Have you ever met someone who refers to themselves as an “Apple person” or a “die-hard Nike fan”? That’s the power of brand awareness. It makes your brand more than a familiar name. Your customers naturally pick your brand again and again, without needing a hard sell. Building this kind of brand loyalty takes time and effort, and a reputed digital marketing service provider can be a great help to you in achieving this. This article will tell you the brand awareness definition and how to increase brand awareness through digital marketing. We will explore strategies and techniques to create a strong brand presence. So, if you’re ready to turn your brand into the lifestyle of your consumers, let’s dive in.
What Is Brand Awareness
The marketing term brand awareness refers to how well people know your brand. Customers like to choose familiar brands. Brand awareness takes a brand to such a high that just by seeing a symbol, tasting a food/drink, or hearing a sound, people can easily know who it is.
For example, everyone recognizes Coca-Cola and Pepsi, even without labels, because of their high brand awareness.
Why Brand Awareness Matters for Your Business
Imagine you’re at a store, looking for a bandage. Do you ask for a “bandage,” or do you ask for a “Band-Aid”? Chances are, you said “Band-Aid,” even though it’s just a brand name.
This is the power of brand awareness. It’s about getting your brand name out there so people instantly think of you when they need something related to what you offer. But why is it so important? The main three reasons are-
1. Builds Trust
When people are familiar with your brand, they feel comfortable choosing you over unknown options. They might choose you because they have seen your name around and maybe heard good things about you that build trust for your brand.
2. Creates Positive Associations
Think of brands like Coke or Google. These names have become synonymous with specific products or actions, like grabbing a Coke for a picnic or Googling something you need to know. Brand awareness helps people associate your brand with positive things.
3. Boosts Brand Value
The more people know and trust your brand, the more valuable it becomes. This can lead to benefits like
- Charging higher prices: If people perceive your brand as better, they’re willing to pay more for it.
- Attracting investors: A strong brand can attract investors who believe in your future success.
- Expanding your business: With a strong brand, you can launch new products or services and have a better chance of success.
How to Increase Brand Awareness Through Digital Marketing?
Since everything’s online these days, building brand awareness is mostly done with the internet. The Internet provides a ton of ways to introduce your brand to new people and make them remember you. Here are nine powerful digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.
1. Give your brand a personality:
While this strategy might not be feasible for smaller businesses, it’s worth considering if you have the budget. Here’s the idea in simpler terms:
Hire a spokesperson: Think of global sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, who represents Nike. His athletic achievements and positive image can make the brand feel more inspiring and aspirational.
Create a mascot: Mickey Mouse is a perfect example. A mascot is a cost-effective way to give your brand a recognizable face, just like Mickey Mouse is instantly associated with Disney.
2. Pick A Picture or Symbol That Stands for Your Brand.
Think of the Toyota logo with its three interlocking ovals or the Starbucks mermaid. These are more than just logos; they’re instantly recognizable symbols of those brands.
Work with a designer to create a picture or symbol that you use everywhere, in your marketing, ads, and even on your website. You can even put it on your products, just like Toyota with its logo on their cars or Starbucks with its mermaid on their coffee cups.
This simple symbol can become a powerful way for people to recognize your brand at a glance.
3. Targeted Advertising on Google
Running ads on Google can help more people know your brand. You can target specific people who might be interested in what you offer, based on their hobbies, age, and online habits. Optimizing your ad in this way lets you catch the attention of the right people.
To make your ads more effective, keep them short and sweet, and highlight what makes your brand special. Use words that people commonly search for, related to your products or services. Moreover, Google allows you to choose where your ads appear, like on search results pages, websites, or even videos. By placing your ads in the right places, you can reach more potential customers who are likely to be interested.
Instead of paying for individual ads, you can also consider running a paid advertising campaign. You can set the maximum amount you want to pay each time someone clicks your ad, and the platform automatically adjusts your bid to show your ad to the most relevant people within your budget. Keep an eye on how your campaign performs and adjust your settings as needed to get the most out of your advertising budget.
4. Captivating Display Advertising
Picture ads, also known as display advertising, can be a powerful tool to increase branding awareness online. They allow you to reach a wider audience by placing visually appealing ads on various websites. These eye-catching mini-billboards can grab people’s attention and encourage them to click on your ad to learn more about your business.
To get the most out of display advertising, there are a few key strategies:
Smart ad buying: Technology can automate the process of buying and selling ad space online, ensuring your ads reach the right people at the right time. This helps you optimize your ad placements and maximize the impact of your advertising budget.
Remind people who already showed interest: By targeting individuals who have already shown interest in your brand with relevant ads, you can remind them about your products or services and encourage them to complete a purchase.
By incorporating these strategies, along with choosing the right websites for your ads, you can effectively utilize display advertising.
5. Guest Blogging for Credibility and Reach
Writing guest posts on websites related to your business is a great way to get more people familiar with your brand online. When you write for other websites, you can include a link back to your own website, which helps people find you easily. This is called “guest blogging outreach.”
See the tips for successful guest blogging-
Choose the right websites: Pick websites that are similar to your business and that your target audience might visit. Look for websites that are well-established and have a good reputation.
Team up with influencers: Partnering with people who are well-known and respected in your industry can help you connect with the right websites and get your guest posts seen by more people.
Spread the word: Once you’ve written a guest post, share it on your social media platforms, in your email newsletters, and in online communities related to your business. You can also consider using social media advertising to reach a wider audience.
Work with influencers: Collaborate with influencers in your industry to promote your guest posts and reach their followers.
