As an entrepreneur, networking is pretty much a 24 hour a day/365 days a year job. Once you leave the house, you’re “on” – even when you don’t feel like it. How can you promote your business as you go about the normal course of your day, without handing out business cards to random strangers all day? One way is to wear your brand.
What better way to flash your business like a badge of honor than by having your logo show up in unexpected places as you carry on the course of your day? It’s definitely a conversation starter!
But then the question becomes, how can you wear your business everyday, without looking like a walking billboard? I’m not talking bumper stickers and t-shirts, although they work just fine. I’m talking about more subtle ways to advertise your business by allowing your logo to do the work for you.
Let’s go beyond tshirts, step out of that box please! I’m talking about products like a
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- Business card holder
- Smartphone case
- Ipad case/laptop skin
- Executive writing pen
- Padfolio/notebook
- Drinking cup/water bottle
- Purse/laptop bag
- Luggage tag
- Reusable grocery tote
- Cosmetic case
But I don’t have a budget…
These are super easy ways to wear your brand. If you have looked at promotional printing companies to get these kinds of items, you probably know that most companies require you to buy in large quantities. Or quantities that don’t fit within your budget.
If you don’t have a promotional budget, you most likely can’t order what you want. I know where you’re coming from, I totally get it.
But don’t let a small (or nonexistent) budget prevent you from doing what you want. You just have to do some research and get creative. The sky is always the LIMIT!
I just found your budget…
Here’s the thing: You have the budget, you just have to know where to go to get what you want. Here are a couple of sites you can use to create your own branded, quality merchandise and order as little or as many as you want.
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- cafepress.com
- zazzle.com
- customink.com
Upload your logo, and *poof* you have branded merchandise. If these sites don’t have what you’re looking for, do some research and find a company that will print in small quantities for you.
Of course there are tons of places you can proudly display your logo, this is just a small list to get your creative juices flowing. Just remember, don’t be tacky about it. Subtle references to your business are the ones that spark someone’s interest. Don’t wear all your branded merchandise at one time – you’ll wind up looking like a gawdy billboard. So please, no walking around head-to-toe plastered in your logo.
There are so many ways to advertise your business, without saying a word. I wrote this post in response to people asking me where I get my products. I’m never “overdone” but I’m always “on” – I leave the house with at least 1 branded product every single day.
Subtle – yes. Easy – yes. Intentional – always. You can do it too!
Ciao,
Miss Kemya