Branding in Austin: Make the Most of Your Marketing

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While Texas has faired better than much of the nation during this economic downturn, businesses in Austin are still feeling the pressure to slim down budgets and spend more wisely. Branding in Austin is more important than ever. You must establish yourself as the product or service of choice so when consumers do spend their money, they do it with you. You don’t have to cut your marketing budget to accomplish this, you simply have to be more strategic. Here are a couple of tips to make the most of your marketing.

Stand out in a crowd. Your product or service may not be one-of-a-kind, but something about your business should be—either what you offer or the way you offer it. To become the brand of choice, develop what is called a Unique Selling Proposition. Domino’s Pizza is certainly not the only pizza place in town, but they have a great USP: "Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it's free." Your USP doesn’t have to necessarily be your tag line, but it should be clear in your messaging.

Aim for the bulls-eye. Trying to be everywhere at once is a waste of time and money. Austin advertising is expensive, why waste your money for an ad in the Daily Texan if your target customer is not a college student? This is an obvious example, but you should do your research to determine your ideal customer. Ask yourself simple questions like, “How old are they? Where do they spend their time? Other than my product or service, what else are they interested in?” This can help you narrow your focus so your marketing is right on target.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. A great marketing plan will incorporate a variety of strategies. Don’t spend all your money on just a PPC campaign or only do print advertising. Austin consumers are movers and shakers, always on the go. You want to “attack” from all angles and stretch your budget across different platforms to reach them.

Think outside the box. Austin is nicknamed Silicon Hills because it is home to a number of large technology corporations. This, combined with some 50,000 UT students, means your looking at a pretty tech-savvy group of consumers. This is a market where its feasible to explore new technologies and be creative in your marketing. If you want to print advertising for example, kick it up a notch with new snap technology—when imprinted with a special code, when a user snaps a photo of an ad with their mobile phone, they can receive special promotions in return. Social media is the new frontier in marketing and you can take advantage of sites like Digg, Del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, and others. Photographer Scott Slusher sums it up best, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

These are just a few of many tips for successful branding in Austin. Regardless of your approach, you must have a plan. Tina Schweiger, co-owner of the Austin marketing agency Blueshoe Spoonbend says, “Marketing without a marketing strategy is like taking a long and expensive trip without a travel plan.” Identifying your starting point, your destination, maps, a budget—each of these is essential for any “trip.” Consider partnering with an experienced marketing agency with local knowledge to develop a strategy that fits both your budget and objectives.

Recession or not, the expression, “work smarter, not harder,” applies to your marketing strategy. Simple things like having a USP, targeting your marketing, diversifying, and thinking outside the box can all help you make the most of your marketing.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Helen Walker. Blueshoe Spoonbend is a full service Austin Marketing Agency—a creative boutique that blends engaging design with innovative strategy.

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