Creative Approaches to Boosting Brand Awareness
Tired of seeing your brand get lost in the game? It’s time to shake things up and get noticed. In this blog, we are exploring innovative ways to build your brand awareness. From fun social media campaigns to unexpected partnerships, we will uncover the secrets to winning hearts. Join us to unleash your brand’s full potential. Without wasting more time, let’s get to it.
Image Source : Canva
What is brand awareness and its importance
Brand awareness is when an audience is able to remember and distinguish products and services of a brand using its different qualities and attributes from those of its competitors. This awareness is won through different brand awareness campaigns, marketing campaigns, consistency, delivering your promise and different partnerships. According to a survey by HubSpot, companies that invest in creative marketing tactics are 53% more likely to increase their brand awareness.
Brand awareness is important because it.
•Builds trust between your brand and your audience, meaning people are compelled to pick your product from the shelves than others they don’t know as your brand is on top of their minds when shopping.
•Makes you a threat to competing brands because they are unknown compared to you. Audience may deem your products and services to be of highest quality and push them to do free marketing for you by referring their friends to buy (word-of-mouth).
•As a brand with a strong presence in the market, you have an advantage of attracting highly skilled employees.
How to improve brand awareness with social media
As we all know, social media has become a playground for so many well-known brands. Therefore, it has become necessary for all establishing brands to hop in and not miss all the fun and benefits because according to smartinsights.com, 62.3% of the global population is now on social media. So, this must guarantee the fact that your target market is among them. Plus, it is free to create an account on social media, so why not.
Now we will unpack how established brands have done it.
1.Choose the right social media platforms: Social media has so many powerful platforms that can be used for different purposes. Before choosing social media platforms for your brand awareness efforts, you must first find the relevance of your brand long-term and short-term goals, the use and purpose of the application and your brand awareness goal. All must be in sync.
The perfect choice of social media platforms will result in improved audience engagement because you would’ve targeted the right audience groups, helps drive traffic to your website as a result of engagement, it gives the brand manager an opportunity to directly speak with existing and prospective customers in times of uncertainly and provide guidance where requested.
As a result, your brand will have increased return on investment (ROI). Social media platforms allow brands to advertise their products and services, which is a great way of gaining exposure quickly.
2.Never stop delivering: Consistency and relevance are key to building trust with your audience when sharing content. If you promise to deliver content at certain times, make sure you stick to those promises. This shows your audience that they can rely on you. By consistently delivering content as expected, you build trust and reliability.
It’s also important to make sure your content stays relevant to your audience’s interests and needs. Understanding what they like and tailoring your content to match keeps them engaged and shows you value their time. Using tools to schedule content and track how people interact with it can help you stay on top of things.
3.Call-to-action: When you’re creating and sharing your content, remember to add a clear call-to-action that supports your brand goals. Encourage your audience to share your posts, which helps expand your brand’s reach to new people who could become customers or loyal followers over time. This simple strategy has shown to be really effective in boosting brand success because it saves people time and invites them to connect more deeply with what you’re all about. It’s like welcoming them into your extended family and sharing in your ongoing success journey.
4.Work with influencers: Influencers have a noticeable impact on how people perceive things and make decisions because their choices and interests often set trends and appear appealing to their followers. When influencers endorse or engage with a brand, it can make that brand more appealing to their audience too. Working with influencers to boost your brand’s visibility is a smart investment that can yield solid returns in terms of brand awareness and engagement. An advantage of influencers is:
•They promote without sounding too promotional which is what people don’t want.
•They know their way around social media platforms meaning they understand which buttons to press, which keywords to target and which hashtags are trendy for certain products and services.
•They make content more engaging and richer because they already understand what type of content is appeasing to their followers.
•They produce 100% true brand reviews which will determine your brand credibility and sales growth because they themselves do not want to lose followers by lying for a brand.
Examples of social media platforms you can use for brand awareness:
1.Instagram: This is a highly visual platform, perfect for showcasing your products through photos and videos. You can use stories, posts, and reels to keep your audience engaged.
2.Facebook: This platform offers maximum reach and dedicated advertising tools. You can create a business page, join groups, and run targeted advertisements.
3.Pinterest: This platform is the go-to for fashion and lifestyle brands. Users often look for inspiration on Pinterest, making it a great platform to display beautiful images of your creative pieces.
4.Twitter: This platform is perfect for fast updates that enables brands to engage with customers and handling customer service in real-time.
5.TikTok: This platform is the newest of them all and it is perfect for reaching a younger audience (Gen Z). It is all about short video content that can go viral, which could be great for creative promotions of your products and services.
6.LinkedIn: While this one is more professional, it can be useful if you are also targeting business clients or want to establish your brand as an industry leader.
7.YouTube: This platform is often overlooked but also a good one. It is ideal for longer-form content such as behind-the-scenes videos or educational content about your brand services and how your products work.
Brand awareness tools for small businesses
The use of right tools will elevate your brand awareness efforts by 200%, considering they help monitor and enhance your strategies for success. With these tools, you will be able to track key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time, engage with your audience more effectively and optimize your marketing campaigns based on data-driven strategies.
