Five Helpful Ways to Increase Brand Awareness
Increasing your company’s brand awareness can lead to more sales, higher revenues and a larger social following. People are more inclined to purchase from a company they know and trust, and building that reputation takes some time and effort. When it comes to building awareness, one of the best ways to reach your audience is by continuous exposure. Here are some ways to boost your visibility and get in front of potential customers:
1. Branded Promotional Items
Who doesn’t like free stuff? Company branded items are a great way to get your brand’s name directly in the hands of potential consumers. Have your logo or website branded onto useful items such as stress balls, USB drives, or even t-shirts. Focus on branding items you know people will use, especially in a social setting. The key is gaining more visibility for your brand so potential customers know where to go when they need your services.
2. Social Shoutouts
Social media is certainly a great way to spread the word and create awareness for your brand. One of the best ways to get your brand noticed is by getting people to mention your brand or products via social media. Start out by building relationships with other brands or designers and shout them out for doing great work, especially if you have collaborated with them or have used their product or services. When they interact with your posts or mentions, the activity is displayed within their follower’s networks, helping to get your name out and potentially increasing your following. You can also create a specific branded hashtag (example #DHDesignImage), so that others can reference you in their social media.
3. Giveaways / Sweepstakes
Product giveaways are some of the best ways to incentivize users to subscribe and follow your brand. Choose a prize that is desirable to your target audience and make sure that entering is worth the effort for all parties involved. You may want to partner with another entity, such as a media publication, to maximize your entries. A contest can be as simple as “enter your name and email to win,” which ultimately can help to grow your mailing list, or something interactive like “follow our page and like our post for a chance to win,” which can help increase your social media following.
4. Retargeting
Retargeting is form of online advertising that targets users who have previously visited your website. As they visit other websites, they will see advertisements for your brand helping refresh their memory and bring them back to your site to make a purchase or continue their search. A typical online visitor who sees a product on a site will return about 8%, but with retargeting, the likelihood increases 3X to about 26%.
5. Community Involvement
Getting involved in your community is a great way to connect locally and start becoming a household name in your area. Without breaking the bank, allocate some funds and volunteer to sponsor community initiatives such as school functions, local music festivals or even sporting events. It is perfectly fine if the events are not directly connected with your industry – the purpose is to show support within your region and increase exposure for your brand, which can ultimately lead to increased sales down the line.