RoadtripMojo.com | South Florida Business World

by Jeff Zbar

Swag, bling, haul, booty, merch. When we created RoadtripMojo.com to promote our adventures exploring RV camping and music festivals, we knew we needed more than a domain and a Facebook page to be memorable. We needed giveaways. Merch – short for “merchandise” – can be t-shirts, key chains, decals, or any customized promotional items that put your brand in people’s hands – and turn them into fans.

As we’ve written before, creating an online and tangible brand requires more than money. It takes time and effort (sweat equity). Keep in mind, the lower the quantity, generally the higher the unit price.

Providers out there, however, can make quick work and powerful messaging for almost any brand. Maybe yours?

Consider these ideas…

– Something tangible. As we were looking for a giveaway to support RoadtripMojo, as luck would have it, a promo for a keychain / bottle opener / LED light came across the email. For $.17 (yes, 17 cents). We created our own logo (the people at SuperiorPromos offered to help). It helped to have a seriously talented, Broward-based graphic designer (Angela Moses) who helped transform our meager visions into compelling images. For about $150, we scored 750 of these bad boys we give away like Skittles at music festivals.

– Something wearable. T-shirts, tanks, hoodies, and other printed wearables aren’t cheap in low quantities. But they’re easy to make with DIY online tools and can leave a lasting impression. CustomInk.com made the design and product selection process simple as could be. Revising the order and completing the purchase was uber-easy. Just the way it should be for people who’d rather be working and earning coin than spending time on marketing.

– Something sticky. Stickers, decals, cards, clings, banners. Stickers are silly simple to design, cheap to print, and powerfully supportive of your brand. Whether using VistaPrint for any products, or StickerMule for stickers and other leave behinds, these apps make swag creation an easy exercise. Next up: Creation of a cling decal for the back of the travel trailer.

Whether you call it swag, bling, haul, booty, or merch, each creation can become a tangible, memorable impression that – along with social media, blogging, personal presence, and other products – not too much “treasure” (or actualy money) may be needed to create. Just deploy time and talent, and a host of tools available for free on the Internet.

Jeff Zbar is a Florida-based journalist, corporate copywriter, event blogger, and married empty-nester who travels the country by RV visiting music festivals and enjoying the open road. Learn more at www.roadtripmojo.com or www.gotwords.com.

By Jeff Zbar

As I was sitting in my RV camping at a music festival recently, it dawned on me: I’m a work of evolutionary forces. I’m also an example of how business works in the 21st Century. Almost 30 years ago, I started working from home as a journalist and corporate copywriter. Twenty years ago, I coined the term “Chief Home Officer” for home-based entrepreneurs and teleworkers who worked from home or the road, and I launched a blog and wrote four books on the subject. Last year, I created RoadtripMojo.com to promote my latest adventure – visiting music festivals by RV.

Each adventure became a social media exercise and potentially profitable venture. Very little “treasure” (or actualy money) was needed. Mostly, I deployed time and talent, and a host of tools available for free on the Internet.

How can you brand your business using the internet, social media, and a healthy dose of sweat equity?

Find a brand – and name – that works. From ChiefHomeOfficer to www.GotWords.com to www.RoadtripMojo.com, I spent time to search for and research domain names that were keyword rich, spoke to my audience, and were available as a .com URL (or website) and on social media. A great name’s no good if it’s not available or doesn’t serve your purposes.
Invest time and labor. Setting up a WordPress website, a Facebook business page, an Instagram account, or a Snapchat profile doesn’t cost any money. But that doesn’t make them “free.” Done well, you’ll invest time writing, designing, gathering and posting photographs, and handling the other efforts needed to create the online image of your brand. You’ll also hopefully invest time to learn how to use the search and marketing tools social media provides. Again, they’re “free.” But they’ll cost your time.
Have fun with it. This serves two important purposes. The more you know your market, the more of an expert you’ll be. You’ll write with authority, and might attract marketing partners willing to pay you to run their ads on your media or to be a “Subject Matter Expert” they might hire to help promote their own efforts. But more importantly, if it’s fun you won’t see it as work.

So, what’s your brand? And what are you doing to build it from a thought you conjured up on the couch or campsite to something people are willing to follow or invest in? Answer that, and you’re on your way to a fun and rewarding brand-building adventure.

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