Brand awareness

Lack of brand awareness is the bane of most marketer’s existences. You may have the greatest product in the world but unless consumers are aware of it, you may find it hard to generate significant sales. Getting your name out there and generating interest in your brand can be the difference between profit and loss.

Ideally, you want your brand to stand out from the crowd and have customers think of your company when they are ready to make a purchase. However, due to today’s increased levels of competition and market noise…as well as rising consumer power, brand building can be a daunting prospect.

Small businesses without a huge budget, can find it even harder to break through the clutter. Thankfully, brand awareness doesn’t always have to be a costly affair involving expensive PR campaigns, events and sponsorships. Sure, these activities are all great but you can still achieve cut through and stand above your competitors without spending a fortune.

Below are some surefire ways you can use to create a buzz around your brand on a budget.

1. SMS Marketing

SMS is a direct, effective and affordable way of addressing your target audience. The marketing channel boasts high deliverability and unparalleled open rates, with an overwhelming 98% of all text messages opened and an astounding 95% being read within the first three minutes. This makes bulk text messages a very attractive option for generating brand awareness.

Through an SMS sending service, you can you effectively communicate news about your brand, including promotions, new products as well as send instant mobile ads via bulk text message. In terms of click-throughs and conversions, SMS technology remains a pacesetter in marketing. According to FunMobility, who evaluated their client’s SMS-click through rates in aggregate, the average click-through for SMS marketing stood at an impressive 36% with email at a low of 3.2%.

Whether you run a large company or a small business, SMS technology can revolutionize your brand at a relatively low cost.

2. Social media

Social Media is key to building awareness and generating a buzz on a budget. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp can help you extend your reach and connect with new customers. What’s more, these sites are all free to join.

With the right social media event marketing strategy, you can garner a valuable and engaged audience. And with each engagement, your brand awareness will be enhanced.

3. Cross- promotions and partnerships

Strategic and carefully considered partnerships can be a highly effective way to increase brand awareness and can even enable you to break into new markets. Aligning with a suitable brand will organically result in the inheritance of its image and reputation. It will also expose your business to a new audience outside of your customer base.

In addition to boosting your brand experience, cross-promotions can also offer your customers increased value. Would you have anticipated a ride-sharing company teaming up with a nail polish brand? Well, me neither. But that’s what Lyft did when they partnered with Julep.

Over 60% of Lyft riders are female and as such it makes sense for the company to continue appealing to the female demographic. Lyft’s bright pink is a strong component of its brand recognition and highlighting the shade as trendy carries over to the brand as a whole. In addition to attracting female riders, it reinforces the fun and desirable personality that the company seeks to encompass.

4. Video Marketing

Video marketing is one of the most powerful ways to create and enhance brand awareness. Not only does it offer a far richer experience to customers but also it is much easier for audiences to consume than text and can be effectively used to influence purchase behaviour.

Over half a billion people are watching videos on Facebook every day. Add to that the close to a billion daily views on YouTube and power of video becomes even more evident. By 2021, more than 81% of all consumer internet traffic will be from videos. If you can create great video content for your brand, there’s a good chance that you’ll have an audience that wants to watch it.

The benefits of using videos to promote your brand are undeniable. But just like any other marketing endeavour, you have to make sure your videos are interesting to your target market.

5. Content marketing

The idea of content marketing has been around for a number of years now but there are still many businesses who are yet to jump on the trend. Mastering content marketing can be a turning point for a business.

When building your brand, it’s important to position yourself as an authority in your industry and producing quality content can set you on the right path. Providing blog posts that offer quality information and ongoing value to your target market can also help you develop a loyal following. And the benefits are numerous, from increased traffic to generating more leads, to becoming a thought leader in your field.

Conclusion

Once you identify and understand who your target customer is, increasing your brand awareness can be a breeze. Using the above methods, you can go toe to toe with your competitors and other businesses with huge financial outlay for branding.