As any entrepreneur will attest to, building brand awareness is an essential step in building a successful business.It can be done through various means, including advertising, social media marketing, and more.
Social media has become one of the most effective ways to reach customers. It is also the fastest way to build a brand. However, it is essential to understand what goes into successfully building a brand awareness strategy that targets ideal customers.
After reading this post, you will be able to determine which marketing strategies are right for your company and learn how to apply them.
Let’s highlight the 10 proven strategies that boost brand awareness in the digital age.
How To Increase Brand Awareness
Before I get started on strategies to increase brand awareness, let’s talk about what it is. Brand awareness is the first tier of the customer buying cycle. The buying cycle is the journey ideal customers take, ending in becoming repeat customers.
Having the right voice, tone, and brand image will draw people’s attention to your business and make them want to avail of your offerings.
With the correct branding, businesses can get a leg up on the competition and become the preferred industry leader.
With that in mind, building brand awareness is not just about reaching out to your target audience but connecting with them personally, proving your brand has more authority and credibility than others in the industry.
The right strategy can boost sales, see an increase in repeat customers, and help your business expand in a highly competitive space.
Here are 10 strategies that will help boost your business’ brand awareness:
1. Get On Social Media
In the digital marketing age where everything is done on the internet, having social media presence is essential for brand recognition. Chances are, your target customer is on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google+.
With over 3.96 billion people accessing social media platforms daily, these sites become the most logical way to reach your ideal customer.
When starting out, focus on building a following and engaging with your target audience. Once you have built a following, you can start sharing content that will help your brand stand out.
The best part about social networks is that it is free. So, if you don’t have a budget for advertising, you can still boost brand recognition and get started.
Here are some ways to get started:
- Create a company page on Facebook.
- Add a Facebook Live video.
- Create a Twitter account.
- Add a LinkedIn profile.
- Create a YouTube channel.
- Use a relevant hashtag to gain visibility.
It is important to understand what makes a social media platform work for your business in terms of aiming for awareness of your brand. For those just starting out, taking a digital marketing course can help jumpstart your business branding efforts.
For example, Facebook is great for companies that sell products or services. This is because Facebook allows you to create a community around your brand.
You can post well edited content, photos, and videos using attractive filters from Lightroom to engage your customers. Play around with moody and artistic vibes that reflect your brand identity.
On the other hand, Twitter is an excellent platform for businesses providing information and services. It is a fast-paced environment where customers can interact with brands in real-time.
LinkedIn is a great place to connect with professionals in your field.
Instagram is an excellent platform for businesses that sell products or services.
2. Create A Stunning Website
Your website is the face of your brand. It is the place where customers can learn about your business, view products, and even make a purchase.
A visually appealing website design will boost brand awareness. It will also help you to attract new customers and increase sales.
When designing your website, remember that it should be simple and easy to navigate. Using website builders like WIX and SquareSpace are great ways to make sure your website is well designed and clean.
These allow you to customize the layout, design, and navigation based on your brand identity for a seamless customer experience.
If your website design has great navigation and design, it makes it easier for customers to find what they are searching for.
Websites with a clear and organized site map like how Kuru Footwear showcases its orthopedic footwear creates a sense of quality and industry knowledge. This showcases that your brand knows what its customers are after and how to deliver that to them in a seamless manner.
Also, make sure that your website is optimized for search engines. This means that it will rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). I’ll get to a strategy that increases ranking on SERPs in the next section.
3. Keep SEO Updated
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website visible on search engines like Google and Bing.By creating a website that is user-friendly and visually appealing, you will increase your chances of ranking higher on SERPs.
However, SEO isn’t just about the design and layout of your website. It’s also about the content that you share.The content you share on your website should be informative and engaging. It should include keywords that are relevant to your business.
As a business owner, you need to be aware of any changes that happen in the SEO landscape. For example, Google has announced that it is rolling out a new algorithm called broad core algorithm.
