Often times business owners wonder, ‘How can I increase my brand awareness?’ Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who has asked this question, several business owners and even marketers have asked themselves this question. The problem stems from the very fear of being different. You see we all say that we want to be different and stand out from the common crowd of competition but how many times do we actually differentiate ourselves?
Many businesses believe that they need to talk about their products, services or industry the same way their competitors do, eliminating the possibility of attracting customers through their unique value proposition. Today I will discuss 4 steps that can help you increase your brand awareness while standing out from the common crowd.
1. Define Your Positioning and Unique Value Proposition
The first step is to define your positioning in your industry. What do I mean by positioning? It’s simple, the positioning statement or unique value proposition of your brand is the core value of your business, it is the promise you make to your customers and to the world that supports the purpose of your company’s existence in the market.
This core element of your business dictates that you deliver something in a particular way that no other business can deliver. Below is the example of Maersk Line, a government and commercial service provider that has defined their positioning to the point where it is laser-focused as to the specific markets that they dominate in.
This is a very important aspect of your positioning statement, as you should not sell your products or services to anyone and everyone, the key is to sell to people who believe in what you’re offering. When you align your outreach to audiences that can identify with your position in the market, you have higher chances of converting this audience of followers into customers.
2. Produce Unique Content
After defining your position in the market the next step is to produce unique content that is relevant to your target audience. To capture the essence of your brand you must tell a compelling story through your content. Your compelling story must resonate with your target market and it must create a bond between the brand values and those of your primary audience, the key focus to these efforts is establishing trust.
What is a compelling storytelling?
- Useful information in a narrative
- Company motivations
- What your brand stands for
- About your customers
- Emotional and engaging
- A beginning, a crisis and a resolution
- Interaction between your brand and your customers
3. Keep Consistency
A major factor in brand awareness is the ability to remain consistent. This applies in all sectors: branding and positioning, the quality of the content produced, and the frequency of the messaging campaign. Once your content is produced and shared with the public audience, there will be a need for consistency in order to stay top-of-mind in your space.
DO NOT RISK HARD WORK FOR LACK OF EFFORT
A big mistake that several brands make when working towards brand awareness is, once they reach a particular level of success they stop building and sharing their content. The potential consequences that proceed after the matter is that the few loyal customers that were gained or had a certain level of interest or trust in you simply turn to another company that is more relevant. Absence of consistency with producing content can have a damaging effect on your brand. As customers may interpret this lack of consistency spreading towards the products or services that is provided to them. Do not risk your hard work for lack of effort. Stay TOP-OF-MIND!
4. Introduce A Low Barrier Offer
What is a Low Barrier Offer? This is a term that marketers use to describe a program that offers a product or service that is easy access, user-friendly, and tries to minimize risks that can stand in the way of potential customers and meeting their needs. It is an entry point for a variety of services and approaches. Once they do become a customer and you show them the value of your product or service, then you can upsell them to your higher end products.
Low Barrier Offers are effective in establishing the initial trust between a brand and a customer. The reason behind this deals with the term in psychology described as loss aversion, the cognitive bias that states that people strongly prefer avoiding a loss rather than receiving a gain. This was first discovered by Daniel Kahneman, Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. The fear of loss behind losing possessions, which initially is the case of the customer investing money in your service or product, however, this same fear can be a benefit when the value of your service is shown to the customer.
Points to remember on Low Barrier Offers:
- They are used to introduce your product or services to new potential clients.
- They are low commitment (less than 30 days) and low price.
- They are much easier to sell than larger programs.
Ultimately, these 4 steps could play a pivotal role in creating your brand awareness strategy. Through practice and persistence, you can create and tell your brand's story in a compelling way that speaks directly to your audience, empowering you as a visionary and leader in your industry.
If you would like more tips and strategies to improve your brand awareness, digital marketing efforts or if you seek traditional printing and personalization I would be more than happy to assist you. I am proficient in both B2C & B2B Marketing & Advertising.