How to increase brand awareness: 10 tips to bring your brand into the spotlight

Different strategies can help increase brand awareness and push your brand into the eyesight of your target audience.

Be a brand leader not a follower

No-one wants to be the black sheep of their industry. Being overlooked by potential customers and overshadowed by competitors can sometimes instill doubt about your company’s place among the others. At first, it can be a struggle to get noticed by clients, but we are sure that through a strategic rollout of marketing designed to push your brand into the limelight, you will be an office-hold name in no time.

You want people to hear your name and instantly conjure up images in their head. You want people to think of your extensive list of successful projects. Most of all, you want people to instantly think of you the next time they need to work with someone in the industry.

Why is brand awareness essential?

Having your brand be top of the list when people are looking for your line of services means you are more likely to be contacted for work. Being considered for jobs just from being memorable and sticking in peoples heads is a huge advantage over the competition. It’s so important to carry on moving forward in order to maintain your positive status.

In your industry you are guaranteed to be clashing against competitors in order to win contracts and customers. You all offer the same services, so in order to succeed, it’s paramount to show how you can put a twist on the solution. You need to make your work output uniquely you, and from there you can start pushing out to start gaining attention and a client-base.

Having priority in terms of consideration can also prevent your competitors from improving and doing better. You don’t have to worry as much about falling behind in the race if you have a head start. Brand awareness can act like a lifejacket, keeping you afloat, while your competitors are treading water in an effort to keep their head above the waves. It can provide security of your position in the industry all while others are after an additional share of the market.

Top ten tips on how to increase brand awareness

Content makes connection

Producing content for your company is possibly the best first step you can take in growing brand knowledge and awareness of what you have to offer. Articles, social posts, infographics and whatever else your creative chops can muster up. Producing in-depth content can give audiences a detailed look into not only what products and services you provide, but how you can provide a unique approach that competitors may not consider.

It also allows you to highlight any work done with previous clients. Having a frame of reference for what kind of work may be produced for them is one great way to imprint yourself into their memory, while spreading the word about the quality and reception of your products and services.

Having access to opinion pieces and company practices allows others to analyse your company methodology. This can help make the final decision if there would be synergy between both sides.

Sharing is caring

And that’s BEFORE having to take into account the shareability factor. Producing interesting content that can be shared by and to people in your target audience is essential. Getting your name, brand and services on screens, in front of people’s eyes is the main goal. Making frequent appearances on the feeds of potential customers is key to leaving an impression on people. The more you are seen by individual people, even in a passing glance while scrolling twitter, the more likely that they will look into what you have to offer.

Having your content shared on social media can really say alot about you to those not in the know. Seeing a colleague, associate or connection whom you respect sharing content and work can cause those in a similar space to check it out. The thought process of “hey, this person in a similar area of work to me got something out of this article, maybe I will too” is what can help you get the most traction and attention. Making content that can invoke this sort of reaction can help your brand move up from ‘complete unknown’, to become ‘the hidden gem.’

The potential of printing

Distributing physical forms of advertising, such as leaflets and brochures is another effective way of drawing attention to your branding. First, in a world of pop-up ads, sponsored posts and cookies, high quality print advertising may stand out among the digital competition as being a more thoughtful approach to getting your brand out there. These ways you can incorporate key elements of your branding into the form of print media can be a showcase of your company’s sense of self identity, while showcasing some of the incredible work that can be created by your business.

Be spotted thanks to SEO

You want to make sure that your website can be found as easily as possible. Nowadays people want to find what they want, when they want, as opposed to having to cut through the hedges. With poor SEO, potential customers will have seen ten agencies offering the same services as you, and whether or not they produce work to the same standard as you doesn’t matter to them.

The average person is most likely to check out the first search result to come up rather than scroll three pages deep into google to discover yours.

None of your (Google) business

Having a Google Business account is essential nowadays. If you are a top result and based locally to those searching, your business’ Google Business account may appear. It will show viewers details about how to contact and find you, alongside client reviews and company update posts. It gives people a brief overview of what your company may be able to do for them, all while providing details that can (potentially) give a positive first-impression of the work you and your team put out.

