By the looks of it, you would never think that some of the largest companies in America have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the development of their logos. The best logos are recognizable and still simple. The simplicity of the design might lead you to think that both logo design and building brand awareness are easy tasks. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It takes the right image, the right channels, the right colors, the right target audience and the right message to build a brand. Here’s what it takes to build brand awareness in today’s competitive climate:
Invest in a Brand Strategy for the Best ROI
You can’t build brand awareness without first building a strategy. Strategy development isn’t as easy as many first-time business owners assume. That’s why it’s worth it to invest in professional help when you’re strategizing for the first time. Agencies that specialize in marketing can help you with segmenting the market, choosing a logo, developing an optimized website, choosing marketing channels, and more.
Since small business owners have made it known that that building brand awareness (48.4%) and driving sales (51.3%) are the two top digital marketing priorities, you should give yourself every opportunity to succeed by teaming up with marketing experts who can help you work on the strategy that you’ve already developed or start from scratch. Don’t see the fee that’s charged for the service as an expense, see it as an investment into the future of your company.
Spend Your Time on Social Engagement
You may need to be an expert in website development, content marketing, and Search Engine Optimization when you’re building your brand awareness on your official website. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make an effort on your own to engage your target market through your social media profiles. Social media engagement should always be a priority because of how extensive your reach can be. Develop your brand via your profiles and you can develop loyal fans. You should dedicate time to being active on social media, posting images, sharing content, and creating fun contests that get people talking about your company.
Along with social engagement, you need to make sure that your contact information is available to everyone on all of your profile pages. Many companies, like ASEA, will use sites like Crunchbase to do so. ASEA is especially a great example of this, as they share both their email address and phone number. Many companies will just provide a link to a contact form, but that’s not always the best idea. By sharing your email and phone number, you are giving back some of the control to the customer as they’ll be able to contact you using the method that is most comfortable to them.
Ask for Referrals and You’ll Build Awareness and Strengthen Relationships
You can’t be too shy to ask your already loyal customers to refer their friends and family members. If you’re exceeding the expectations of your current clients, they won’t hesitate to refer people that they know to come and give your business a try. Being too shy to ask for referrals could really set back your branding efforts. For example, if you look at the variety of companies on business sites that are using the site as a brand building method, many have some sort of referral program in place. Think about a creative program that will offer incentives to refer friends so that your customers want to spread the word.
Sponsor Public Events and Hold Your Own Events
The World Wide Web might be able to expand your reach across the world, but you still should focus on displaying your company name in front of large crowds of people. Sponsoring events is a good way to give back and put your company logo and your mission in front of prospective customers. You should try and work with charities to discuss sponsorship opportunities. That way, you can show that your company cares about the community, and build your brand at the same time. You can even hold family nights or seminars that will generate a buzz and broaden your reach in a specific area.
You need more than just an eye-catching logo to get people to notice your company. Get people talking about your products and services and word of mouth will spread like fire. As long as you’re using the right channels and targeting the right audience, you should start to watch your brand grow.
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