3 Tips for Building Brand Awareness

Brand awareness in today's business environment is paramount. The effort to establish your company's story is a key component to becoming recognizable and memorable in the marketplace. This begins with your brand identity, which starts with the logo and then continues with the website, brochures, ads, and marketing materials

Whether you sell a product (Apple, BMW, or Starbucks) or a service (Netflix, Amazon, or GoDaddy), people need to understand who you are, what you offer, and why they should choose your brand. You can't be all things to everyone, so carve out a specific target audience and market to them.

Building a brand begins with an identity, starting with a logo that is instantly recognizable and memorable, and that carries over to any other marketing materials you create, whether brochures, ads, orproducts. That brand represents your quality (high-end or low-end), prestige, and accessibility. A well-defined brand is key to driving sales and ensuring customer relationships. In this article, we will cover three helpful tips for building brand awareness.

The Importance of Brand Awareness

The most important thing for any business marketing team is to define and then build brand awareness in the marketplace. Start with brand identity,  then create the perfect brand.

As discussed in other articles, before you can begin promoting and building your brand, you need to define the Brand Bible, which includes the catchphrase, elevator pitch, social media messaging, advertising, and email copywriting. Think about how politicians find their catchphrase and work it into all their interviews, as well as "seemingly" unrehearsed Q&As,

While you want the message to remain consistent at the root level, the actual copy itself may vary from medium to medium, for example,  email copy vs. sales copy.

Times have changed, and strategies are constantly shifting. While advertising remains an important sales tool, customer reviews have also become a major driver of sales. In today's business world, you need to assess whether your brand is an impulse buy or something customers will evaluate more carefully. To accomplish this, you should begin with a brand bible. If you don't understand how to develop one, ask us.

It's more important than ever to have a balanced brand strategy. Brand awareness is key to attracting new customers and retaining existing ones, so you'll want to balance paid advertising, organic traction, and retention.

Here are some reasons to achieve brand recognition:

• A strong brand can help you stand out from the competition. With so many businesses competing for attention, it's crucial to have a strong brand that makes you stand out from the crowd - a unique value proposition (UVP). It's not enough to just be recognizable, but also what you're recognizable for.
• A strong brand builds trust and credibility. Customers are more likely to do business with companies they know and trust. Building a strong brand helps demonstrate to customers that you're a credible companythey can rely on. Being profiled in magazines builds a stronger brand than an ad. Stellar customer reviews and high ratings should also be a goal.
• A strong brand can increase your customer lifetime value.  Customers who trust your brand and feel a personal connection with your business are more likely to remain loyal over the long term. An example is car brands people may remain faithful to for their entire lives or for most of it. Google adopters will likely not switch to Microsoft; Apple users to a PC; or Android users to an iPhone. People tend to choose products based on their UVP, and once they settle in, they are unlikely to switch.

3 Tips for Building Brand Awareness

Tip #1: Invest in Advertising

Advertising is the most immediate way to reach the public with your brand name. It allows you to get a large online audience with a single click. Print advertising takes a bit longer for the issue in which you place an adto be published. Depending on your brand, consider alternative advertising channels, such as subway trains, billboards, and local newspapers.

Investing in advertising is an essential part of any marketing strategy. It can be costly, but it can also be worth it if you do the research to ensure you're reaching your premiumtarget buyer. There are many places in which to advertise, including:

• Online: ads you can post in search (Google, Yahoo, etc), or on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, and many more. You set a budget and pay for the ad based on the number of clicks during the specified date range when it is online and visible.
• Banner ads can be placed on category-specific websites.
• Print advertising: a broad spectrum that includes business-specific trade magazines, trade show circulars, consumer (paid-for) magazines, and newspapers. It can also include alternative ads on billboards (on streets, inside venues, or inside subway train cars).
• Television ads are costly, although you can investigate late-night and off-channel opportunities.
• Radio is another medium that can build brand awareness, especially during morning talk radio shows. Online podcasts are another option.
• Email marketing.
• Flyer handouts and mailers.

No matter which method you choose, ensure your advertising is creative and attention-grabbing. If you can capture people’s attention, you are on the right track.

Other brand-building strategies include two primary considerations, again, depending on the type of brand you have. First, build search visibility so your website and/or social media pages appear when people search for specific terms. If you're ranking well, you carry more authority in the buyer's eyes than an ad.

