Is Your Business up to Speed with National Brands?

If you’re a small business owner, then you already know how difficult it is to compete with national brands.

From marketing to local advertising, getting out from behind the shadow of major brands is easier than you might think.

Here are 5 ways to bring your small business up to speed with national brands:

1. Get Viral

Viral marketing, as long as it’s done correctly, grabs plenty of attention and it costs next to nothing. No matter how small your business is, it can steal the spotlight from national brands by making a great viral campaign.

For example, when TNT wanted to stake its claim in the Belgian market, the television network knew it had to make a statement. It created a viral campaign by filming exactly what happens when people on the streets of Belgium pushed a giant “Drama” button.

From bicycle accidents to other chaos, the viral video got 40 million views in the European market alone.

Your small business probably doesn’t have marketing capabilities this large, but funny, surprising, and heartwarming viral videos can still do wonders.

2. Give Your Marketing a Personal Touch

As the following article looks at, giving your marketing a personal touch is just 1 of 5 ways small businesses can compete with national brands.

In fact, because of their size, most national brands simply don’t have the resources to make each campaign personal. But your business does.

By introducing your staff and letting customers know how much their business means to you, you’ll pull at the public’s heartstrings with your marketing. General Electric did something similar by featuring the hard working folks behind their national brand.

Introducing both yourself and your staffers puts a face to your businesses name. This will absolutely set it apart from the massive national brands as well as the local competition.

3. Make it an Event

There’s no better way to get the word out about your business than by throwing a party.

Although you probably can’t throw a party on a national level, even national brands had to start locally.

By hosting an event, like a cookout or giveaway, at your business, you’ll capture the attention of your local audience.

For example, Snapple threw a family fun-day in parks all across the country to promote the release of its new green tea.

Events and parties that feature your business in some way will get local audiences interested in what you have to offer. Once you conquer local marketing, the sky’s the limit.

4. Offer the Best Products and Services Possible

When brands get to a national level, they lose a little bit of the quality control they once had when they were smaller. This is a major advantage for your business.

By offering the best products and services possible, your small business will always be ahead of national brands.

5. Keep at It

National brands didn’t go national overnight.

Major businesses and companies of all kinds worked hard, developed their products and services, created better brands, and found marketing success by keeping at it.

If there’s one surefire way to stay up to speed with national brands, it’s to keep trying and never give up. When something isn’t working, find a better way to do it or start from scratch. Doing so will help you reach your small business goals.

By keeping the pointers above in mind, your small business will be up to speed with big brands in no time.

About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including customer outreach and viral marketing.