Brand awareness is directly correlated to sales and conversions. It is important to be recognizable, and even more important to be liked and trusted. Growing your brand awareness in an environment where over 400,000 businesses get launched annually in the US alone is no easy task, but it can be done.
Optimize for Reach
To be found, you have to be optimized. Search engine optimization (SEO) is among the most reliable ways to get noticed. 63 percent of all purchases start online, even where the end purchase happens in a physical store.
It doesn’t matter if your business is largely offline, you need to be noticed online through search engines, otherwise, you will be limiting your brand’s awareness.
Become a Lifestyle Brand
People no longer seek utility alone when buying from brands. The modern buyer sees the brand as an extension of themselves.
How well does your brand fit into your target customer's lifestyle?
You can find creative ways to insert your brand into your customers’ lives. Emotional points of connection like philanthropy, environmentalism, human rights, and sporting can help you become part of your customers’ lives.
Use Social Media Religiously
It's S-O-C-I-A-L for a reason. Social media is a gift to the world of branding. Imagine being able to engage with your target audience in friendly ways. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘growing’ by amassing huge social media follower counts for the sake of it. Instead, seek to become a relevant part of your target audience’s everyday life. A comment, even one unrelated to your business, can create a connection. Brands need to develop a voice and identity online, and nothing does that better than social media usage. Brands need to be on as many social media platforms as possible. You can repurpose one piece of content to fit into multiple social media channels. That helps save resources while creating branding consistency.
Use Consistent Images, Fonts, Colors, and Sounds
You get to choose how to be seen, but thereafter, you have to stick to who you are. That way, you allow the target audience to recognize your brand amidst millions of others. Color, logo, and font are the main ways to establish your brand. A tagline and a catchy jingle can also go a long way to reinforcing your identity.
Advertise
Yes, you need to pay for exposure. Social media and search engine companies know that you desperately need eyes on your brand. No matter how good your content creation is, internet platforms will deliberately limit your organic reach. A typical organic Facebook post gets only about 5.2 percent organic reach. The social media platform needs to make money, and your best bet for engagement and reach is to pony up.
At the heart of branding lives good content. Check our offers on content creation to learn how we can help your brand awareness effort. Meanwhile, remember to treat your brand as your business’ persona. Guard your brand jealously and grow it consistently.
Want some more help on brand awareness and marketing? Contact the EMRG Media Marketing Department today for all of your marketing services.
