Hear us out, everyone: a brand doesn’t become successful overnight. It takes hard work, patience, and time for it to reach the apex. Before a company earns a reputation as consumers’ favorite, audiences first must become aware of its existence and recall its unique characteristics.
Building brand awareness or familiarizing audiences with your products or services is important for every growing business. Customers are more likely to purchase from a brand they are familiar with because they trust them. New research reveals that 46% of U.S. consumers, 47% of British consumers, 30% of German consumers, and 44% of French consumers pay more for a brand they trust.
But increasing brand awareness isn’t easy. With so much competition on the market, business owners or marketers need to find smart ways to stand out from the crowd.
There are many ways to improve your brand awareness, but here are some creative moves that will make you stand out from the competition.
#1 Craft a Compelling Brand Story
Storytelling is an incredibly powerful way to capture the attention of your target audience. A compelling narrative can evoke emotions and create a meaningful connection with them. Potential customers are more likely to engage with your products or services, advocate for your brand, and develop loyalty if they are emotionally invested in it.
Crafting a narrative around your brand humanizes it and adds dimension. You can weave this narrative into your marketing strategy and market your brand together with your products or services.
Endeavor to tell a story that will live rent-free in the minds of your audience. Your brand’s story can be a narrative of how your small business made its way into this big world or how your company came up with its first product idea. A short account of the brand’s founder will also do.
Burt’s Bees, a natural skincare brand, is a prime example of a brand using artful storytelling to build loyalty. The company educates its customers about its philosophy, history, and environmentally-friendly policies. Taglines such as “we harness the wisdom, power, and beauty of nature to bring out yours” demonstrate its respect for the natural world as well as its commitment to quality ingredients.
#2 Create a Memorable Brand Logo
Your business logo must be simple and easily recognizable yet represent your brand’s value.
Take IBM’s logo, for example. The American multinational technology corporation’s logo has remained unchanged for decades. Its blue color, bold serif font, and the spacing between letters make it among the most recognized logos worldwide.
Even the Coca-Cola logo has remained relatively unchanged since Frank M. Robinson designed it in 1886.
A custom-made stamp that bears your business’ emblem or logo can help you create a cohesive and recognizable brand image that resonates with your target audience. Several stamp manufacturers create one-of-a-kind rubber as well as wood stamps with logos.
When choosing stamps, go for large ones, for they are more versatile than small ones. Log in to any stamp manufacturer’s website, and you will find a wide selection of large stamps for various applications, such as packaging and business cards.
While you can choose between self-inking and non-self-inking options, Rubber Stamp Champ remarks that self-inking stamps feature water-based inks and are safe for the skin. Thus, we advise you to opt for them.
Consider using unique fonts and eye-catching colors to grab people’s attention when designing a logo. Apple’s minimalist logo and Nike’s iconic swoosh are excellent examples of well-designed logos.
#3 Prioritize Consistency in Visual Elements
A well-designed brand strategy can have a positive impact on the bottom line of your business. But, many business leaders overlook it. It will differentiate you from the competition and boost customer loyalty, driving long-term growth.
However, it’s essential to stay consistent with visual elements. Visual elements entail color palette, fonts, as well as the faces you feature. You will have to keep all these elements uniform throughout the physical and digital marketing materials.
Make sure to choose the right color palette, as colors set the mood for brand expression. Blue is the winning color for branding, but red, black, greyscale, and yellow or gold are also popular.
In regard to fonts, select a mix of primary and secondary typefaces that complement one another. Your brand will be easy to recognize if you use the same fonts to communicate with customers, be it email campaigns or ad copies.
Using images and videos helps create a lasting impression on consumers, but make sure they express your brand’s personality.
Say your brand sells apparel for plus-size women. Featuring a slim or a size-zero model on your website or social media won’t make sense. Instead, you must market your clothes on curvy models.
Eloquii and Reformation are two major retailers that showcase their apparel through plus-size models. These brands are not only redefining traditional standards of beauty, but are also creating a more authentic connection with customers.
In conclusion, many business leaders and marketers struggle to improve brand awareness. But you don’t have to be one of them. You can establish a strong presence and recognition among your prospective customers as well as stand out from your competitors by following these tips.
Referral marketing, online advertising, and collaborating with bloggers are other ways to familiarize audiences with your products or services. However, do things offline as well. Offline materials like flyers and posters can increase visibility among your target audience.
However, note that results take time to show, so be patient and stay consistent with your efforts.