In a recent post, Bob refers to a local church and a bar (two types of establishments in no short supply in our home town) that entertain the community with their signage, and he highlights how effective meaningful content can be in gaining visibility and recognition for your brand. (“Your Call Is Important To Us” (NOT!!))
I recently came across “Vince the Sign Guy” on facebook and felt compelled to share some of his signs as a very public and entertaining example for you.
Colorado native Vince Rozmiarek, a volunteer for the Indian Hills Community Center, did his first sign on April Fools in 2013, making a joke about the local police department. Him and his community were hooked, and he’s been at it ever since.
Ranked as a top ten Colorado destination, his signage has become famous far beyond the city limits of the small town of Indian Hills.
Customer service comes in all shapes and sizes . . . from a cashier who smiles genuinely to a service tech that goes the extra mile to make sure everything is working for you just as intended to a clever little card enclosed with your purchase. Enter Anker, a Chinese electronics company, and my new portable charger. While I was sufficiently pleased with the charger, I was taken with their customer service insert. A small business card in size that was folded in half . . .
Compact, concise, thoughtful, and thorough. I was impressed enough to snap a few pictures and jot down a few words . . . to remember my dose of inspiration and perhaps extend the feeling to others. Establish your objective, however ordinary, and challenge your thinking to be somewhat extraordinary in your path to achieve it.
A lot of other wonderful and necessary business accommodations, information, and tools are available as well, but the focus of this blog will be about creativity. As the saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens.” The lesser known continuation of the quote is “. . . we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” In this terrible situation, I challenge you to look for another door through which you can temporarily rebrand your business.
Some business alterations are more obvious in this new climate. Restaurants are open for takeout and offering free “contactless” delivery. Retail stores are encouraging “retail therapy” from home and also offering free delivery.
Some business have had to get a little more creative. A few examples to help inspire your creative thinking include . . .
Craft stores are offering instructions on how to DIY face masks and hand sanitizers.
Gyms are offering virtual classes.
Real estate agents are offering virtual tours.
Some entrepreneurs are investing a portion of their reserves in the stock market, betting on the long game.
Stationery businesses are designing invitations for virtual celebrations.
Charities are hosting virtual auctions.
Some business that simply cannot function now are offering their customers discounts for booking their product/service in advance.
Home improvement stores are providing instructions for DIY projects around the house – since most people are spending more time at home these days.
A blog that strives to help entrepreneurs create and develop their corporate identity is now focusing on crisis communications and rebranding opportunities. (Ya, that one’s us.)
I hope offering a handful of business Coronavirus coping strategies sparked your inner innovator.
Remember . . . “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” (Charles Darwin)
Brand Building for Small Business 