Brand awareness refers to the level to which consumers recognize and recall a particular brand in the marketplace. It reflects the familiarity and visibility of a brand among target audiences and influences their purchasing decisions and brand perceptions. Therefore, effective brand awareness results in establishing trust, credibility, and loyalty among consumers and drives sales and market share.
However, businesses encounter several challenges when striving to increase their brand awareness. For instance, standing out in a crowded marketplace with numerous competitors vying for consumer attention poses a significant hurdle. Additionally, allocating resources effectively across various marketing channels while maintaining consistency in messaging and branding seems daunting to them. Ultimately, all these lead to reduced visibility and recognition in the marketplace and enormous difficulty in attracting and retaining customers.
This blog aims to provide knowledge on how to increase brand awareness by following some proven but creative ways and driving customer engagement along with sales.
According to a report by Marq, consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue for businesses by up to 23%.
Impacts of Low Brand Awareness on Businesses
The lack of brand awareness can prove to be detrimental for companies, especially those who are vying for a fast-growth trajectory, and want to capture a sizable audience base before their competitors. Low brand awareness results in the following impacts:
Reduced Visibility: A poorly defined brand struggles to cut through the noise in a competitive marketplace. This diminished brand awareness translates to fewer potential customers encountering your business.
Inconsistent Messaging & Customer Confusion: Without clear branding guidelines, communication across different channels can become muddled and inconsistent. This confuses customers, making it difficult for them to grasp your brand identity and value proposition.
Eroded Brand Perception & Lack of Differentiation: Strong branding fosters positive associations with your business. In the absence of branding efforts, effectively communicating your unique offerings and values becomes a challenge, hindering your ability to differentiate yourself from competitors in the minds of customers.
Hindered Customer Acquisition: Effective branding fosters trust and connection with your target audience. Without a clear brand identity, potential customers may struggle to understand what sets you apart, making it more difficult to attract new business.
Reduced Profitability: A strong brand can command premium pricing due to the value and reputation it conveys. Without effective branding, customers become more price-sensitive, leading to potential price wars and eroded profit margins.
Limited Growth: Effective branding fosters trust and recognition, making it easier to enter new markets and launch new products or services. A weak brand, on the other hand, can struggle to gain traction in new markets and convince customers to adopt new offerings, hindering overall growth potential.
6 Most Creative Ways to Increase Brand Awareness
Brand awareness helps curate ways to meet a variety of business marketing goals. Here are a few strategies to increase brand awareness, and look forward to getting more leads, a better audience, and more.
1. Initiate User-Generated Content Campaigns
User-generated content (UGC) Campaigns are a highly creative and effective strategy to boost brand awareness. It utilizes the power of authentic user experiences and testimonials to amplify brand visibility and credibility. By motivating customers to generate and share content related to the brand on different social media platforms, businesses foster a sense of community and engagement among followers. This user-generated content serves as social proof, showcases real-life interactions with the brand, and influences others' perceptions positively.
Moreover, UGC campaigns significantly expand a brand's reach, as user-generated content is often shared among friends and followers. It fast forwards a company’s goal to fix their weak brand identity challenge. This extends the brand's exposure to new audiences organically. Additionally, UGC campaigns offer businesses a unique opportunity to connect with customers on a deeper level as users become active participants in the brand's storytelling process.
User-Generated Content Campaigns Increases Brand Awareness- A Case Study
An example of how user-generated content campaigns boost brand awareness is exemplified in the way Starbucks used it to gain customers. In 2014, Starbucks launched its White Cup Contest, inviting customers to decorate their iconic white cups and share the designs on social media using the hashtag #WhiteCupContest. The response was overwhelming, with thousands of customers submitting their artistic creations.
Not only did this campaign generate a buzz on social media, but it also resulted in widespread media coverage. As a result, it reached audiences far beyond Starbucks' existing customer base. This helped Starbucks significantly increase brand visibility and engagement.(Source: Moast Technologies)
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Generating User-Generated Content Campaigns?
Engage with your audience: Cultivate interaction on social media platforms by promptly responding to comments and sparking conversations, nurturing a community atmosphere.
Create branded hashtags: Develop unique and memorable hashtags that align with your brand identity and encourage users to share their experiences or content related to your brand using these hashtags.
