Brand awareness can seem like an abstract concept. How do you make people aware of your brand? What makes a brand stick out in people’s minds? Shouldn’t the product just speak for itself? How can a brand convince customers that their product is the best option? Understanding how to build brand awareness is the secret to building a loyal customer base.
The truth is, that consumers want connection and relationships, and that extends to the brands they choose to buy from. In fact, 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. But to connect with loyal customers who keep coming back, you’ve first got to make them aware your brand exists. How? Well, according to a survey by 99designs by Vista, 84% of small business owners said that their visual branding plays a huge role in attracting new customers. And a compelling brand story.
- A memorable brand story is essential for creating lasting impressions and building brand awareness. Compelling storytelling helps connect with customers on a personal level, making your brand relatable and impactful.
- To stand out in a crowded market, employ tactics like native ads, video storytelling and brand partnerships. They foster authentic engagement and highlight your brand values.
- Social media campaigns that use hashtags can spark user interaction and drive brand visibility. Simple but memorable hashtags increase reach and encourage customer engagement.
- Continually invest in advertising and evolving marketing campaigns to stay relevant and meet customer expectations to sustain ongoing brand awareness.
- Tools like social listening platforms and surveys are essential for tracking the success of brand awareness efforts. By analyzing data, brands can refine their strategies to ensure long-term memorability and brand visibility.
The components of a compelling brand story
The key to brand awareness comes down to having a memorable brand. Attached to a memorable brand is a strong brand identity and a narrative that people will remember the next time they are choosing a product. Brand storytelling is kind of like baking a cake. Even though you change up some of your ingredients to get different flavors, the main ingredients, like eggs and flour, stay the same.
Every compelling brand story also has some constant ingredients:
- Exposition—the information the reader needs to get context for the story
- Conflict—a problem that needs solving
- Resolution for that conflict
Source: Logo design by Virtuoso via 99designs by Vista
As you can see in the logo design created for Beers with Bears, an image can tell a compelling story. There’s exposition: we see there’s beer, bears and despite being established in 2020, there’s an established, old-school feel through the font choice, brand colors and badge-style logo. We’re intrigued, we want to know how the beer and bears come together and how we factor into that situation, so we read on to find out exactly what the brand entails.
To build a strong brand, you’ll need to create a brand style guide. Take a look at the best brand guideline examples to inspire you.
How were things before your brand?
Explain what the situation was like before your brand created the solution that benefits the buyer. Make your target customer feel understood, validated and recognized. Acknowledge that how things used to be doesn’t have to be how things are now your product exists. For example, before your brand of coffee chocolate-chip cookies, cookies were just okay, but there was just something missing.
Source: Logo design by Saturn™ via 99designs by Vista
What is the conflict?
Explain what the friction is in this situation. What is keeping things from being in the state they should be in? For example, the snack industry went back and forth, trying new ideas for energy-boosting cookies, but nothing seemed the right fit. Peanut butter cookies delivered protein but tasted just okay.
What is the resolution?
How does your brand provide the solution a consumer needs and how does it do it better than any competing brand? Cast your brand as the knight in shining armor in the story.
Outline the solutions your brand offers and how it relieves the buyers’ pain points in a clear and concise way. Keeping with our energy cookie example, the unique resolution is caffeinated chocolate chips that have a sophisticated taste for the professional who needs energy all afternoon.
People want to know that the problems they have are valid and can be resolved. Building brand awareness starts with showing people there is a solution to their struggles and brand loyalty starts when they experience that your brand is uniquely equipped to provide that solution.
Creating brand awareness in crowded spaces
According to Forbes, the average American sees 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day, so creatively grabbing the attention of your target audience has never been more important.
Source: Logo design by Vikstar via 99designs by Vista.
To build brand recognition and attract customer attention in a crowded market, it’s important to tell a compelling story. What’s your story’s unique spin? Is it a sustainability brand promise? Maybe it’s the philosophy that everyone should have a good pair of socks. Your story doesn’t have to be an epic—it just has to grab enough attention to make customers notice your brand. Then think about what message people should walk away with after hearing your story. Will they remember it and return to your brand to make a purchase?
Source: Bottle label design by GOOSEBUMPS via 99designs by Vista
Several successful companies have created memorable marketing campaigns that increase brand awareness. Brand awareness efforts don’t stop once a brand is considered “established.” In fact, it means the opposite—the world has expectations for that brand, and for the brand to stay relevant, they need to keep meeting those expectations.
Source: Coca-Cola Christmas marketing campaign via CampaignUS
Brand awareness is a constantly evolving process to reach new customers and build meaningful lasting relationships. For example, Coca-Cola, one of the most recognized brands in the world, spent an annual average of $4 billion on advertising between 2015 and 2020. You can create brand awareness with a great brand story and marketing campaigns that reach your ideal demographics.
Five ways to build brand awareness
A compelling story communicates your brand’s mission and values. But that story doesn’t matter if you aren’t getting it in front of your target audience. In 2020, over 89% of shoppers claimed they stay loyal to brands that share their values. Building brand awareness means showing customers that your brand stays true to its values. You can do that through brand marketing.
Brand marketing is the overall strategy of advertising your products, services or brand as a whole, while brand campaigns are strategies like social media posts, podcasts and blogs that establish a brand within its industry without overtly selling buyers on specific products. When they’re successful, these campaigns don’t just connect with the target audience, but create organic engagement that makes followers feel like they’re interacting with a friend.
