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Insights and Expertise

StreetSmarts SM

New ways to market your brand in 2026

By Allen Kopelman • Use modern business cards: Promote yourself and
Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. your brand with a simple paper or electronic busi-
ness card. No one cares that you sell for 10 different
f you have not done this already, it's time to sit ISOs. They care about how you show up, solve their
down and look at how you marketed yourself and problems and, most of all, how they can reach you.
your business last year. Think about what worked Lead with your technology
I and what didn't work, whether it was a trade
show, networking or other sales activity. What products When I say that merchants buy technology first and worry
and services did you sell the most? Was it ecommerce about processing second, I'm told, "Allen you are wrong."
payment gateways, POS devices for specific verticals or Let me show you why I'm right.
maybe Clover for restaurants? Hint: don't say processing.
It seems whenever I visit social media groups I see
Identify your bestselling products and services and how complaints about how we have to switch merchants
you sold them so that you can level up your selling in from Toast, Stripe, QuickBooks, Shopify and Square.
2026. I've said it before, but if you want to start strong, These companies are promoting technology first with
don't ignore the basics of personal branding. Don't expect processing as a byproduct; merchants don't care about
people to take you seriously if you're old school. Here are processing because they want the technology to help
some proven ways to polish your professional image: them run their businesses. They want the tech so much
that they're willing to pay a premium price for embedded
• Get a domain: Generic is out. Personal branding processing.
is in. Having a simple one-page website and dot.
com email are basic requirements in 2026. Get rid of Why am I bringing this up? Because the best way to
AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail addresses. Email promote yourself in 2026 is to lead with technology that
addresses like thecreditcardguy@gmail.com or john- is yours, not someone else's. Forget agnostic solutions.
doe290@gmail.com impress no one. Agnostic is out and processor-owned software and POS

• Strengthen your social media presence: Become systems are in. There is no other way forward.
familiar with platforms and how to use them. For Post frequently
example, Facebook is good for promoting your com-
pany page, and LinkedIn is good for establishing If you have not figured out how to post comments and
a personal presence. These platforms enhance dis- blogs on social media, it's time to get started. Having a
coverability much like Yellow Pages used to. They presence on social media is the best way to showcase your
also lend themselves to interaction. knowledge of business in a tech-driven world. Showcase
what you love, no matter how silly you think it might be,
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