Boosting brand awareness and standing out in today's marketplace isn't as complicated as it sounds. It can be achieved in a number of ways, from leveraging trust to working with influencers, hosting podcasts, and partnering with companies and other brands.
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What is Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is how many people know and recognise your brand or name; simply put, it is what you are known for. It can be positive or negative, and this awareness distinguishes one brand from another in terms of who customers choose to purchase from.
Brands with high awareness are often referred to as trending or popular. Without awareness, there will be no customers to buy your brand, and reliance will be on them finding you by chance. A high level of positive brand awareness means you'll be first in mind when customers want a product or service you sell and will recommend and refer you to friends and networks.
How to Boost Brand Awareness
When deciding where to start, begin by first identifying your target audience, their demographics, the channels they regularly use and the type of content that works on each channel.
Content can include writing blog posts like these and sharing them, positioning you or your company as an expert by providing comments, quotes or material for online and print media, utilising social media groups and paid ads, advertising in physical locations such as stores or renting pop-up spaces.
Remember to tell your brand story, create value beyond your product, and contribute to your community. You may also choose to sponsor charitable events, fundraisers, fairs, and exhibitions in exchange for promoting your company. Other options include YouTube video ads, infographics, or podcasts. Creating and distributing content is one of the easiest ways to connect with your audience authentically.
How to Measure Online Brand Awareness
Using quantitative 'Key Performance Indicators' (KPI), you can measure the success of your online marketing. One way to do this is to use the Google Search Console and track the click-through rate (CTR) after a customer views your brand's ad or paid social posts. This also allows you to track your 'Return on Advertising Spend' (ROAS). You can also use the console to track direct traffic and the volume of people who use your branded keywords to find you.
Google also sends monthly performance reports that show you how people found you, the top-performing search queries, and your top-growing and performing pages.
Another option is to use social listening tools. These tools help you track how frequently your brand is being mentioned on social media. Some tools that help you track this are Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz.
What follows next are comments from thought leaders on how to improve your brand awareness and stand out in today's dynamic marketplace.
Shift Focus from Attention to Trust
Casey Whitcher, Founder of CWdynamic, has this to say about building customer trust:
"The business marketing economy has shifted from attention to trust. If you blinked, you missed it. Your brand isn't your logo and colours; it's how people feel and talk about you to their friends. You will develop a brand, but your customers, not you, decide what it is. Your branding elements, such as logo and colours, are only there so your customers recognize you, good or bad. Focus on solving your customers' problems, delivering excellent customer service, and providing a superb product."
Leverage Your Brand's Unique Story
Whitney Barkley, Master Content Marketing Strategist at Speakerazzi, tells us how to utilise our unique story:
"Your brand's authenticity, integrity, and relatability will be the biggest differentiator that sets you apart from others. It begins by defining your brand's story and purpose, which acts as a powerful vehicle for standing out. Identifying your 'why' enables you to strategically place your brand in environments where it offers the most value to your target audience.
Be intentionally ubiquitous, which means showing up consistently in spaces that align with and prioritize your brand's values and audience's needs. This consistency should be organic, ensuring your presence is meaningful and resonates with your audience. Additionally, embracing the role of a thought leader can boldly challenge norms and offer fresh perspectives to establish your credibility as a trusted expert. Overall, intentionally leveraging your unique story and maintaining a strategic, consistent presence are essential strategies for enhancing your brand's awareness and success."
Embrace Influencer and Community Building
Emily Neal, Marketing Manager at DSMN8, offers insights on embracing influences and community building:
"To build brand awareness today, take a multi-faceted approach. Implement modern digital marketing methods like influencer relationships, employee advocacy, user-generated content, and build a community around your brand. Consumers have become more sceptical of traditional advertising and are seeking out influencers or thought leaders with expertise for trustworthy recommendations. Working with these influencers or empowering your own employees to become influencers themselves will set you apart and build trust in your brand. People are seeking authenticity in the content they consume; an endorsement from a real person will always outshine an ad."
Increase Visibility with a Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to build brand awareness and increase visibility. You can do this as a guest or by hosting your own podcast. For example, my podcast, 'Inside Entertainment Industry Careers,' not only helps increase the visibility of creative careers but is also aimed at my main target audiences: individuals and businesses in the entertainment and creative industries.
"An approach I think isn't appreciated enough and can be tough to start but really works for making more people aware of your brand is to start a podcast. When you do it right, podcasts can really increase how well-known and remembered your brand is.
Podcasts are superb for sharing information, getting your audience involved, and making a connection with them. You could make a podcast where you talk to leaders in your field, share your own ideas, or discuss any topics your audience might find interesting. A great example of this is Microsoft's future podcast. They talk about what society might be like in the future because of new developments in technology, games, data, and more."
Precious Abacan, Marketing Director, Softlist
Boost Credibility with Influencer Collaborations
Chris Hunter, Director of Customer Relations at ServiceTitan, encourages us to work with influencers to boost brand credibility:
"Forge partnerships with influencers in your industry to boost your brand's visibility and credibility. You can extend your reach and tap into your audience by partnering with influencers who have a dedicated following. This collaboration allows your brand to leverage these individuals' trust and influence, making your products or services more visible and reputable. The influencer's endorsement expands your audience and brings potential customers an authentic and trusted recommendation. In today's competitive market, where consumers often rely on recommendations from people they trust, collaborating with influencers is a straightforward and impactful strategy to enhance your brand's presence and influence in your target market."
Invest in Multifaceted Brand Awareness Tactics
Matt Earle, President of Reputation.ca, tells us to focus on using multifaceted tactics to improve awareness:
"Through my experiences as a reputation manager, I highly recommend a multi-faceted approach to improving brand awareness, including leveraging social media platforms, implementing influencer partnerships, and investing in targeted advertising campaigns. In today's dynamic marketplace, brand awareness is absolutely crucial as it directly impacts consumer perception, trust, and, ultimately, purchasing decisions.
By consistently engaging with your target audience across various channels and establishing a strong online presence, businesses can not only increase brand visibility but also differentiate themselves from competitors. Moreover, prioritizing reputation management efforts ensures that brand awareness efforts align with the company's values and messaging, further enhancing credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of consumers."
Innovate and Partner for Marketing Impact
Finally, Rick Elmore, CEO of Simply Noted, talks about the importance of partnerships:
"I recognize the importance of innovative marketing campaigns and strategic partnerships in boosting brand awareness. We consistently seek out creative ways to showcase our brand, such as through immersive storytelling that connects emotionally with our audience or utilizing cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality to make our marketing campaigns stand out.
Partnering with complementary brands and platforms also allows us to tap into new audiences and benefit from mutual growth opportunities. These collaborations are carefully chosen to ensure alignment with our brand values and message, reinforcing our identity and expanding our reach.
In today's dynamic marketplace, where consumer attention is highly coveted yet fleeting, innovative marketing and strategic partnerships are critical for making a lasting impression and elevating brand awareness to new heights."
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