Branding is a business fundamental that directly contributes to the success of a product. Through branding, businesses establish a distinct identity for themselves in the minds of consumers, using their logo, mission, and products.
Because of branding, we find ourselves referring to baby diapers as Pampers or tissue papers as Kleenex. The latter are brands that have established themselves so well in the customer mindset that their names have become synonymous with the product that they create.
A crucial part of branding is creating and increasing brand awareness. It is the foundation of branding as it is the tool that initially familiarizes consumers with the business and product.
For a business, creating brand awareness within the target market is essential to get off the ground. With an effective brand awareness strategy, companies can establish themselves in the industry and gain customer loyalty and trust.
If you are a business owner looking to increase brand awareness, we have rounded up five excellent ways you can do just that and help grow your business into a successful enterprise.
Table of Contents
Freebies
Everyone loves free stuff, regardless of where it comes from. This makes handing out branded freebies a fantastic way to build brand awareness. Pick an item of your choice, such as mugs, keychains, or notebooks, and have your logo and design printed on them.
We recommend going with something versatile and recyclable such as custom-printed eco-friendly non woven carry bags that can be easily reused.
Freebies require little investment as most of these products are cheap. However, the effect is multi-fold for your business. By giving potential customers freebies, you make them aware of your brand. After that, as they use that item, more and more people will see your business name and logo on display. This means that by handing out freebies, you can make potential customers silently create brand awareness for your business at no extra cost.
Top-of-Mind Awareness (TOMA)
Another highly effective way to increase brand awareness is this brand recall technique. Have you ever encountered small sachets of Dominos oregano in your kitchen and suddenly decided to order a pizza?
Congratulations, you have successfully been subjected to a TOMA strategy. TOMA is a simple and no-fuss technique for increasing brand awareness. It involves giving out small and useful items to your customers that they keep around their house, strengthening your brand awareness.
When you receive the tiny oregano packets with your pizza, you know it’s a tasty herb you can use in your cooking, so you keep it in your kitchen or refrigerator instead of throwing it away. Those little packets are like a mini Dominos billboard sitting in your home.
Every time you look at them, you will think about ordering pizza. TOMA not only leads to a significant rise in repeat orders from past customers but also helps strengthen brand awareness among consumers.
Social Media Marketing
With the world going digital, social media marketing has become one of the most effective strategies for branding. Social media is a cheap and quick way of reaching a large audience. You can choose the demographics of users you want to connect with and send targeted marketing material their way. With a small investment, social media marketing is a fantastic way to amplify your brand awareness.
Start by making social media pages for your brand on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and use the platforms’ in-built marketing tools to spread awareness regarding your brand. Some things which are great at grabbing the attention of online consumers are online-exclusive discounts, giveaways, and regular interaction opportunities.
Ask questions and request feedback to boost engagement and promote your business on social media.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is another effective branding technique that helps increase brand awareness. The best way to use sponsorship for branding is to sponsor events such as food festivals or carnivals. As a sponsor, you will fund an event to a certain extent, and in return, you get the rights to advertise and market your brand throughout the event.
Sponsorship marketing rights are of many different types. You can have your business name added to the event’s name or your logo printed on all material used at the event.
If you have the funds and want sponsorship to increase your brand awareness, start by finding out what events are taking place in your city in the coming weeks. Once you’ve found an event you are interested in, contact the organizers and speak to them regarding a sponsorship.
Most event organizers are keen to accept sponsorships, so chances are you won’t have trouble locking a deal. With an event sponsorship, you will create brand awareness among every guest who visits the event.
Referral Programs
Referrals are another easy way to help boost brand awareness. Referral is a simple marketing technique that gives existing customers benefits and discounts for bringing in new customers. Customers are given a referral code to share with their friends and families.
For instance, if a new customer uses a referral code to make a purchase, the referee will get a certain percentage of discount on their next order with your business.
When it comes down to the numbers, referral discounts don’t take away much from your profits. However, it incentivizes customers to talk about their experience with your business and share it with people they know.
This helps organically increase brand awareness among new consumers and is a great strategy for business development.
Final Words
Brand awareness is important for the success of a business. Regardless of how good your product or idea is, until you have people talking about it and sharing it, there is a limit to which you can grow.
Brand awareness techniques are generally low-cost and highly effective for bringing in new business. The tips mentioned above are excellent for increasing brand awareness; however, there are many other strategies you can also use to spread awareness regarding your business.
Therefore, make sure you do your research and figure out which strategy best fits your business development plan.