6. Optimized Landing Pages for Improved Conversions
Making specific web pages that target your ideal customers is a powerful way to boost brand awareness. These pages are designed to be clear and informative so that your potential customers can easily find your brand. By tailoring these pages to their specific interests and needs, you can-
Increase Sales and Sign-Ups: When people land on a page that directly addresses their needs, they are more likely to buy something, sign up for your email list, or get more information.
Keep People Engaged: Specific landing pages create personalized experiences that keep your audience interested and spending more time on your website. This can lead to them sharing your content online, which further spreads your brand awareness.
Track Your Success: By creating specific pages, you can easily track how well your brand awareness efforts are working. This allows you to see what’s working and what’s not, so you can make adjustments and improve your strategy.
7. Establish Authority with Informative eBooks
Writing an informative “mini-book” (eBook) is a great way to get your name out there and show you’re an expert in your field. It’s like offering free, valuable information to potential customers, while also establishing yourself as someone they can trust. To create an effective eBook, you should-
Focus on what your audience needs: Make sure your eBook tackles the problems and challenges your target audience faces. Offer solutions and practical advice to position yourself as a helpful resource.
Show how awesome you are: Include real customer stories and testimonials to prove your expertise and the positive impact you can have. Collaborating with industry influencers can also add credibility and reach a wider audience.
Make it visually appealing: Don’t just dump text! Use images, infographics, and even interactive elements like quizzes or videos to make your eBook engaging and memorable.
Get them to take action: Don’t forget to tell people what you want them to do after reading your eBook. Include a clear call to action, like subscribing to your email list or requesting a consultation.
8. Consistent Blogging for Audience Engagement
Regularly writing engaging blog posts on your website is a powerful way to get your name out there and attract potential customers. Check out the tips for writing effective blogs-
Make it interesting: Use stories, real-life examples, and a friendly tone to keep people engaged. Encourage them to leave comments and questions to create a sense of community.
Spread the word: Share your blog posts on social media, email newsletters, and online forums related to your business. Collaborate with influencers and other bloggers to reach a wider audience and attract new readers.
See what works: Use website tools to track how people respond to your blogs. See which topics and formats are most popular, and use this information to improve your future blog posts and make them even better.
9. Utilize SEO to Increase Brand Awareness
SEO can be a good strategy for brand awareness. To get more people to find your website online, you can use search engine optimization. A good execution of SEO helps Google to show your website to people searching for things related to your business. Some ways to do SEO are-
Find the right keywords: Research what words and phrases people use to search for things related to your business. Use those words in your website content and titles.
Optimize your website: Make sure your website is easy for search engines to understand by using clear titles, descriptions, and website addresses.
Get others to link to your website: The more high-quality websites that link to yours, the better. This shows search engines that your website is trustworthy and informative.
Make your website mobile-friendly: More and more people are searching the web on their phones, so make sure your website looks good and works well on all devices.
Focus on your local area: If you have a local business, use keywords and information specific to your area to attract local customers.
Create great content: Write informative and engaging blog posts, articles, or videos that people will want to read and share. As a result, more people will be interested to visit your website.
Promote your content on social media: Share your content on social media platforms to get more people to see it and visit your website.
10. Post on Social Media
Sharing things regularly on social media is a great way to get more people familiar with your brand. Here’s why-
Talk to your audience: By posting regularly, you can chat with your followers, answer their questions, and share interesting things. This helps you build relationships and make people trust your brand.
Get people talking: When you share interesting things, people are more likely to “like,” share, and comment on your posts. This spreads the word about your brand and reaches new people.
Keep things fresh: Posting regularly allows you to plan your content in advance and keep things interesting. You can share pictures, videos, stories about your brand, and anything else that might keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
11. Captivating Video Marketing
Using videos is a great way to grab people’s attention and get them familiar with your brand. You can get the best out of video marketing by following the below tips.
Make engaging videos: Create short, interesting videos that tell a story about your brand. Use visuals and storytelling to make them memorable and connect with your audience.
Track how well your videos do: Use tools to see how many people watch your videos and what parts they like best. This helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, so you can make even better videos in the future.
Share your videos everywhere: Put your videos on YouTube, social media, and your website. The more places they are, the more people will see them.
Use video ads: You can pay to show your videos to more people online. This is a great way to reach new audiences and spread the word about your brand.
Encourage people to interact: Ask viewers to like, comment on, and share your videos. This helps get them talking about your brand and exposes it to even more people.
How to Check Your Brand Awareness
You see it takes decades for Coca-Cola to become a brand. So it is not an overnight achievement. You have to work hard for it and wait to see the result. However, there are some ways to get a good idea of how well you’re doing.
Numbers
- Direct Website Visits: This shows how many people typed your website address directly into their browser. If they knew the address, they must have heard of you somewhere!
- Overall Website Traffic: With this number, you can see the total number of people visiting your website, regardless of how they found it. More visitors means more people are aware of your brand.
- Social Media Engagement: You can check likes, comments, and shares on your social media posts. The more people engage, the more they are aware of your brand and interested in what you have to say.
Opinions
- Google Alerts: Set up alerts to notify you when your brand is mentioned online, like in news articles or social media posts. This helps you see how much people are talking about you.
- Social Listening tools: These tools track what people are saying about your brand on social media. This can help you see what people think of you and how aware they are of your brand.
- Brand Awareness Surveys: Ask your customers and audience directly if they’ve heard of your brand and what they think of it. This can give you valuable insights into your brand awareness and reputation.
To Wrap Up
Now you have a clear idea about how to increase brand awareness through digital marketing. By following the tips in this article, you can build brand awareness and reap the benefits of having loyal customers who choose you over competitors and even recommend you to others.
Remember, building a strong brand takes time and effort, but the rewards are definitely worth it!