Secondly, "earned" coverage in the press is always more valuable than "paid" coverage. However, getting the press to cover your brand with a profile, review, interview, or even a mention requires a strategy, consistent effort, and a quarterback who knows the game and has the contacts. A good PR firm can also raise your profile by arranging opportunities, such as radio interviews or a panel seat at a trade show, seminar, or other event. When a brand's principal or high-ranking executive is presented as an expert, they are perceived as an "authoritative voice" in their industry (orsegment).

Tip #2: Get Involved in the Community

A company’s success is not only measured by its profit margins. A company’s community involvement is also an important metric by which it should be (and often is) judged. Community involvement can take many forms, from sponsoring a local Little League team to hosting a blood drive. Community involvement builds brand awareness and can increase customer loyalty. It also shows that a company cares about more than just its bottom line.

Sponsoring a local sports team serves two initial purposes. First, it helps build brand awareness, as people will see the company’s name on jerseys and signage at games. Secondly, but no less important, it connects you to an active member of the community. Companies can also host or co-sponsor events, such as blood or food drives or disaster relief efforts.

Whatever method you choose, getting involved in the community is a great way to show your customers that you appreciate their support and to help them see you as more than just another product or service, but also as a member of the community.

Tip #3: Partner With Other Businesses

Partnering with other businesses is a great way to build brand awareness. By aligning with different non-competitive companies that share your target market, you can reach a wider audience and increase visibility.

There are a few things to keep in mind when partnering with other businesses. First, please make sure the company you're partnering with is a good fit for your brand. You want to ensure their values align with yours and that their customers are also your target market. Look for complementary businesses that you can trust, and you'll be on your way to success. Synergy doesn't have to be aligned with what you're selling, but rather with who is buying—for example, the way a movie brand partners with food, clothing, and one-off promotions.

A more synergistic partner is someone who provides a service you don't, but whois in the same industry segment. For example, a website designer might partner with a website hosting company. A car dealer might run a special promotion with a car wash. Or a bar that teamed up with Emerson Amusements (the NYC member of Club Lucky to run arcade game tournaments, or co-produce the AMI Concert Bites Series presented at local bars that had AMI Jukeboxes

Think about what you can offer the other business. What can you do to help them reach their goals? And what can they do to help you connect with yours? Please make sure there's mutual benefit in the partnership.

Finally, don't forget to promote the partnership.

Use Social Media

In an increasingly digitized world, businesses need to maintain a strong online presence. This means engaging beyond running an online ad to build brand awareness.

Social media platform leaders include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. But there are many others, such as Pinterest and Snapchat, that may or may not work for your brand. The right platforms provide businesses with an opportunity to reach out and actually engage with potential (and existing) customers. Deliver great content and use hashtags, increase visibility, and attract new followers.

Furthermore, social media can be used to build connections with customers and foster a sense of community around the brand. No brand exemplifies this better than Apple. Loyal Apple followers wouldn't give up their product for a PC or Android, no matter what great discount those other brands offered: they're entrenched as loyal brand ambassadors -- which is the best promotion you can get.

When using social media, the old adage of "build it, and they will come" is no longer viable. It's a myth, not a strategy. Using social media for promotion requires dedication, effort, and planning. For example, it is essential to establish a well-thought-out content calendar that strikes a good balance of education, entertainment, promotions, and service/product listings. It is also encouraged to respond to visitors' comments and, of course, monitor message inquiries. Think of it like throwing an open house: would you walk around the house and welcome visitors, or ignore them? The same thing applies here. Show visitors that you're invested in your customer base, not just trying to sell them something today. A good impression matters and may not result in a sale today, but could in the future

To streamline your posting management efforts (to all your social media pages), consider a management tool such as HootSuite, eClincher, or the PowerListings tools suite.

Overall, social media is a powerful tool for businesses to reach new audiences and build a strong online presence. The type of business, product, or service you offer will determine which social media platforms (or combination thereof) are best for you.

Conclusion: Why Brand Awareness Matters

In conclusion, brand awareness is essential for any business looking to succeed. It allows customers to build a following and recruit brand ambassadors who promote your brand to new potential customers. People trust a company referred to them by people they know or recommended by many.

Schedule time to conduct the research, sort the results, and then set goals, build a strategic plan, and adopt the tactics needed to achieve them. The only barrier you face is the initiative to do it. Remember, the biggest mistake startup or growing companies make is failing to get stuff done!

By following these tips, you are on your way to becoming a successful brand!