As a business owner, your most important task is to promote your products and/or services to establish and nurture a relationship between your company and your customers or clients. Your brand identity is what your target audience thinks of when they hear your company name and see your company logo, and properly marketing your brand can help increase awareness, and therefore, increase sales. Here are some strategies to try that can help increase brand awareness.
Take Advantage of Social Media
Out of the world’s eight billion people, around five billion have access to the internet, and more than two billion use social media regularly. This makes social media a very valuable tool when it comes to brand marketing. It’s likely that you already have a personal social media account, and you should have a professional social media account for your business as well. Social media will allow you to share all types of content related to your business, including photos, videos, infographics, ebooks, and other types of text content.
Some of the most used social media platforms (by generation) include:
- Facebook (Gen X and Baby Boomers)
- Twitter (Millennials/Gen Y)
- Instagram (Millennials/Gen Y)
- TikTok (Gen Z and Millennials/Gen Y)
Gen Z (Generation Z) is one of the most talked about generations, and their age group typically includes those born between 1997 and 2012. Millennials (sometimes called Generation Y) were born between 1981 and 1996, Gen X (Generation X) between 1965 and 1980, and Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. This matters when it comes to knowing the general age of your target audience. You may also have a mixture of generations, meaning you’ll benefit from marketing your brand on various platforms.
Put Your Logo on Everything
Even if you don’t have an official logo, you do have a company name, and both are important in increasing brand awareness. Oftentimes people will remember a product or service, but they’ll forget the name of the business— and you don’t want this to happen. This is where promotional marketing comes in: place your company name and logo on everyday items to either sell or give away to your most loyal customers. When they wear or use these items in public, they’re increasing awareness of your brand.
Some of the best everyday promotional items include:
- Baseball caps
- Coffee mugs
- Keychains
- Phone cases
- Sweatshirts
- T-shirts
You can also invest in promotional items that are more specific to your brand. For example, if you’re a fitness brand, you should invest in promotional stainless steel water bottles and blender bottles— although water bottles are considered an everyday item, and all companies can benefit from these items. If you choose promotional items that relate to your brand, your most loyal customers will be more willing to buy these items rather than waiting for you to give them away. This way, you’ll see a better return on your investment in these promotional items while also increasing brand awareness and driving sales.
Create a Company Website
As mentioned earlier, more than half of the world’s population has access to the Internet, and this is an entire potential market for your business. Even if you only operate fully in person and serve a small community, it’s helpful to have a website because those in your community are likely internet users. Your business website should include:
- Company name and logo (at the top)
- Contact information (at the bottom), including an address, phone number, email address, and hours of operation
- Products and/or services offered, along with a short description of each
You should also include an “About” page that tells the visitor a little about you and everything about your business. It’s also helpful to have a blog on your website that can provide additional information and news related to your business and industry. A blog will also help with search engine optimization (SEO), meaning that your website can gain organic traffic when people search for something related to your business on Google or another search engine.
Keep in mind that you have to have a strong brand identity (your company’s personality) to be effective in brand marketing. Your brand identity includes your company’s name, logo, motto or tagline, color scheme, typography, and overall style of your company. Keeping up with the research in your industry is also important. Staying consistent in your brand identity and with your brand marketing will increase brand awareness and help drive sales.
