Building brand awareness allows you to spread the word about your business to more potential customers, communicate your company’s personality to the world, and establish trusting relationships with consumers. How can you help the world get to know your brand?
Sponsor Events
Acting as a sponsor for an event can help the public get to know your values. For example, sponsoring a charity event can help potential customers see your business as caring and socially aware. Sponsoring a community event lets people know you’re a part of the community and want to help your neighbors.
Use discretion when you’re choosing what to sponsor. Learn all of the details regarding an event to be certain you want your brand attached to it.
Work on Your Public Relations
When you release a new product or start a new initiative, work up professional press releases for local newspapers, magazines and TV stations. If journalism sources deem you worthy of attention, you’ll receive free publicity. The positive attention will encourage potential customers to learn more about you and your products.
Give Things Away
Inexpensive branded gifts provide something useful to existing or potential customers. Getting those items into customers’ homes will expose your brand name to their family members and guests, too.
Your giveaways can be as basic as pens, pencils or little pads of sticky notes. You can also get a little more creative. If your business sells office equipment, for example, you can give away a guide to organizing a workspace. A clothing store can hold a sweepstakes for a trip to one of the world’s most prestigious fashion cities like New York or Milan.
Whatever you decide to give away, make sure it’s high quality and worth the investment. If all of your customers end up with pens that don’t write or paper that tears easily, it may reflect poorly on your business.
Leverage Social Media
Your current and future customers use social media platforms to share details about their likes, dislikes, experiences and even their purchases. If your business has a social media presence and customers post about something they bought from you, they may include a link to your business or follow your social media accounts.
Your can use this engagement to your advantage. Social media marketing gives you the opportunity to engage in conversations with customers, helping them to see your business as more of a living thing than an impersonal entity.
Use Traditional Advertising
Radio or print advertising is particularly useful if you have a small brick-and-mortar business. Placing a commercial or an ad with a local newspaper or radio station is often inexpensive, and it will ensure that word about your business reaches the people who are most likely to become your customers or clients.
Building brand awareness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes planning, a strong brand identity and a combination of brand-building techniques. Use these tips to get your brand awareness on the right track.
