I used to work with a guy who collected cars. He spent most weekends either fixing up, buying or selling muscle cars. He had a 1966 Corvette Sting Ray that he said had never been driven over 2,000 miles and had never been touched by rain. Whenever he took his car to a collector’s show, he would do so not by driving there, but by pulling it on a trailer hitched to a truck. It always struck me as odd that the vehicle that was built to easily outperform the truck was the one being towed!

Of course my friend was not into driving his Corvette; he was into showing it. When he wasn’t showing it, he kept it in his garage as a very expensive keepsake. Let me compare that to marketing. I often run into businesses who have invested heavily in creative mediums. Their stuff looks great. However, they have confused creativity for marketing. Just because you have great looking branding materials doesn’t mean anyone will know the first thing about you if you leave it in the proverbial marketing garage. Marketing helps you get the word out about your brand. It makes sure people notice you. In other words, it drives the car out of the garage and down the street for everyone to see.

In our very connected world, it would seem that all you really need to do to be noticed is to have a presence on social media and have a website. Do you know what that is? Garage thinking. If you really want people to notice your brand, you have to do something to drive them to your website or social media site. Here are some ways you should be getting the word out.

Don’t keep your brand a secret – take it on a drive and rev the engine

Display your brand in many places. Put it in the places your target market will notice it. One easy way to do this is to be active on platforms such as social media. Post items that mention your brand along with your customer with a link back to your company page. Which social media is best? What platforms are your target markets active? They determine where you will spend your time.

Advertise your solution to a problem through a test drive

People will notice you if you relieve their pain. Don’t be shy about making bold statements about this. In fact, your solution should be the centerpiece of your marketing – be it your tagline or a campaign focus. The more concise you can make your solution statement, the better. Effective marketing gets to the point quickly. Don’t just stop with making a statement about your solution, entice consumers to try your brand. This is akin to taking the car on a test drive. People are more inclined to buy from you if they have some experience with your products and services to see how they work firsthand. Give them a reason to try it out.

Make people happy – take a joy ride!

Maybe your brand doesn’t solve a problem. Butterfinger candy bars don’t fix anything, but they do meet a desire, don’t they? They are sweet and crunchy and taste great. They indulge our desire to feel happy. If your brand doesn’t solve a problem, how does your brand make people happy? Play it up in your marketing. Once again, get them to give it a try. People have a natural curiosity when it comes to indulging in pleasure. Connecting your brand to their happiness is a win for you.

Give them a reason to come back – road trip

The point of marketing is to make customers out of prospects, but it should never stop there. I don’t want one off customers. Smart marketing gives new customers a reason to become lifelong customers. That won’t happen unless you find out how satisfied your first time customers are with your product and services and you are intentional about marketing a reason to keep coming back again and again.

If you have been keeping your marketing in the garage as a keepsake, I would encourage you to take it for a drive. More than that, let your customers in the car. Cars were meant to be driven, not parked. The same is true of your brand.