You should always be exploring ways to stay in front of your audience to remind them of your value. The strategies to do this range from the straightforward like a direct mail piece or print ad, to a more subliminal approach like product placement.

By connecting your brand to something bigger – another business, an event, or even a TV show – you gain the ability to reach your audience in a natural yet unassuming way. In essence, you deliver a snapshot of your brand experience through something or someone else.

Here’s an example of how we used this strategy to promote the Strasburg Rail Road.

While watching the TLC TV reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, we realized the opportunity to use the show to help us share the Strasburg Rail Road experience with millions of people at one time. Knowing the show is based on daily lives of the Gosselin family, we contacted Kate Gosselin (and the show’s producers) to invite her family to Day Out With Thomas. The effort took months of coordinating, but the result was well worth it. After all, if the Gosselin clan liked it, chances are the majority of moms and dads watching now believe they will too.

Tips on connecting your brand to something bigger:

• Look closely at your brand and your target audience. Is there a connection between who you are and the places your target audience goes?
• Explore ways to inject your brand as a complement to another experience.
• Create partnerships and cross promotions with businesses that share your audience.