This algorithm will be rolled out in May 2022. It will be a major change that will affect how your website ranks.
These are some of the aspects of your website that can increase your SEO:
- Its content ( written, graphic, video, or audio)
- Site map and navigation
- Page speed
- User experience
- Linking
- Use of relevant keywords (similar to how they are used in this word finder tool)
So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to start optimizing your website for the new algorithm.
4. Start Content Marketing
Soon after you launch your website, you need to start creating content. You must create written, visual, audio, or even graphical content.
The more content you have, the more likely it is for your customers to turn into buyers. But, always prioritize quality over quantity. To make this easier, a project management software like Monday is a powerful tool for planning and organizing a content marketing strategy.
The right tool can help you decide on what content to prioritize and who it targets. A clear plan of action does wonders for a website and how algorithms rank them.
Algorithms will more likely rank your site high on SERPs if it has valuable content. Even if you have tons of content but no real value, a search engine will have no reason to rank your website on the first page.
Having a high-quality content marketing strategy boosts organic search traffic, helps generate leads and shortens the customer buying journey by showing that your business is an industry leader.
Releasing high-value, high-quality content on a regular basis is a tactic that works wonders for thousands of businesses.
Keep in mind that content marketing is not limited to what is released on your website. Any content a business has on the internet should be part of its content strategy.
When planning a content marketing strategy, make sure to have consistency in brand voice and tone. Don’t change it depending on the platform. Doing so lessens your credibility and authority, leading to a loss in customer traffic to your competitors.
5. Think Customer First
Customer experience is one of the most important factors that determine whether or not a business succeeds. Keeping them in mind when building your brand’s identity and brand value is crucial to its longevity.
If your customers are happy with your brand’s products and services, they will refer others through word-of-mouth. And, if your customers are happy with your products and services, they will buy more.
It’s not enough to just sell products or services. Products sold should solve the problem customers are looking to fix with that product or service.
Take the homepage branding of this online Personal Response System (PRS) resource. Here, they showcase how they can help their customers choose the right providers that suit their needs.
Their focus is on assisting customers in making the right choice by providing resources and comparisons. This type of customer-first thinking increases its credibility and value in the eyes of a consumer.
A brand needs to understand its customers’ needs and make sure that the products and services meet those needs.
Customer loyalty is the lifeblood of business continuity. They are the ones who make your business successful. So, make sure that you are listening to them and that they feel heard.
Focus on answering their questions, then move to showcase how you can solve their problem. This is a surefire way to gain leads and conversions.
6. Engage Your Target Audience
Engaging your target audience with brand awareness campaigns goes hand in hand with thinking customers first. In this case, engaging them means actively replying to their questions and comments on all platforms where your brand has a presence.
Social media and digital ad campaigns allow users to comment on posts and provide feedback and suggestions. Use this to learn more about what they are looking for and why. Then, incorporate that into your brand awareness.
Consistent communication with your target audience shows them that you care about what they think and how your product or service holds up in their lives.
Receiving reviews, ratings, comments, and feedback are the perfect ways to interact and show you are active in making your brand better. It’s also a surefire way to establish a strong brand.
To engage your audience, use these simple starters similar to how Nash showcases how their crypto platform helps grow their customer’s savings.
- Write enticing copy
- Use eye catching design
- Showcase value-added
- Have a clear Call to Action (CTA)
- Appeal to customers on a personal level
All these brand awareness efforts can spark a conversation among leads. Having them ask you questions and comment on what they need. In turn, you have the opportunity to build your brand awareness by showing you are the industry expert on the topic.
7. Go Beyond Written Content
Written content is a necessary aspect of brand building, but in building brand awareness going beyond written words does a great deal. Having video, graphical and audio content also plays a huge role in creating a well-rounded brand that people will come to know and love.
These days, people have busy lives and shorter attention spans. Reading through a long-form blog will not always be the best way to generate leads.
But, with visual and audio content incorporated into marketing efforts, people can quickly digest your brand message and keep it top-of-mind.
