you then you could check out a site like www.johngibsondisplays.com.au). However, there are a load of different ways that you can promote your business through branding. In this article for entrepreneurs, I'm going to give a few tips I've learned about branding my business on a bootstrapping budget.

Business Cards

Every entrepreneur should have business cards printed from the beginning. If this is something you have overlooked then you should check out some Print Management Companies London. There are many great places to get them printed, and I'd recommend getting a durable card stock that is somewhat heavy. You can go down to local print shops to have cards printed on the spot, but the general quality is usually lacking. Look into options available for heavier stock paper and think about getting a protective coating on them. Online sources as well as local businesses can usually get high quality cards to you within a week or so.

Apparel – Screen Printed and Embroidered Gear

Going out to a jobsite or networking event with a company logo on your shirt builds credibility and professionalism for the company. In order to get items printed up, you'll want to have high quality resolution images to share with your printer. Screen printers and embroiderers require vector artwork in order to print crisp designs on your shirts, bags, and other Quality Logo Products. Think Entrepreneurship has ordered all sorts of apparel and promotional items over the years. We use them ourselves and also give many of the items out for promotional purposes.

Signage and Vehicle Graphics

Banners, signs, and vehicle graphics are another easy way to brand a business. You'll find that vinyl decals are a versatile material that can go on about anything. Vinyl decals are di-cut and are an affordable solution for adding your logo to almost any hard surface. Simply send the printer a vector version of your logo ( .ai , .eps , or .pdf file). They'll create the decal which you can put on your store windows, vehicles, and banners. You could even have small versions of your logo cut which could be given away to customers or fans. Companies like Patagonia and Oakley give out decals as low cost promotional tools all the time. Customers who believe in their businesses love to “sport” the decals on their car bumpers, snowboards, laptops, and Nalgene bottles.

Bottle Openers and other Useful Tools – USB Drives, Keychains, Coffee Mugs, etc

Every time a customer with our bottle opener keychain opens a beverage, they see the ThinkEntrepreneurship logo. I carry around the keychains and give them out whenever I have a chance. Useful tools like bottle openers, USB drives, and good quality pens will be used on a daily basis. Spend a little more to get a good quality item to give out that is durable and that the user will want to carry around. Other helpful promotional items that you may want to consider could include things like wristbands, which can be found at places like SleekWristbands.com, and can be valuable in marketing your company.

Mascots and Branding

Mascots are a great guerrilla marketing tactic for branding a business. One of my companies bought a mascot suit online for just a few hundred dollars. We named the mascot “Tundra.” This giant polar bear is well known in our community (Bozeman, Montana) and is involved in many events and marketing promotions. You can put a screen printed t-shirt on any mascot costume to brand it with your company's logo.

What are your branding tips? We'd love for you to comment and share below!