Feature user content: Showcase user-generated content on your social media profiles, website, or marketing materials to highlight real-life experiences and testimonials.
Provide creative prompts: Offer creative prompts or ideas to inspire users to create content that aligns with your brand messaging or values.
What are the best ways to make a business grow?
The best ways to make a business grow involve strategic planning, customer-centric approaches, innovation, and adaptability. Prioritizing customer satisfaction, streamlining operations, investing in marketing, and embracing emerging technologies also help businesses sustain long-term growth and competitive advantage. To learn more about this, read our blog, ‘Top Innovative Ideas for Company Growth’.
2. Run Viral Marketing Campaigns
Viral campaigns aim to create content that resonates deeply with audiences and has the potential to spread rapidly across social media platforms. It is one of the proven ways to fix the lack of brand awareness. By tapping into emotions, humor, or novelty, businesses capture the attention of their target audience and inspire them to share the content within their networks. They also have the potential to generate significant buzz and brand awareness, reaching audiences far beyond the brand's existing reach.
These campaigns evoke strong emotions, spark conversation, or provide entertainment value. Businesses leverage the viral nature of social media to amplify their brand's visibility and reach new audiences in an organic and impactful way.
Digital Marketing Boosts Brand Awareness: A Case Study
One striking example of viral marketing boosting brand awareness is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In 2014, the ALS Association initiated this campaign to raise funds and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Participants filmed themselves dumping buckets of ice water over their heads, challenging others to do the same, and shared these videos on social media platforms.
The challenge quickly went viral, attracting celebrities, politicians, and millions of ordinary people worldwide. Through this grassroots movement, the ALS Association saw an unprecedented surge in donations, raising over $115 million within just a few months. The campaign not only raised substantial funds for ALS research but also significantly increased public awareness about the disease and the work of the ALS Association, demonstrating the potent impact of viral marketing on brand visibility and social causes.(Source: ALS Association)
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Running Viral Marketing Campaigns
Create shareable content: Develop highly shareable content, such as entertaining videos, captivating visuals, thought-provoking stories, etc.
Evoke emotions: Craft content that elicits strong emotions, whether humor, inspiration, awe, or nostalgia, to drive engagement and increase brand awareness.
Utilize influencers: Collaborate with influencers or brand ambassadors who have a strong social media presence and following to amplify the reach of your viral campaign.
Encourage user participation: Engage your audience by encouraging them to actively participate in the campaign, whether it's through challenges, contests, or content creation.
Image 1 - A Customized Tonality Sets a Brand’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
3. Create Interactive Content
Interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, videos, or immersive experiences, captivates audiences and encourages active participation. By providing opportunities for users to contribute, express opinions, or make choices, businesses create memorable brand interactions that leave a lasting impression. These contents capture attention and foster deeper engagement and interaction with the brand.
Moreover, interactive content often generates higher levels of engagement and sharing, as users are more likely to share content they have actively participated in or found entertaining. By incorporating interactive elements into marketing campaigns, businesses enhance brand visibility, drive traffic, and foster stronger connections with their audience. This leads to higher brand awareness and increased recognition in the marketplace. Capitalone Shopping research found that 36% of consumers are interested in buying from brands that focus on corporate social responsibility initiatives.
How to Increase Brand Awareness on Social Media- A Case Study:
One notable example of how creating interactive content can boost brand awareness is identified by the way the "Share a Coke" campaign by Coca-Cola. Instead of simply printing their logo on bottles, Coca-Cola replaced it with popular names and phrases, encouraging customers to find bottles with names of friends, family, or themselves. This interactive approach spurred a social media frenzy, as people shared photos of their personalized bottles online.
This user-generated content not only increased brand visibility but also created a personal connection with consumers. By actively involving customers in the campaign, Coca-Cola effectively amplified its brand message and strengthened its brand presence across various platforms. This led to widespread recognition and engagement.(Source: Faster Capital))
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Creating Interactive Content
Identify your audience: Understand your target audience's preferences, interests, and behaviors to create interactive content that resonates with them.
Choose the right format: Select interactive content formats that align with your brand and goals, such as quizzes, polls, and interactive videos, to captivate your audience and encourage participation.
Provide value: Offer valuable and relevant content that educates, entertains, or resolves a problem for your audience.