Visual and audio have become the more impactful ways for brands to attract potential customers and targeted demographics. Using this to your advantage is a necessity now more than ever in gaining the followers, leads, and repeat customers your brand needs.
There are tons of approaches to this strategy. Start by using infographics created on Canva that can be incorporated into your website and social media posts.
Using GIFs, videos, and podcasts also goes a long way in building your brand identity and telling its story.
These forms of content tend to connect with people on a more personal level, and having them in bite-sized chunks makes it easy to absorb even on the go with a busy lifestyle.
8. Always Release High-Quality Content
Your brand and the business it represents should always be a source of unique information and valuable content. High-quality digital marketing content means releasing timely information that proves factual and easy to understand.
In line with branding, high-quality content also means using eye-catching brand logos and packaging. Such designs are what will draw a customer to your brand, and good design also adds to your brand’s authenticity.
The idea here is to use simple methods to tell your audience what you do and what they can expect from your brand.
Try not to use industry jargon that will have them searching for its meaning or, worse, guessing. Rather, high-quality content will offer something they can absorb easily while still getting their search questions answered.
Another pro tip here is to write to your audience and offer them a one-stop-shop for anything they need in the industry or market you occupy.
For example, if you are in the industry of selling outdoor furnishing to spruce up a backyard, make it so it is easy to browse categories. This way customers can easily pinpoint their needs without the confusion.
Additionally, ensuring users have quick access to resources and blogs allows them easily search for the question they need answered.
9. Participate In Guest Blogging And Networking
Guest blogging and networking are great ways to gain more followers and build brand awareness for your business.
By posting your content on other sites, your brand name can gain exposure and visibility. This can lead to more traffic, leads, and sales. Most importantly, guest blogging goes a long way in increasing the level of brand awareness.
The best part of guest blogging is that it doesn’t require a ton of time or money. Just make sure that you are pitching your content in a way that makes it relatable to the site you are posting it on.
When it comes to networking, it is important to be genuine. Ask them for advice and ask for help when you need it.
Showing that you are willing to help others and not only take advantage of them will build trust and increase your brand’s credibility.
In addition, you can start networking on LinkedIn and form partnerships so you can get to know other bloggers in your industry. This is an excellent way to gain new followers and gain exposure for your brand.
If you are a blogger, this is a great way to share your content with a wider audience and create brand awareness.
10. Strategize Your Marketing Plans
Last but not least, take every strategy above and incorporate it into a solid marketing campaign that touches every base of the customer buying journey, especially when it comes to making purchase decisions.
While a brand’s focus is first to build awareness, ensuring there is a brand strategy for each stage speeds up the jump from one stage to another. This is a great way to make the list of fastest growing companies for this year.
In this regard, be ready to move to the consideration phase once your brand awareness has been solidified. Then, to the decision-making phase. Ideally, an excellent brand will stay ahead of its customers by having information and answers ready before the customer even asks them.
How can a brand create an effective marketing campaign? Communication. Work closely with your team and have a communication strategy to understand what customers are looking for and attempt to predict their behavior.
Marketing plans must be tested, tried, and adjusted to meet the goals and ideals of a brand. Always take the time to see how they fare in front of an audience and use the metrics and data collected to enhance it more and more until there is a perfect formula to it.
Conclusion
These proven strategies are just the beginning. If you are a blogger, these tips can help you increase your brand awareness and brand loyalty in no time.
Getting into social media, updating your SEO, and creating stunning websites benefit your brand name, especially in this digital age. More than that, you also have to dig deeper and think about what your customers really need and strategize a marketing plan. As you apply each strategy in the list, you’ll gradually notice the increase in potential customers. For those just starting out in building a brand and business, visit DesignBro for creative branding assets, designs, and advice to kick things into high gear.
Head of Design at DesignBro and is responsible for UI/UX Design, managing the global designer community, and ensuring quality levels of both designers and designs remain high.
