Building strong brand awareness is a process that takes time and effort. It usually involves some form of marketing, such as advertising or promotional activities.
A company's brand identity or image is developed over time and has many different aspects. For example, it can include the company's name, its logo, its slogans, its products' packaging - anything that is connected with the company in one way or another. When you are looking to create your own brand identity for your business you are also looking to establish what you want people to think of when they hear about your business.
In this article, we will see how to build a strong brand awareness by defining a target audience, creating a strong brand identity, and utilising various marketing channels.
Define your target audience
Knowing who your target audience is and what they are interested in allows you to tailor your marketing efforts to their specific needs and preferences, which can help to increase the effectiveness of your campaigns.
For example, if you know that your target audience is primarily young professionals, you might focus your marketing efforts on channels that are popular among this group, such as social media or events. On the other hand, if your target audience is older and more traditional, you might focus on channels such as print advertising or word-of-mouth marketing.
There are several ways to conduct market research to gather information about your target audience, including:
Online surveys: Conducting online surveys can be an effective way to gather detailed information about your target audience's demographics, interests, and behaviours. You can use tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey to create and distribute surveys to your target audience.
Social media analysis: Analyzing social media activity can provide valuable insights into your target audience's interests and behaviours. You can use tools such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social to track mentions of your brand and analyze user activity on social media platforms.
Customer interviews: Conducting one-on-one interviews with customers can provide valuable insights into their preferences, experiences, and needs. You can ask open-ended questions and listen carefully to their responses to gather valuable information about your target audience.
Industry research: Researching industry trends and best practices can help you to understand the needs and preferences of your target audience within the context of your industry. You can find this information through industry publications, trade shows, and other events.
Focus groups: Conducting focus groups can be an effective way to gather in-depth insights into your target audience's attitudes and behaviours. You can gather a small group of people who represent your target audience and ask them questions about your brand, product, or service.
Develop a unique brand identity
Having a clear and consistent brand identity is important because it helps to define your brand and set it apart from competitors. A strong brand identity can also help to establish trust and credibility with your target audience, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and customer retention.
Here are some tips for creating a strong brand identity
Choose a memorable brand name: Your brand name is the first thing that potential customers will see and it should be memorable and easy to pronounce. Consider the emotions or associations you want your brand name to evoke and try to choose a name that reflects those qualities.
Develop a logo and colour scheme: Your logo and colour scheme are visual elements that help to define your brand identity. Choose colours that reflect the personality and values of your brand and use them consistently across all marketing channels. Your logo should be simple and easy to recognize, and it should convey the essence of your brand.
Define a brand voice: Your brand voice is the tone and style of your communication and it should reflect the personality and values of your brand. Consider the language and tone that will resonate with your target audience and use it consistently in all of your marketing materials.
Leverage offline marketing channels
There are several offline marketing channels that can be used to build brand awareness, including:
Print advertising: Print advertising includes any type of advertising that appears in print media, such as newspapers, magazines, and billboards. This type of advertising can be effective for reaching a specific audience, such as those who read a particular magazine or live in a specific area.
Events: Hosting events, such as product launches, conferences, or trade shows, can be a powerful way to build brand awareness and engage with your target audience in person. Events can be a great opportunity to showcase your products or services and build relationships with potential customers.
Public relations: Public relations (PR) refers to the practice of building relationships with the media and the public to promote your brand. This can include creating press releases, managing media relations, and working with influencers to get your brand noticed.
Word-of-mouth marketing: Word-of-mouth marketing refers to the process of encouraging customers to spread the word about your brand to their friends and family. This can be done through referrals, social media, or simply by providing an exceptional customer experience that inspires people to talk about your brand.
Showcase your brand at your office's reception area: Display your logo and brand colours prominently. Display branded promotional materials such as brochures, business cards, and other collateral on brochure stands or holders in the reception area for visitors to take with them. Provide branded amenities such as branded notepads, pens, and other promotional items for visitors to use while they are waiting.
Engage with your audience through experiential marketing
Experiential marketing is a marketing technique that takes the product directly to the customer, rather than relying on other channels such as commercials or advertisements. It can be effective for building brand awareness because it creates an emotional connection between the customer and the product.
Successful experiential marketing campaigns need to be creative and use strong emotional appeal in order for it to catch the public's eye but above all, it needs to have a point-of-view that resonates with its audience.
The following are some examples of successful experiential marketing campaigns:
IKEA is a Swedish design company that has been supporting the storage needs of people's homes for over three generations. The company runs a "Make Room For Your Life" campaign to promote its latest storage solutions.
The aim of this campaign is to give people more room in their lives by helping them declutter and store things more efficiently with the IKEA products.
Another example is Nike's “The Game Before The Game” campaign. It follows the journeys of various athletes in the days and hours leading up to a big game.
This campaign provides a memorable experience for viewers, not just by giving them an inside look into what goes on in a player's head, but also by giving them an authentic view of what goes on behind the scenes.
Foster relationships with key influencers
It is important to have a few key influencers in your industry working with you to promote your brands, products, or services.
Social media can be a powerful tool in creating and maintaining relationships with influencers. It's important to recognize them and let them know that you appreciate their social media shares by liking or commenting on their post. Another effective way of building relationships is by giving them access to your product or service for free.
It's important not to over-contact potential influencers because it could be considered as spamming which will hurt your reputation and relationship with the potential influencer. Let the potential influencer come up to you first so that they can build up the courage and ask for a favour from you.
Conclusion
Every company wants to have a strong brand because it will make them more visible in the market. To build a strong brand, it is necessary to focus on marketing campaigns that will attract new customers and retain old ones.
There are many ways to do that, but the most important thing is that they be creative and engaging.
