Build Brand Awareness
In a world where the public is inundated with brand images practically around the clock (where nearly one in four people admit to having fallen asleep, phone in hand), how do successful companies build brand awareness? It may feel as if there's no way to break through all the "noise" across web, mobile, and traditional advertising channels, but the task is not impossible.
Brand awareness can be built just about anywhere, at any time.
Before you even start a concerted brand awareness campaign, you must understand your customer in as much detail as possible. This is an ongoing process, and involves analyzing social media, website analytics, and other customer data. Your definition of your "ideal customer" will vary over time, because nothing is static in today's marketplace, but the more you know about your customers, the better. If you're not sure where to start in building brand awareness, consider these five basic brand-building techniques, which can do wonders if applied with consistency and forethought.
1. Build a Narrative Via Social Media
Your social media presence should consist of approximately 80% useful or entertaining information and only 20% drawing attention to your products and services. But that still gives you plenty of scope for building a strong brand narrative across your social media properties. People love and crave stories, and make no mistake: your brand has a story. Making it appealing through text, images, and video, and being consistent in your social media presence are two keys to building brand awareness through narrative.
2. Be Consistent in "Look and Feel" Across All Marketing Channels
While your Instagram feed will naturally differ from your Twitter stream, both should reflect your brand with consistency, making it easier to recognize, with a more solid brand narrative developing over time. Every marketing channel will require devoted individuals to ensure high quality and consistency, but it's also important that the people responsible for the various marketing channels communicate and coordinate with each other so that you don't end up with a disjointed, haphazard brand presence.
3. Consider Partnering with Other Brands and Organizations
There are practically unlimited ways to do this. Say you operate a bakery. Perhaps during "wedding season" you could partner with a local florist on a marketing campaign or cross-promotion. Or, suppose your brand audience is largely made up of people who enjoy going to art museums. Using your brand to sponsor a free admission day (or half-day) allows you to reach people in a way you haven't before. When you team up with another appropriate brand, the resulting "cross-pollination" strengthens both your reputations.
Local businesses in particular can benefit from partnerships with other local brands.
Developing a mobile app may feel extreme, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune, and for local businesses in particular, an app can significantly boost brand awareness. For example, if you operate a local day spa or salon, building a branded app that allows people to book appointments or order products gives your customer base something they probably won't get from your competitors. Mobile websites are good too, but an app allows you to connect with customers without the distractions of the rest of the web. Plus, apps are generally faster and easier to use.
5. Maintain a Selection of Top Quality Marketing Collateral
While brand awareness today definitely has a large online component, don't forget the tremendous impact that traditional marketing collateral can have. This is true whether you sell appliances or are running a political campaign. Simple items like buttons, magnets, and keychains can help get your brand in front of and into the hands of new customers. Whether custom-designed or built from stock designs, putting your logo, picture, slogan, or brand image onto traditional marketing collateral still goes a long way toward building brand awareness.
If you suspect that there's no single way to maximize brand awareness in today's marketplace, you're correct. People encounter branding in more ways than ever, and it's important that your brand be present wherever your customer base spends time. That's why a multi-faceted approach involving social media, consistency, cross-promotion, and mobile-friendliness, combined with traditional marketing materials is the only way to ensure brand awareness on all fronts. If you're interested in the highest quality designs for items like buttons, magnets, keychains, and stickers, we invite you to get in touch with Speedy Buttons at any time. We would be delighted to be part of your brand awareness efforts.
