What do you do when you’ve been promoting your brand so well that you have zero bandwidth to take on any new business?
For some, the shortsighted answer is to, well, stop promoting the brand – to, in a sense, draw the shades and hide for a while to get caught up.
While it’s easy to understand why this may seem like a good idea, (after all, who enjoys the anxiety of being totally maxed out?) you also don’t want to risk losing what you worked so hard to build in the first place.
It’s important to note that effective marketing isn’t just about fueling more and more business. Equally important to building a brand, is maintaining it once it’s built. For success in the long-term, your marketing strategy needs to include ways to keep your brand visible, and your current client base engaged. And with the right approach, it’s possible to continue to thrive without overwhelming your current resources.
Here are 3 great ways to keep your brand alive and well while giving yourself a little time to breathe:
1) Service your current clients (while maintaining interest abroad):
Great, your client pool is vast; it’s full. Celebrate with a smile and high-fives around the office. Now get to work…
While one aspect of your marketing plan is to attract new people to your business, don’t forget about those that inspired that smile and those high-fives to begin with. Position yourself as a thought leader in your respective industry to not only drive new business, but to also keep your current clients interested in the messaging you’re putting out. Offer tips. Offer an inside look into what keeps your brand, and your team ticking. There’s a certain comfort found in camaraderie and your clients want to feel like they’re a part of the team – a part of the greater whole. Keep the comfort flowing.
Consider the following:
- Blogging
- Videos
- Social media
- Informational advertising
These are all great ways to keep your brand speaking to those it already has in tow, and also keeps prospective eyes and ears paying attention in the wings. In short, your brand is your identity. If it’s hiding, your client pool may become disengaged, and you run the risk of being forgotten.
2) Service your brand:
All work and no play make (x) a dull brand. Have you heard that expression? Sure you have. Don’t forget it.
While your priority is to keep your clients happy, don’t lose sight of the reason those clients “bought in” in the first place. Your brand. What you have to offer. How you differentiate yourself from others like you. Again, keep working on pieces of marketing collateral that make that brand shine.
Like Nike, “Just Do It.”
Consider the following:
- Case studies (success stories – showcasing how you’ve helped a particular client).
- A website refresh. (Keeping up on current trends, etc).
- Public relations: Don’t forget about alerting the press about the goings on within your organization, which in turn, puts you in the public’s eye.
- Update those dusty old staff bios, and perhaps, the photos showcasing the face(s) of your organization.
- Make a series of fun, thought provoking videos that you can host on your website, and on your social media profiles.
In short, continue to tell the story of your brand and give it a good scrubbing from time to time. Maintain that vibrant glow.
3) Service the future:
No one can plan for the future. Change is inevitable. One of the reasons to stay current in the minds of your clients (as well as prospects on the outside looking in) is to be prepared when things change.
Consider the following:
- Clients experience budget cuts – some planned, some not.
- Clients may be drawn to your competitors because, well, they’re doing a better job of marketing their brand and peaking their interest.
- Managerial shakeups may lead to different thoughts on product/service acquisitions – you may not be a part of their future plans…
- Businesses close.
Facing major growing pains can be a challenging time for any business. And during these times, it’s tempting to pull the plug on your marketing campaign. But for the best success, don’t stop your marketing efforts, just tweak them. Because in the long-term, maintaining your marketing is maintaining your brand.
The future is unpredictable. If you draw the shade on your brand, your funnel will be inherently empty and you’re back to square one – building your brand. And sometimes, if you’re back to square one, the climb to get to square two doesn’t come before you’re bank calls and you’re drawing the shade for good.
