San Francisco is the thirteenth-largest city (by population) in the United States, with a cost of living that’s 60 percent higher than average. In other words, there are a lot of people to market to, and a lot of businesses vying for the patronage of those consumers. That makes things hard for a business that’s trying to get noticed.
The good news is that it’s not impossible to get the word out about your brand. You just have to know what to expect and how to get around the obstacles in your way. Here are three ways you can help your San Francisco brand to stand out from the competition.
Tell a Story.
Tech-heavy markets like San Francisco have seen plenty of technological gadgets that are visually impressive but don’t actually serve a practical purpose. That’s actually a good thing because it’s a nice visual representation of what not to do. These days, people crave a well-told story above virtually anything else.
Take a look around society. Moviegoers are willing to sit through endless remakes just to see their favorite stories told in a new way. Video gamers are moving away from being wowed by graphics and towards simply having fun playing games again. Online content from no-name sources has more potential than ever to go viral, and it’s not because of their technical knowledge – it’s because they have a story to tell. Tell yours, tell it well, and let your tale separate your business from the pack.
Focus on What Your Customers Want.
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest and greatest in technology and cutting-edge advertising techniques. San Francisco, and places like it, have technology climates that may further push businesses into choosing the flashy solution over the right one. And that’s not good for your business.
You don’t owe your customers modern graphics or an excessively high-tech website. What you do owe them, though, is a great experience. And above all else, you owe them reliability. You have to let your audience know you’re listening and that you’re putting their best interests at heart. If that means written words instead of fancy video presentations, then that’s what you should go with.
Technology isn’t always the answer. However, listening to your customer base will always point you in the direction you need to go.
Incorporate Offline Marketing.
When it comes to conventional digital advertising techniques, San Francisco is pretty saturated. In such a tech-based landscape, it’s easy for even well-crafted marketing strategies to fall flat simply because there’s so much digital noise. The way around this is to go old-school with your marketing. Tactics like direct mail, catalogs and postcards will stand out in comparison to easily disposable techniques like emails and banner ads.
The good news is that technology can help you to execute these maneuvers better than ever before. You can still use modern tricks like buyer personas, lead nurturing and online lead generation to make your offline marketing function at a high level.
Standing out in a highly populated environment is never easy, and that goes double for a tech haven like San Francisco. However, by sticking to your principles and focusing on what makes your business unique, you’re closer than you realize to making your mark in a crowded marketplace.
To learn how we can help you to rise above the clutter in San Francisco, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
