How to Create a Wikipedia Page for Your Company If you're anything like me, you probably mainly consider Wikipedia a good source for a behind-the-scenes look at the production of Game of Thrones, or a collection of random facts on Zebras. In short, you likely haven't given it much thought as a channel for brand awareness. But, if you think about it, Wikipedia is one of the best third-party sources for ranking on page one of Google. Typically, when you search an intended keyword, you don't have to scroll far before you see its accompanying Wikipedia page: Additionally, it's a recognizable website, so it's often one of the first pages someone will click on if they want to learn more about what your business does. If you want to boost your business's visibility online, take a look at this quick guide so you can create a Wikipedia page for your company, today. 1. Create an account. Go to Wikipedia's homepage and click "Create account" in the top right. Enter the necessary information, including username and password, then click "Create your account". 2. Get promoted to an autoconfirmed user. When you first join Wikipedia, you'll see a box pop-up that reads, "Help improve Wikipedia" with a link to start editing an article: Before creating your page, you'll need to become an autoconfirmed user. These are Wikipedia's typical guidelines for an autoconfirmed user: "Although the precise requirements for autoconfirmed status vary according to circumstances,...

The Ultimate Guide to Brand Awareness Have you ever heard people refer to themselves as “Apple people,” “Nike people,” or “Trader Joe’s” people? This is what brand awareness can do for a brand: embed itself into consumer lifestyles and purchase habits so that they don’t have to think twice before becoming a customer — time and time again. This guide will help you better understand brand awareness, establish it among your audience, and build campaigns that allow it to continually grow and morph with your business. Let’s dive in. Brand awareness might seem like a vague concept, and in truth, it is. For those marketers and business owners out there who like to gauge success with neat and tidy numbers, brand awareness will likely ruffle your feathers. But just because it isn’t a metric that can be perfectly determined doesn’t mean it doesn’t carry value. Brand awareness is incredibly important for business success and overall marketing goals. Here’s why. Brand awareness fosters trust. In a world where consumers rely on extensive research and others’ opinions before making a purchase, brand trust is everything. Once a consumer bonds to your brand, they’re more likely to make repeat purchases with little to no forethought –– which then bridges the gap between trust and loyalty. Brand awareness establishes that brand trust. When you put a proverbial face to your brand name, consumers can trust easier. Brand awareness efforts give your brand a personality and outlet to...

The Plain-English Guide to Brand Equity Before I buy anything that goes on my face, like skincare or makeup, I pour over the reviews. The only exception is when I'm shopping from a brand I trust. In some cases, I don't even question a new launch from those businesses — I purchase the new items knowing I'll be satisfied. It's not that hard to trust a company that has never disappointed you. But today, I was skeptical. A makeup company I like is releasing a skincare extension. I was on the fence, so I wanted to see what my favorite YouTubers were saying. Most of them had the same reaction: "I don't care about the price. When it comes to this brand, I know it's gonna be great." They will purchase from the new line, regardless of reviews. This is known as brand equity. Consumers influence the public perception of businesses, building positive or negative brand equity. But let’s take a closer look. If you've ever decided against buying from a specific company based on a review from your friends, you've seen negative brand equity at work. Negative brand equity might result from poor customer service, lack of transparency, or inaccurate pricing. Think of that one product you don't mind shelling out a few extra dollars to have because you know you'll be satisfied. In your opinion, that business has positive brand equity. Brand equity determines value because positive brand equity can justify higher prices. Now that you...

How To Promote Your Business Okay, okay, I'll admit it — to waste time, I start a Google search query and let the suggestions do the rest, hoping to fall into a rabbit hole of interesting facts. For instance, today's lucky search query was "How many businesses", and I ended up going with "...does Shaq own" (let's just say, I was shocked to see the result.) Here's what I figured out: Shaquille O'Neal is the joint owner of over 150 Five Guys restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie's Pretzels restaurants, over 100 car washes, 40 fitness centers, a mall, a movie theater, and a few Vegas nightclubs. With over 30 million businesses just in the United States (and 300 owned by Shaq alone), it's easy to slip into panic mode if you work for a small start-up. How are you supposed to attract customers when there's so much competition? You might feel like you're constantly throwing darts at the wall and seeing what sticks in the realm of business promotion. Or, perhaps you've hit a plateau with traffic and you're wondering how you can boost lead generation. Let's talk about how to promote your business. Regardless of the motivation, we've provided some tools and tips to help you reach new customers and expand brand awareness. In the next section, we're going to provide some tips you can use to promote your business. 1. Craft a brand image to stick out among the crowd. Seth Godin once said, "A brand is...