Brand awareness is probably a term you’ve heard since you started your business, but it might not be immediately apparent what it entails. In basic terms, it means that people know what you are all about, and they have expectations of the sort of content and approach you will offer. The best part of it all is when your future customers type your name directly into the search engine, showing they know about you and want to use your services.
Brand awareness is imperative if you want your business to be known by your target market, to be successful, and to stand out from the crowd. It may not have been the first thing on your list when setting up your business, but it should undoubtedly be a consideration for you. Continue reading for six simple steps you and your employees can take to increase the company’s brand awareness, leading to extensive benefits all round.
1. Social media – choose your platforms
Social media is one of the easiest ways in which to build your brand awareness. First though, decide which platform (or platforms) is best for your target market according to their demographics. If you are looking to attract a young clientele, Instagram and Tik Tok are the most popular right now. However, for an older audience, Facebook and Twitter may be more appropriate. All platforms differ, so it is not advisable for the exact information to be shared across multiple ones.
2. Social media – create visual content
When creating posts to go on social media, hashtags are also a great addition to your campaign. If you can encourage your followers to use one that is specific to your brand, this could make an enormous difference. Varying your content is also useful as, although your brand voice will remain the same throughout, people need to be interested, excited and surprised by things you have to offer and share.
Consider using a mixture of visuals to capture people’s attention from the off. Though we do not advise constant use of them, enlisting the help of someone who creates videos could be useful rather than making your own, which largely look unprofessional and could deter potential clients.
3. Social media – create written content
In conjunction with all the visuals, you should ensure that you have a sensible amount of written content, too. Ensure it is well written, proofread to avoid silly typos and grammatical errors that keyboard warriors would love to jump upon. If your business is a quirky one, make sure that your voice is as well. Posting written content that people cannot wait to share is a quickfire way to build your brand awareness.
4. Increase your community involvement
One way to increase your brand awareness that can be really simple is to sponsor a local event or project. Sports teams are always on the lookout for businesses who can help with kit or match sponsorship. Likewise, charities need money to ensure they can maximize the potential of their events. As well as being helpful to the causes that need an injection of capital, it also supports you to build a brand which is seen as investing heavily in community cohesion.
5. Invest in advertising
This is, as the name suggests, a fantastic way of advertising your business. Of course, it comes at a premium as you will have to pay out something financially prior to seeing any positive impact of a campaign. However, if you get it right, you will see your brand awareness flourish.
There are so many different ways of advertising, so investigate the benefits of each type before embarking on your campaign. For example, if you are hoping to attract a certain age, gender or location of clientele targeted advertising might be your best option. Facebook does this well, with users having the option to choose the amount to spend and the specifics of the audience you wish the advert to reach.
6. Find influencers to support you
Influencers, or micro-influencers, can be great people to get on board with your brand. Gifting products or services in return for them being featured in their social media can be helpful. However, in line with your business’ voice, it is essential that you research who your influencers are.
If they go with every product on the market, the chances are that your brand will get lost in the noise of their social media accounts. Going for someone who shares the ethos of your enterprise is far more important than the number of followers they have, although it is obviously important that they have a fair amount, at least.