These tools also enable you to analyze consumer behavior and emerging trends that will allowing more personalized marketing to different targets. Below is a list of brand awareness tools you can use in 2024 going forward:
•Analytics and SEO
Google Analytics
SEMrush
•Social media management
Hootsuite
Sprout Social
•Content and email marketing
Mailchimp
HubSpot
BuzzSumo
•Visual content creation
Canva
•Brand monitoring
Mention
•Paid advertising
Google Ads
Facebook Ads
•Influencer marketing
AspireIQ
Upfluence
Marketing strategies to attract Gen Z consumers
The younger generation of our world often called Gen Z, is a complicated one to satisfy as they have a lower attention span. According to goldenstepsaba.com, the attention span of a Gen Z individual is around 8 seconds, 4 seconds less than millennials and equal to a goldfish. Its not funny, its true.
As a brand marketer and manager, you will need high quality and very engaging content that will spark interest the very same second they see it. This will boost and even push them to engage further with what you have to offer. Below, there are marketing tips you need to attract and retain Gen Z.
•Authenticity: The saying “be true to yourself” applies here. As long as you speak your brand truth, Gen Z will fall in love with your brand and become aware of it anywhere and anytime. Studies have proven that Gen Z is a population that is hungry for the truth and they will use any resource in their exposure to find it. This brings us to our next point.
•Transparency and accountability: If your brand involves animal cruelty, say it. But you need to convince them to understand why you got there. Do not hide under the cruelty free umbrella and hope to succeed forever. Your brand will suffer the consequences once the truth is revealed.
•Use social media platforms: It is no argument that largest percentage if not all Gen Zs breathe social media. They sleep and wake up to social media. Therefore, all brands must get used to social media as a tool, understand how it works and tailor their own unique strategies to get to them. Don’t forget to create content that is specific and relevant to the type of social media platform you choose and collaborating with influencers since they follow lots of those.
•Offer personalization: Gen Z values uniqueness and personalization. You can offer them an option to customize products and services, this will draw more attention to other interested customers. Did you see the wave of the Stanley cups? Yes, that’s it. You could also personalize each email they receive from your brand, maybe starting with an appreciation for the last purchase or an interest in your brand depending on which stage they are on the buyer purchase.
•Foster a sense of community: Build a community around your brand through online forums, social media groups or brand ambassador programs. Gen Z loves being part of a community where they can share ideas and experiences with others in the same situations like them. It gives them a sense of belonging and purpose for affiliating with your brand.
•Utilize user-generated content: Encourage your customers to share their own content featuring your products. This not only provides authentic testimonials but also helps build community around your brand.
•Use the language they understand: It may sometimes be difficult for brands to adapt to how Gen Zs think, especially if there is no one in the company that falls under that generation. However, the digital landscape is the perfect go-to source for such information.
Innovative ideas to revive an aging brand
Brands that have been in the game for a long time might have undergone a phase of brand deterioration that needed some tender loving care (TLC). The brand deterioration might have been a result of a few reasons such as poor customer support, lack of brand management focus, poor website experience and bad customer reviews that were neglected. Here are some ideas to rebuild the brand:
Update the look: Refreshing the brand starts with updating its appearance. This could mean a new logo, a modern website, and new packaging designs. It is important to keep some old elements to remind long-time customers of the brand’s history. This update should cover everything from business cards to online ads, ensuring everything looks unified and fresh. You can re-word the brand’s messages to reflect today’s social trends and values.
Use new technology: New technologies can make interacting with a brand more fun and convenient. For example, augmented reality (AR) can let customers try products virtually before buying them. Analyzing data on how customers shop and what they buy can help the brand offer more of what people like and improve their shopping experience. This tech can also make customer service quicker and more personal.
Add new products: Offering new products can attract new customers and get current ones excited again. This could mean adding items that are popular today, like eco-friendly products or teaming up with well-known artists to create special editions that create buzz and attract younger customers, Gen Z.
Improve online presence: Having a strong online presence is key. This means having a website that is mobile friendly and includes features like chat support and personalized recommendations. Being active on social media platforms popular with younger people like Instagram or TikTok, can also help by showing off the brand’s personality and values in a relatable and trendy way.
Tell engaging stories: People love a good story. Sharing about the brand’s history, how its products are made or what the brand plans for the future can draw people in. This could be through videos, detailed blog posts, or even live talks. Remember that sharing these stories helps customers feel a closer connection to the brand.
Be sustainable: Being more sustainable can really improve how people see the brand. This might mean using recycled materials, ensuring fair working conditions, or reducing waste. Being open about these efforts can build trust and appeal to customers who care about these issues.
Create a rewarding loyalty program: Modern loyalty programs should do more than just offer discounts. An app where customers can easily see their rewards, get personalized deals, and find out about new products first can keep them coming back. Adding fun elements like games or challenges can make being a loyal customer enjoyable.
Essential skills for brand managers in the digital age
Being a good brand manager is vital in today’s business world, as they play a key role in shaping how customers see and feel about a brand. A skilled brand manager knows how to connect with people, understanding what customers want and how to provide it. They keep the brand’s image fresh and appealing, which can make a big difference in attracting and keeping customers. This role combines creativity with practical strategy, ensuring that all marketing efforts help the brand stand out and stay true to its values.
Here are the important skills every brand manager must have for effective brand awareness and success:
1.Digital marketing proficiency
2.Data analytics
3.Content creation
4.Social media maneuvering
5.Customer focused mind
6.Adaptability
7.Flexibility
8.Project management
9.Strategic thinking
10.Written and oral communication skills
11.Collaboration
12.Leadership
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