Brand awareness as a concept has grown considerably within the last two decades. Yet, there’s still a lot of confusion about what it means, what it does, and why it’s important. Not to mention how to even start building a properly recognizable brand in today’s overcrowded headspace.
For many SME business owners, it just feels like some insipid abstract concept that won’t directly affect the bottom line. But the term “brand” is much more than a meaningless trendy word that everyone uses to seem important. It’s become an essential part of doing business today in a market that is constantly being flooded with brand messaging and virtue signaling.
A brand can be seen as the total of experiences that a customer has about a business. Since everyone’s expectations and experiences can be different, it is incredibly hard to manage what they think. The effort is worth it, however, because strong and consistent brand communication builds trust and credibility – which directly affects the company’s bottom line.
There are proven ways to build a strong brand (even on a budget). Read on to find out what strategies work for growing a brand.
1. Vision First
The most recognizable brands have one thing in common: they’re driven by vision. No, this isn’t the same as those vision and mission statements every company has on their “about us” page. Instead, it’s when a business has the insight to know what they want their name and image to look like in the future. Then making every goal a new step towards that future.
Part of this strategy requires crafting a unique story and brand image. That doesn’t mean creating a logo and calling it a day. It has to be a concise and persistent effort that pervades throughout every post the brand sends out. Even non-verbal ones.
Having the vision to know where to take the company and its brand is a skill all on its own. However, not everyone can have a Steve Jobs level of insight. But that can be aided by plenty of research and in-depth knowledge about the industry and what customers want/need, which brings up the next point.
2. Know the Customer and What Works in the Industry
No business – and therefore brand – exists in a vacuum, and few can claim to have a monopoly on their audience or industry. So it’s crucial that external factors like competitors, industry trends, social circumstances, and audience personas be taken into account. Each of these elements directly influences how the brand will be perceived to the rest of the market.
Big companies know that growing a community, both online and in real life (as much as is possible right now), is crucial. People don’t respond to direct advertising as much anymore and instead want to interact with a brand they trust. But that only starts with knowing who the customer is and what they stand for.
It grows by keeping a finger on the hot button topics of the industry and society at large to know when to act and what to say. Because, like it or not, a company’s public image is extremely important, and there certainly is such a thing as bad publicity.
3. On-Brand Messages Doesn’t Mean Big Ad Spend
Any successful marketer knows that building a brand doesn’t require lots of fancy gimmicks and a big-spending account. Of course, those things don’t hurt, but fast-food chain Wendy’s didn’t become known for its sassy comebacks because of big ad spend. The brand just capitalized on what was already there – a big audience (Twitter) and a tendency for online roasts to go viral. And all it cost was a good social media marketing team.
Sure, part of this success was reliant on knowing the audience, as detailed above. But another big part of it had to do with how the company chose to spend its marketing efforts. Many restaurants tend to stick to Instagram posts with photos of the food they serve, for example. It’s not bad marketing, but it probably won’t ever get viral status either. Although, going viral isn’t necessarily the goal.
Also, like brands such as Apple and Wendy’s prove, on-brand doesn’t necessarily mean on-product. Neither of these companies approaches their branding with on-the-nose messages about how great their products are. Instead, they’re trying to emphasize a lifestyle (Apple) and provide entertainment (Wendy’s), respectively.
4. Keep It Consistent
Big brands like Coca-Cola haven’t stayed at the top of the food chain by accident. It took years of concerted effort and consistent messaging. Not only did this form those companies’ identities in the minds of consumers, but it also kept them top of mind.
The biggest aim of consistent brand messaging is to avoid confusing the customer about the brand and the looks. For instance, Coca-Cola kept that signature red and white look because whenever a person sees it, they instantly recognize the beverage.
Making adjustments along the way – and even completely revamping the brand image – is perfectly acceptable, of course. But these have to be calculated moves.
5. Use of Content Marketing
For a small business, advertising isn’t always the best way to spend money on marketing. Not only is it expensive, but without spending a lot, it might not have the desired effect. On the other hand, content marketing is much cheaper and sets the business up as an expert in the field. This includes things like blog posts, white papers, explainer videos, and social media posts.
The Bottom Line
Branding is one of the most crucial aspects of marketing today, so marketers should be aware of utilizing it effectively. But keep in mind that there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing. What worked for Wendy’s might not work for Pepsi, and vice versa. So it’s just as important to learn which strategies to capitalize on.
Also, keep in mind that marketing efforts are heavily skewed towards online interaction, which comes with other dangers. A data breach is just as much of a PR mess as saying the wrong thing on Facebook. So make sure to use cybersecurity tools like VPNs to protect the company. VPN keeps outsiders from accessing personal systems and data. Also, this tool encrypts a device’s network connection, so hackers can’t access what a person does online.
