This article considers what it is to have a Brand Presence and the art of generating Brand Awareness.
5 minutes required reading time
By Kate Bartels / Digital Content Strategist.
Have you ever seen a brand and wondered how in the world they got so large? Getting people to buy your product is one thing but being ‘a brand’ they automatically think of when they need something is another.
There are so many elements that go into having great brand awareness, but if you are incorporating these things into your day to day marketing practices and strategies, creating kick-ass brand awareness should come much easier to you.
You can’t shove your brand down people’s throats (we wish it was that easy), but you can do everything you can to give them a good subtle push in the right direction while getting the best conversion rate optimisation (CRO).
If you don’t have a firm foundation, good products and listen to your customers, you’ll find yourself running around trying to convince people that your brand is awesome, and it will sound a little something like this “Pleeaasseeee love me! WE’RE GOOD I SWEAR. Look, we have this and this….” It’s not going to end well.
Great brand awareness doesn’t just happen by accident, and although there are a number of stages between starting off and being world recognised, being a go-to for your product doesn’t necessary always mean spending zillions of dollars on non-stop marketing campaigns.
There are a number of ways in which you can bump up your brand awareness. Things like partnering up with other brands refer a friend program and a whole range of other opportunities.
But, what is brand awareness?
Basically, brand awareness is the extent to which your brand is recognised by others and how closely people associate your brand with a particular product or service.
Every business should have a style and branding guide.
Some people do it separately, and some together. This will ensure that teeny tiny details like the size of your logo are always precise, creating consistency always.
Some brands have nailed the brand awareness thing so well that people call the actual product by the brand name, such as Kleenex or Coke. But before you go flipping tables and screaming that its all simply too hard, read ahead.
You don’t have to be as big as Coke to have great brand awareness, in fact by actually doing a lot of the things a good business with a good marketing strategy does anyway, you’re already winning.
The brands who find unique avenues to get in the minds of consumers, actually care about their customers and keep them coming back for more are the kind that we can look to for inspiration.
Let’s break down what goes into making consumers love you.
Being there every step of the way
The very first thing you need to consider is your customer journey. For a lot of businesses, they make the mistake of thinking that when a customer makes a sale, that’s the end. Goodbye, nice knowing you!
You know that a customer who has made a sale from you likes what they see, so why not work with them to make them a promoter of your brand? Keep in contact with them through methods such as EDM’s, providing them with things such as discounts for being a customer. Let them know you care.
Even if they haven’t purchased from you yet, letting them know you care is the first step in a great opportunity for CRO.
It’s not enough to simply sell someone something or provide someone with a service, only to treat them like they don’t matter and rid your hands of them. By not being available for follow-ups or helping customers when things go wrong, you’re doing yourself plenty of harm.
Make it personal
Understanding your target audience is one of the most important parts of building brand awareness. Having a good product is one thing, but what’s getting them there in the first place, and what is making them stay?
We are drawn towards brands we vibe with us, its human nature. When we find something that resonates with us, we get to take a big exhale and scream FINALLY, a product that really captures what I am all about.
While being too specific in who you target can make it hard to attract customers, making it too general makes you appear inauthentic. Be real about who you are. Be fun, be unique and be full of personality.
When customers find something that they really enjoy and can experience a human element, you build a community of brand advocates.
The power of words
Great blogs and great use of SEO, social media are common in marketing practices today– but when used properly, they can help establish you in your field and become the place that consumers go to when they want information.
Let’s first talk about blogs.
Your brand can do more than just offer a product, being a knowledge bank that’s accessible online 24/7 helps encourage trust and puts you in the forefront of consumers minds.
Your blogs don’t even have to be hugely targeted towards your own products, they need to have a human element and get people thinking about all the things that they can do, experience and be a part of while at the same time associating all of those things with your brand.
Pairing all of this with social media gives you an even greater advantage. When consumers see great content, they share it. They like, comment, tag, repost basically doing your job for you and yep.. you guessed it, create great brand awareness and an even greater opportunity for CRO.
Partnering with other brands
This may seem obvious but collaborating or being involved with another brand is a great way to target your consumers in a different way. For example, a clothing brand collaborating with a museum may seem strange, but when you see that the brand is sleek, edgy and likely to be worn by a stereotypically ‘artsy’ type, it’s a genius brand awareness method.
A great example of a brand who really nailed this is Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing brand. They partnered with The Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York, offering free Friday night entry. In doing this, they targeted people who perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise been aware of the brand and as a result, were able to tap into a new market.
This is just the tip of the iceberg
There are a heap more ways to gain brand awareness, we have just lightly touched on the basics here, and Adaptify are full to the brim with strategic tips and marketing tactics that will take your brand to the next level.
No matter what your brand is or who you’re targeting, Adaptify knows how to get you where you need to be. Contact us today for a no obligation free consultation.
