Increasing customer awareness of your business is no easy task. This is primarily due to the extremely saturated marketplace in almost every vertical. And with around 2.1 million online stores aside from physical stores in the US, the challenge to attract consumers is on the increase.
These days, consumers are inundated with brand messages and incentives, making it difficult for the average business to stand out. That is why so many marketers are preoccupied with increasing brand awareness. But, more importantly, there are a variety of strategies to boost your company’s brand awareness that has proven to be effective.
But, first, let’s define brand awareness.
What is Brand Awareness?
Brand awareness is the degree to which a brand is recognized by potential customers and accurately linked with a certain product or service. In the case of a small business, brand awareness may not achieve eponym status (e.g., asking for a Kleenex instead of tissue), but simpler forms are considered successful. This could mean:
- Consumers who are aware of what your company is recognized for.
- When social media users come across your ad in their feed, they know it will be humorous.
- Customers prefer your brand above others, even if there are cheaper alternatives.
- Users are searching for your company’s name or other branded terms.
Brand awareness extends beyond simple brand recognition. It also elicits particular feelings and emotions in the intended audience. To put it in advertising terms, if your brand is well-known, your marketing campaigns will have meaning for your target demographic. You will add genuine value to their lives.
Why Is Brand Awareness Important?
Brand recognition is important to your company’s success. People will buy more if they know your brand, its logo, and what your brand represents. People are more likely to buy from a known brand or visit a known company’s website.
Brand awareness and affinity can raise click-through and conversion rates in internet advertising by up to three times. It takes time to create brand awareness, but you will have higher sales and customer loyalty once you have people’s trust.
What is a Brand Awareness Strategy?
A brand awareness strategy is a collection of marketing methods that assist a firm in spreading its message, expanding its audience, and establishing high brand recognition within its target market. There are different tactics that a company can use to boost brand awareness, and we will look at some of them in this post.
Brand Recognition Vs. Brand Awareness
The extent to which a consumer can correctly recognize your brand based on visual cues such as the logo and colors is known as brand recognition. For example, if you’re driving and see the pink and orange Dunkin Donuts letters up ahead before even reading the text, you’ll know it’s Dunkin Donuts.
Brand awareness is a step beyond brand recognition. It entails remembering the company name and the overall vibe of the company, information about its products and services, and other unique value propositions. When a company has a high level of brand awareness, its marketing and advertising initiatives are meaningful to its target market. They elicit emotions and feelings in the customer.
Top Strategies to Increase Brand Awareness
- Utilize Every Aspect of Social Media
Using social media in your brand awareness initiatives is the safest and surest strategy to take your business branding to the next level. It’s like having free access to a database of hundreds of millions of potential clients! Having a page on relevant platforms is essential, but you should go beyond simply creating a Facebook/Instagram/Twitter profile.
Aside from posting content that is useful, helpful, and entertaining to your audience regularly, you should also:
- Engage your followers by leaving comments and sending messages.
- Engage or collaborate with other brands in your neighborhood.
- Use social media ads to increase brand visibility and reach.
- Experiment with various advertising and interaction strategies to find what works best.
- Create Referral Programs
Referrals incentivize current consumers to recommend your products or services to their friends and family. This method can convert your existing customers’ networks into customers. This is a simple and low-cost strategy to boost brand awareness and generate sales.
Here are a few examples:
- PayPal’s cash bonuses as referral incentives
- Dropbox gives out extra storage space to everyone who introduces a friend to them.
- Amazon Prime members receive a $5 discount on their next purchase for each friend who joins.
- Collaborate with Influencers.
Influencers are your finest brand evangelists in a world dominated by social media. As a result, influencer marketing is a popular marketing approach. Over 90% of surveyed marketers claim that the ROI from influencer marketing is as good as or better than other channels.
In recent years, there has been a shift toward “micro-influencers,” who have smaller but more specific audiences and are more economical and ROI efficient. However, influencer marketing does not have to be expensive, and it may be an effective approach to raise brand recognition among highly focused and high-potential groups.
- Align Your Value Proposition with the Needs of Your Customers
Personalization is essential nowadays. It all starts with excellent audience personas, which provide a clear image of what your clients genuinely want and want.
You can match your brand message to align your brand awareness marketing activities with the consumers’ pain issues by drilling down to identify what is genuinely valuable for the individuals you are attempting to serve. Personalization as a strategy has been nailed by major firms such as Amazon and Netflix by providing customers with a personalized experience that caters directly to their desires.
- Increase Engagement with Video Content
It isn’t easy to stand out among a sea of competitors. And since video marketing is gaining popularity since it is more engaging than words or photos, taking advantage of it in your online marketing can help you grow your brand. According to a recent study, including a video on your landing page can increase conversions by up to 80%.
- Provide a Freemium Service
The software-as-a-service (SaaS) market has exploded in recent years. Many firms in this market have been able to boost their brand awareness by providing a freemium service. Companies established their brand by providing a free-for-ever, limited product version. Slack did this very well, and the free service stoked the fires sufficiently to persuade many customers to eventually purchase the full premium service. The tactic was so effective that Slack saw a 30 percent conversion rate among its freemium users.
- Take Advantage Of Podcasting To Establish Authority
Podcasting has expanded by about 40% in the United States over the last three years, and more than half of all Americans have listened to a podcast at some point. Many businesses resort to podcasting to reach a larger audience and raise brand awareness.
The reasons why podcasting is so beneficial for brand recognition are the same as for other strategies — they are just in audio form. Podcasts help brands establish authority and leadership by exposing listeners to fresh perspectives and ideas.
They boost brand recognition by attracting audiences and generating buzz and attention. For example, you can start by creating your podcast, host-guest interviews, or be a guest on another podcast. All of these will help to raise your brand recognition significantly.
- Create a Unique Personality
Giving your brand a fun, distinct brand identity is a great method to raise brand awareness. Being controversial can make your brand incredibly memorable if you work in an industry where a little bit of humor or personality is appropriate. Old Spice, Poopouri, and Dollar Shave Club are just a few examples of companies that use humor and comedy to promote their brands.
- Invest in SEO to Increase Search Engine Visibility.
The phrase “SEO is dead” could hardly be more incorrect. In truth, SEO is becoming increasingly crucial, especially as Google attempts to improve its search capability and user experience for real-world consumers. For a long time, SEO was about much more than just keywords. Mobile-friendliness, high-quality content, and easy navigation are all variables that influence a website’s search ranking.
SEO is also vital for brand awareness for a simple reason: the better your SEO, the higher you’ll rank in search results, and the more visibility you’ll gain among individuals searching online. You don’t have to master all of the greatest SEO techniques on your own. You can employ a professional SEO agency to handle the heavy lifting to speed up the process.
Are You Ready to Boost Your Company’s Brand Awareness?
One of the most crucial aspects of brand recognition is time. It won’t happen overnight, and developing strong brand awareness can take years. After all, Coca-Cola has been around for over a century, while Nike has been around for about 60 years. That doesn’t imply you won’t see positive outcomes after a few months. Try combining the above-mentioned brand awareness methods, and stick with it.