Your team has made a killer product or offers a top-notch service. But how do you get said product or offering in front of the right people making buying decisions? Insert: brand awareness. Brand awareness is described as the “extent to which consumers are familiar with the distinctive qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services.” In simpler terms, consumers have been introduced to your company through one channel or another and recognize your brand.
Why is brand awareness important?
Brand awareness is the first step in the marketing funnel, and critical to acquiring new customers or clients. It generates buzz about your product or service, builds trust with prospects, and puts your brand front of mind when buyers are getting ready to make a purchase. Building brand awareness increases the probability that your brand will be considered when the consumer is in the market for your type of product or service.
10 Ways to increase your brand awareness
The best way to expand your brand awareness is through telling a compelling story and being consistent in your communication with new and existing customers. However, there’s more you can do to take your brand even further.
The following are 10 unique ways your team can increase your brand awareness in 2022.
Social media ads
Regardless of whether you prefer Facebook, TikTok or LinkedIn, you’ve likely seen a social media ad on your feed. A social media advertising campaign looks like a normal post but it has money behind it to ensure it’s hitting the right audience. A social media advertisement will push your post to reach more people, faster, which will ultimately increase your brand awareness.
Search engine optimization
Imagine searching for the term “presentation software” and Beautiful.ai coming up at the top of your Google search results. Being on the first page of Google search will bump up your brand awareness and build credibility among consumers. Things like search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) can improve your rankings for certain keywords thus providing it as a solution to their problem.
Influencer marketing
Influencer and affiliate marketing is a growing industry that continues to prove its return on investment. By partnering with certain influencers that match your brand’s niche you are both expanding your brand awareness and creating credibility with their following. Influencer marketing is not one-size-fits all and can include testimonials, an influencer creating content using your product or service, or simply mentioning your brand.
Referral programs
One of the simplest forms of marketing is word-of-mouth marketing. There’s nothing more powerful than existing customers who know and love your product or service, vouching for you and recommending your brand to their peers. That’s why referral programs where you offer incentive for customers to promote your brand are a successful method for brand awareness.
Partnerships
Mutual partnerships with other brands can multiply your reach by tapping into their customer base. You can do this through things like product integrations, guest blogs or articles, back-linking, and collaborations on new products or campaigns. It’s important to partner with brands that have a similar demographic or industry so that the additional reach makes sense for your brand awareness.
Freebies
Everybody loves a good freebie, and it’s a great way to stay top of mind long after the initial exposure. For example, you might hand out branded swag, free advice or tips that are of value to your audience, or extend a freemium version of your product or service. If it’s free, prospects are more likely to engage which means you can interact with more decision makers.
Display advertisements
Display advertising is another place you have to pay-to-play, but it can be a really effective tool in increasing your brand awareness. Digital display advertising is a form of marketing in which you utilize graphics— often in banners made up of text, images, video, and audio— on websites, apps, or even social media. Since you’re essentially paying for exposure, you’re bound to reach a larger, more targeted audience.
Valuable infographics or whitepapers
Creating valuable infographics or whitepapers and offering them as downloadables or tangible takeaways from a conference or webinar can increase your brand awareness. If the content you’re providing is valuable it might create a sense of virality by people sharing it with colleagues and peers, thus expanding your reach.
Social media contests
Similar to freebies, consumers are very likely to engage with a giveaway. A social media contest might require people to tag three of their peers as an entry, which will extend your brand awareness to new audiences. On the same coin, you could ask participants to share a post of yours on their social media channel as an entry, boosting your reach and chances of more entries, repeating the cycle of exposure.
Podcasting network
One of the newest marketing vehicles is a podcast. A podcast is a series of audio episodes focused on one industry, topic, or idea. You can increase your brand awareness on podcasts by; 1) advertisement spots, 2) organic mentions of your brand on a podcast, or 3) appearing as a guest on a like-minded podcast episode.
