The importance of establishing brand awareness

Brand awareness is how recognizable your company is to your target audience. In the communications world, establishing or enhancing brand awareness is critical when marketing and promoting your company and/or product/service. Customers are prone to interact with the offerings of a company they are familiar with and know what it can do for them. If you’re looking to establish trust and make connections, there are three central strategies that can be used to make potential customers longtime supporters.

Give your company personality

Every person has a distinct personality. Some are outgoing and sweet, while others, quiet and loyal. The combinations are endless, and all unique in their own way. Every brand should strive to reflect a distinct personality too.

Think of the different ways that people strive to stand out. The choice of clothing is one of many. What you put on is what is visualized to others. Imagine showing up to a networking event in your pajamas, for example – the chances of being taken seriously are slim to none.

As a brand, to leave an impact with your audience, you must to define yourself as more than a company that provides products or services.  Studies show that you need to engage individuals within seven seconds. If there is no connection, you have lost them and it is hard to get them back. Catchy copy and good story lines are great. One way to dig deep, though, is by showing off your team! There’s a great chance your employees are brag-worthy, as you’ve spent lots of time gathering successful individuals to make up your company. Show your current and potential customers photos of your staff on your social media channels, and even include them in marketing material. Humanizing your brand will reflect the culture present around it.

Stay connected by being social

Whether introvert or extrovert, or happily sandwiched in the middle, it’s a given that we all benefit from spending time with others. Through social contact, we are able to stay connected, and learn from one another.

Your brand needs that social contact as well. People recognize intentions easily. For instance, if you’re mostly focused on promoting your company for the purposes of making a business transaction or to get support, you will be seen as a business with solely one intent: to amass profit.

Get social and add variety to your social posts. Did someone in your organization complete a road, bike or ski race? Is there a charity event coming up in your area that you’d like to share? Did you love that Super bowl commercial, too? Share these moments online. Additionally, get personal and engage with your audience by liking their comments, responding quickly and asking relevant questions that will spark their interest and get them engaging with your brand. Converse with your audience, like you would with your friends. One-way social media does not help engagement.

Tell a story, and make it a good one

People are hungry for simplicity, but simplicity can be complicated if you overthink it. According to Lesley Vos of tintup.com, stories activate the part of the brain responsible for experiences, while plain facts only stimulate the language parts. “It’s the reason why we retain 70% of information through stories, but only 10% — from data and statistics,” says Vos.

That 70% is obviously important, but it’s also tricky to capture. Picture this:

You’re sitting in front of a group of little kids, about to share a story. Your audience – young and energetic -, is distracted and social. You’re having a hard time capturing their attention. What to do? You’ll need to find a way to captivate their attention. Get creative and go out of the box. Be exuberant. Think like they think and meet them at their level to get their eyes locked on you, so you become the center of their attention.

I have a story, you have a story, and so does your brand. When it comes to the narrative, it can be anything as long as it’s truthful to your brand. Groups of small children aside, people of all ages and backgrounds love a good story. Tell yours to create a strong sense of brand awareness. There’s uniqueness there – you just need to find it. If you struggle, have someone interview you to pull the story out. It’s in there…somewhere.

Being a successful brand involves being known and valued by consumers. Engaging with your best foot forward is crucial. Be honest, and always exercise your voice. It’s your most valuable tool when it comes to making your brand stand out against the others.

 

Communications Intern Olivia Koravos Communications Intern Olivia Koravos studies professional writing at Fitchburg State University. When she is not working or in school, she enjoys taking trips to local record shops and adding to her extensive vinyl collection. In addition, she is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics and watches most games whenever she can, as her love of basketball helped lead her towards an interest in writing for media.

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