What is Brand Awareness and Why is it Important?
According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, 81% of consumers, globally, said they need to be able to trust the brand they buy from. It’s easy to see why brand awareness, or the extent to which a brand is recognized by potential customers as being representative of a particular product or service. In more simpler forms, brand awareness is associated with several elements, including:
- Consumers having knowledge of your business
- A social media user being immediately attracted to your advertising
- Customers choosing your brand over others, even cheaper options
- Coming up with the first search engine results
Benefits of Having a Positive Brand Awareness
There are several proven benefits of positive brand image enterprises are finding, on their brand awareness-journey.
- Customer Recognition & Loyalty means repeat business
- Credibility & Confidence means you become an influencer, determining the direction of business instead of reacting to changes
- Consistency means long-term customer loyalty
- Attracting Talent meaning more diverse and creative ideas and processes
- Sharing Values build more value for your business, as customers prioritize business with a great message and values
How Does Digital Marketing Increase Brand Awareness?
Digital marketing has been a driving force behind many brand success in recent years. If you can dominate many different marketing channels, you can dominate the market, found mostly online in 2021. Digital marketing is driving brand awareness by allowing marketeers to direct or target a specific audience. This process is quite cost effective, and levels the playing field for small or medium sized businesses. Digital marketing also creates a direct link to customers for feedback and to personalize your product and service as needed. Finally, many businesses are finding they have a vast untapped market overseas, which they can finally access with digital marketing.
Tips to Increase Brand Awareness
Let’s explore a few easy ways businesses are using digital marketing to boost brand awareness.
Use Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers are a great resource to tap into, because they have built trust with their audience, and thus by using this type of brand awareness strategy, you can take advantage of a ready-and willing group of trusting customers.
Use Branded Packaging & Personalize
Branded packaging completes the brand awareness experience, and ensures your brand imagery sticks around the customers’ home for a while. By using recyclable materials or creative packaging, some businesses are getting their products into the homes of their customers permanently, offering sustainable branded items. Or, take a look at what your customers really value, and personalize your product or service to meet their needs. Use social media sites to solicit feedback and use it to tailor products and services to new markets.
Optimize all Marketing Material for SEO
Most customers won’t look past the first page of search results for a product or service. It’s time to optimize your SEO strategy to ensure your material shows up in that all-important first page. While you can pay for access to a site that tracks keyword use and effectiveness, there are always free options to make use of in the meantime.
Increase Focus on Customer Service
Going the extra mile for your customers is at the heart of brand awareness. A great way to ensure customer satisfaction is to partner with reputable companies with fantastic benefits, like the USPS Shipping Calculator, where customers can see the cost of shipping up-front. Good word of mouth and great online reviews are the first solid steps you can take toward increasing brand awareness organically. Almost 100% of consumers say that customer service comes first when they develop loyalty for a brand, making this a great place to start.
How Do You Measure Brand Awareness?
There are several great ways to measure the success of your brand awareness campaign. First, use social media analytics to track the likes, shares and comments associated with your posts, and make adjustments based on this information. You can also use programs like Google Trends or other brand tracking software to track mentions of your company online. Surveys delivered via email or social media are another great way to measure brand awareness and engage your customers directly at the same time.
Brand awareness and digital marketing are natural allies in the world of eCommerce. With so many low-cost options for digital marketing, brand awareness is essentially yours to lose! Follow these tips for a great head-start toward increased brand awareness, and domination of your market!
