State Your Location to Build a Trusted Brand

  Researchers at Direct Capital thought the same thing and decided to break out the biggest brands by state, based on a Google-sourced popularity contest. The results make for an intriguing patchwork of the most loved (and some perhaps loathed) U.S. brands: [caption id="attachment_3458" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Top brands by state 2014 | Image Credit: Digital Capital[/caption] It's important to remember that this is a visual based on the highest number of Google searches for brands in each state, which  would also include folks looking for employment at those companies. Furthermore, there are many forms of alternative informational searches that might not necessarily reflect upon a brand's popularity with consumers. Even so, it's an interesting reminder that location is important is some branding spaces, and that's probably true for your business and the areas you serve. Some steps you can take to emphasize location in your marketing include:

• Use local landmarks or familiar features of your location throughout your marketing materials. Photos and videos help to connect your communications to a place, even if the customer isn't consciously aware that's what is happening.

• Pick a local area code for your memorable marketing number. If you have a lot of different locations, you can still find a great number in almost any market area you can think of.

• Attend and/or sponsor trade shows and community events in areas where potential customers gather. When they see you supporting the local economy, they'll be more likely to support you with their business.

• Tell the stories of local customers. Sometimes the best way to connect with others is by helping someone else to share their story. If that story is rooted in a place that you're closely connected to, it quickly seeps into the association with your business.

  Take some time to think about how location informs your brand, and what might make consumers more interested in your products or services if they knew that. As the big brand state map suggests, there are some companies that find a lot of value in closely associating with their main location. Think Ford in Detroit, or Disney in Florida, for example. To take a look at the other brands that came close to the top spot across various states, read the full results here.