Here are five effective ways to build brand awareness:
1. Native ads
You’ve seen them before: as you scroll through Instagram or Facebook, you see an interesting post. To take a look and realize, it’s not from one of your friends—it’s from a brand, and it’s actually an ad. You’re engaging with a native ad.
Native ads are designed to look similar to user-created content. You’ll see them on Pinterest, Buzzfeed and Facebook, both in your feed and when you search specific tags. It seems kind of tricky, but is very effective. Because over 70% of individuals want to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertising, Native advertising is becoming the standard for how ads are delivered across many digital platforms.
2. Storytelling through videos
Campaign videos are a powerful tool to convey emotion and humanize a brand. A great example of a brand story is Nike’s Equality Campaign with the tagline “Equality has no boundaries,” with a clear message about providing opportunity, equality and support for marginalized communities.
Source: Nike’s Equality Campaign Video via X
Engagement with videos is easy to track through comments, likes and shares etc. Done well, by communicating thoughtful core values, videos can help change the narrative from just selling a product to much more.
3. Blogging
Blogging can be a complete game changer when it comes to creating brand awareness. People go on the internet to see what the experts have to say about different topics. Blogging—whether it’s on your own website or as a guest blogger—enables you to be the expert that people are looking for.
In blog posts, you can share thoughts and ideas, provide context and thoughtfully answer any questions the reader may have. Positioning yourself as an expert in your industry builds trust and teaches people to associate your brand with an authoritative voice. Blogging not only attracts curious web surfers but also improves search engine optimization (SEO), which means your website will rank higher on search engines…which only increases brand awareness.
4. Partnerships
Partnering with other small businesses can be a mutually beneficial co-branding marketing strategy, making it easier to reach new audiences. Dunkin’ Donuts’ fundraising campaign in partnership with Waze is a great example of a strategic partnership that helped build brand awareness for both companies.
Dunkin’ and Waze worked together to raise money for The Joy in Childhood, Dunkin’s foundation committed to provide meals to children battling hunger or illness. Each Dunkin’ location was marked with a gold pin on the Waze app. There was also a “Going Gold Voice Pack” for Waze with a voiceover from children with cancer. With every download of the pack, Dunkin’ donated to the foundation.
Source: Dunkin’ Donuts’ partnership with Waze via Hill Holiday
This partnership worked because people use the Waze app in the morning on their way to work, then stop at Dunkin’ to grab a coffee and donuts. If you’re considering a brand partnership to raise brand awareness, think carefully about which other small businesses complement yours. For example, if you’re a sportswear retailer, partnering with a gym franchise would make sense, whereas partnering with a fast food restaurant wouldn’t.
5. Hashtags and follower engagement
Hashtags might seem really simple, but are a great cataloging technique that can lead to increased engagement rates.
An example of an established brand using hashtags to spark new user engagement is Lay’s potato chips’ #DoUsAFlavor campaign, which invited people to vote on the three new flavors that hit the market in 2017. The internet spoke and the crowning winner was Crispy Taco flavor. After the campaign was done, Lay’s sales reportedly increased by 12%.
Source: Lay’s #DoUsAFlavor campaign via Convenience Store News
Hashtags are powerful and contagious! The secrets to an effective hashtag campaign include:
- Engagement with followers
- Posting consistently
- A catchy tagline e.g. #DoUsAFlavor is funny and simple to recall
Brand awareness is only the beginning
The reason why these marketing strategies work is that they don’t just ask the audience to buy products, they ask customers to trust and invest emotionally in the brands promoting the products. Creating this familiarity is the top portion of the marketing funnel—the process of guiding potential buyers to make purchases.
Successful brand awareness campaigns are created by observing moments where people engage with the brand in their day. Zero in on where your target demographic expends most of their attention, then concentrate your marketing efforts there.
But how can you tell if your marketing efforts are working? Track content on social media by using social listening tools like HubSpot and Hootsuite, sending out surveys to your email list and using Google Ads. With this data, you can measure which campaigns achieved their goal and which weren’t worth the investment. Remember, when it comes to brand awareness, the most important measure of return on investment is how well the brand sticks in the audience’s minds.
Make your brand unforgettable
Building brand awareness starts with creating a logo, understanding your brand’s core values and developing a mission aligning with these values. Once you have these, the next step is telling a compelling story and reaching your target audience with that story. People want to know your product or service will deliver quality and consistency and make a difference in their lives.
Brand awareness and visibility FAQs
What is brand awareness and why is it important for small businesses?
Brand awareness is the extent to which your target audience recognizes and remembers your brand. It’s important for small businesses because it builds trust, attracts new customers and fosters brand loyalty, leading to sustainable business growth.
How to increase brand awareness?
Begin by identifying your target audience and creating a consistent brand identity, including a memorable logo and messaging. Use social media and content marketing to share your story and engage your audience.
What are the most effective strategies to build brand awareness?
The most effective strategies for building brand visibility include brand storytelling, social media engagement, partnerships, blogging and creative campaigns. Focus on creating valuable, shareable content that resonates with your target audience.
How to measure the success of brand awareness efforts?
You can measure success through metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, brand mentions and customer surveys. Analytics tools and social listening platforms can help track performance and identify areas for improvement.