Testimonials on what it is like to collaborate with you and opinions on the products and services you create can give a real sense of what your brand and company strives to achieve. Ethos and work attitude can tell people all they need to know about how working with you will go, so if the general consensus is that you are a great studio to work with, make sure to showcase that.

Navigating the world of social media

Social media is the Big Kahuna nowadays when it comes to getting your name out there. Likes, retweets, quote tweets, comments, polls, share to story, stitch, duet? There are so many ways to share and interact with online content, and no matter the form of engagement, algorithms will cause posts to be shown to a wider audience.

Creating high-quality content that entices people to interact with your social channels is essential for bringing attention to the attitude of your company. It’s an opportunity to give your brand a voice and personality, allowing you to become more relatable and approachable, which can potentially provide business enquiries, leads and connections.

Video content shows the content of character

Standard imagery does a good job of displaying your brand’s character, but if you are wanting to elevate it to the next level, video content is the way to go. Videos are more engaging than static images, and the added layers of audio, movement and editing provide dimension to your content output, and are just another way to further put your brand’s essence on display.

With a wider range of aspects to consider, it is key to make the correct choices that can further help you exemplify your brand to a new audience. The right backing music can say alot about the company you are, as can the speaking tone of your voiceovers. Choice of font, whether to include subtitles and speed of editing are also important and can mean a lot to those who need accessibility features. Video content gives you a lot more variables to think about. However, if done right, the reach will be higher than past content, and the hard work won’t go unnoticed.

Top search results with PPC

If you have the money in your budget, PPC can be an extremely profitable option to use in your marketing. The ability for your site to appear at the top of someone’s search results based on keywords used can create many more leads to your site.

Money isn’t the whole game however, as the creative element of writing is important for PPC campaigns. Headlines and descriptions allow you to try and test many ideas at once to see what works best. While only a few will be displayed at once, you can add ten different headlines to increase the likelihood of someone clicking. Similarly, you can include 4 different descriptions, while just one will appear on search results. Casting out a larger net to sea is always bound to help you catch a few more fish.

There is an element of creativity in which search terms should be targeted for ads, as you should consider the many ways people may word their searches for the service and products you offer. The average ROI of PPC campaigns is 200%.

Give your brand a makeover!

As much as you may be proud of what you have already built up, your current branding just may not be working. It might not be connecting with your target audience in the way you had wished, or it may not convey the key messaging of your business effectively. In cases like this, it might be time to start looking at a rebrand.

Take a few steps back, re-evaluate what makes you, you. Understand what the truly special aspects of your business are and then build your new brand around those features. It is also the opportunity to pin down what exactly went wrong with your previous branding. Avoiding the flaws that prevented the last branding from reaching its highest potential. This can show your target demographic exactly what you are capable of. The new you can represent elements of your business that weren’t captured in the previous branding’s essence.

If you’re looking to wipe the slate clean with your old branding, our B2B rebrand guide, is a must-read, showing you how to approach building the new you.

Success by design

Visual thinking is where people experience their thoughts through a series of mental images and can be found in around 60-65% of the population. This is why having high-quality design work is essential for increasing and maintaining brand awareness. Forgettable imagery won’t make any sort of impact on those who see them. But when all the puzzle pieces slot into place, that je ne sais quoi will conjure up in someone’s head when they hear your name. Memorable brand imagery will definitely raise brand awareness.

Let’s wrap things up

You can’t force anyone to remember you. If your brand isn’t sticking in anyone’s head, then the fault ultimately lies in your own hands. Failing to use well-designed imagery, under utilising social media or creating uninteresting content with a lack of SEO are all reasons your brand may be failing. It’s up to you and your team to get your hands dirty, try new ideas and really begin to understand what makes your brand special. If it’s worth being aware of, then the marketing basically writes itself.

Building brand awareness can help bring in new business from near and far…  if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t, then get in touch with us today – we’re sure to impress.