Foster engagement: Design interactive content encouraging users to interact and make choices, such as answering questions or exploring different pathways.
4. Collaborate with Complementary Brands
Aligning with like-minded partners is one of the tactics to increase brand awareness. It helps businesses utilize each other's strengths, resources, and audiences to achieve mutual marketing objectives. Such collaborative efforts include co-created content, joint promotions, or cross-branded initiatives that appeal to both brands' audiences. These partnerships allow businesses to expand their reach and relevance by tapping into their partners' established customer base.
Moreover, collaborating with complementary brands allows businesses to access new customer segments that may not have been reachable through traditional marketing channels alone. Businesses amplify their brand awareness, engage with target audiences more effectively, and drive long-term growth by forging strategic alliances with such brands.
Collaboration with Compatible Brands Boosts Brand Awareness: A Case Study
An example of how collaboration with complementary brands to boost brand awareness is illustrated by the partnership between GoPro an American technology company and Red Bull. Both companies target adventurous, adrenaline-seeking audiences. By joining forces, they created captivating content featuring extreme sports athletes using GoPro cameras to capture their daring feats sponsored by Red Bull. This collaboration extended across various marketing channels, including social media, events, and branded content.
As a result, both brands saw significant increases in exposure to their respective target markets. GoPro gained access to Red Bull's massive following, while Red Bull enhanced its association with high-energy, thrilling activities. This partnership not only elevated brand awareness but also reinforced the identities of both companies as leaders in their respective industries.(Source: HubSpot)
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Collaborating with Complementary Brands?
Identify compatible brands: Seek out brands that share similar values, target demographics, or complementary products/services to ensure alignment.
Define objectives: Effectively define the goals of the collaboration, whether it's to reach new audiences, co-create content, or leverage each other's resources and networks.
Develop a mutually beneficial strategy: Collaborate with complementary brands to develop a strategic plan that outlines how each brand will contribute to the partnership.
Leverage cross-promotion: Use each other's marketing channels, such as social media, email newsletters, or websites, to promote the collaboration.
5. Foster Engagement on Emerging Platforms
Engagement on emerging platforms includes the active involvement of businesses within new social media channels or digital communities. These platforms offer a unique space for brands to connect with niche audiences and distinguish themselves from competitors. By embracing emerging platforms, brands position themselves as industry leaders, foster thought leadership, and establish credibility within these evolving spaces.
Moreover, engagement on these platforms allows brands to forge meaningful relationships with early adopters, who often play a key role in encouraging broader audiences. Through consistent interaction and genuine participation, businesses cultivate a loyal following and foster a community of enthusiastic brand advocates about the brand's offerings and values.
How to Foster Brand Awareness Through Social Media- A Case Study:
One prime example of fostering engagement on emerging platforms to increase brand awareness is the way Wendy's, a fast-food chain, utilized TikTok. Wendy's launched a TikTok campaign called #WendysRemixChallenge, encouraging users to create their own remixes of their popular Frosty dessert.
By tapping into TikTok's young and creative user base, Wendy's sparked a viral trend, with thousands of users participating and sharing their remixes. This not only generated significant engagement but also spread awareness of Wendy's brand among younger demographics who are active on TikTok.(Source: Marketing Dive)
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Fostering Engagement on Emerging Platforms
Stay informed: Be familiar with emerging platforms and social media trends to identify opportunities for engagement with your target audience.
Experiment with content: Test different types of content, formats, and messaging on emerging platforms to understand what resonates best with your audience.
Be authentic: Be genuine in your interactions and tailor your content to fit the platform's culture and audience preferences.
Measure and iterate: Continuously monitor the performance of your engagement efforts on emerging platforms & use data analytics to track metrics including engagement rate, reach & conversion.
Image 2- Brand Awareness vs Brand Recognition: Understanding the Differences
6. Create & Offer Branded Merchandise
Branded merchandise, such as apparel, accessories, or stationery, serves as tangible reminders of the brand, extending its reach beyond traditional marketing channels. When customers use or wear branded merchandise, they become walking advertisements, increasing visibility and exposure to a wider audience. Moreover, branded merchandise fosters a sense of loyalty and connection among customers, as they proudly associate themselves with the brand.
Therefore, offering high-quality and aesthetically appealing merchandise enhances brand perception and encourages repeat purchases and referrals. Additionally, branded merchandise serves as customer incentives or rewards, further incentivizing engagement and loyalty.
Offering Branded Merchandise Enhances Brand Awareness and Loyalty: A Case Study
One compelling example of how creating and offering branded merchandise can boost brand awareness is illustrated by the success of American outdoor apparel company Patagonia. Through its line of sustainably sourced clothing and accessories, including its iconic fleeces and hats adorned with the brand's logo, Patagonia has effectively turned its customers into brand ambassadors. People wearing Patagonia merchandise become walking advertisements, sparking conversations and attracting attention wherever they go.
Additionally, Patagonia's commitment to environmental activism further reinforces its brand identity, resonating with like-minded consumers who are drawn to its merchandise not only for its quality but also for the values it represents. This combination of stylish, functional products and a strong brand ethos has significantly contributed to Patagonia's widespread recognition and loyalty among outdoor enthusiasts worldwide.(Source: Investopedia)
How to Increase Brand Awareness by Creating and Offering Branded Merchandise?
Choose quality products: Select high-quality merchandise that reflects the values and image of your brand, ensuring durability and longevity to maximize brand exposure.
Design with branding in mind: Incorporate your brand logo, colors, and messaging into the design of your merchandise to reinforce brand recognition and visibility.
Offer variety: Provide a diverse range of merchandise options, including apparel, accessories, stationery, and lifestyle products, to cater to different preferences.
Make it exclusive: Create limited-edition or exclusive merchandise offerings to generate excitement and incentivize customer engagement and loyalty.
Potential Challenges of Building Brand Awareness
Here’s enlisting the common but critical challenges companies face while building brand awareness across both online and offline platforms:
Low search engine results page ranks
Minimum content visibility before the target audience
The lack of engagement from viewers
Targeting content or advertising campaigns toward the wrong audience
Users getting a wrong perception of the brand
Conclusion
Brand awareness will continue to play a critical role in shaping consumer perceptions, driving purchasing decisions, and fostering brand loyalty. Likewise, with the ever-increasing proliferation of products and services in the global marketplace, it will be critically essential for brands to stand out and differentiate themselves. Moreover, as competition intensifies and new technologies emerge, brands must continuously innovate and adapt their strategies to maintain and enhance their brand awareness.
However, as consumers will become discerning and inundated with information, gaining their trust and loyalty will require innovative and authentic approaches to brand messaging. This is where a strategic partnership will help these businesses by providing the necessary expertise, scalability, agility, and more.
At Invensis, our expertise lies in offering comprehensive digital marketing services. This includes search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, content writing, affiliate marketing etc. This enables businesses to benefit from our knowledge and experience in crafting impactful brand awareness campaigns. Our team leverages data-driven insights and industry best practices to assist businesses in developing targeted business strategies that align with their target audience, fostering engagement across diverse channels. We are a strategic partner for businesses looking to increase brand awareness by providing our years of experience, cost-effectiveness, and cross-channel integration.
Contact us to know how to increase brand awareness through digital marketing, engage with your audience effectively, and drive long-term growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to build brand awareness starting from zero?
Here’s enlisting actionable tips to build awareness from scratch:
Fix a tone that matches your brand objective, types, and target audience.
Align the brand value with your target audience
Fix a catchy logo and tagline that perfectly orchestrates your brand identity
Invest in highly shareable content
Offer free trials or early bird discounts
Conduct social media contests
Manage and run awareness advertisements
2. What is a SWOT for brand awareness?
A SWOT analysis for brand awareness identifies Strengths (strong market presence), Weaknesses (limited audience reach), Opportunities (emerging markets), and Threats (competitive brands). This framework helps businesses understand their current brand positioning, leverage strengths, address weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and mitigate threats to enhance overall brand visibility and recognition.
3. How do you increase internal brand awareness?
To increase internal brand awareness, communicate the brand’s mission, values, and goals consistently across the organization. Use regular training sessions, workshops, and internal newsletters to educate employees. Encourage brand advocacy by involving staff in branding initiatives and recognizing their contributions. Promote a strong corporate culture aligned with brand identity, and ensure leadership models the brand values. Use internal communication platforms to share success stories and updates regularly.
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