It’s essential for any business to build brand awareness. If nobody knows you exist, they’re certainly not going to purchase from you. Plus, people are much more likely to buy from brands they know and trust.
Luckily, brand awareness isn’t that difficult to gain. You don’t need a massive budget or a ton of time. By simply showing up and being consistent (regardless of your mood), you can get your business in front of the right people and start making those sales.
Ready to get noticed? Here are ten simple ways you can start to build brand awareness today.
You Can’t Sell A Secret: 10 Easy Ways To Build Brand Awareness
1. Get SEO Savvy
Brand awareness is a result of getting your business in front of the right people. One of the best ways to build brand awareness is by using the power of search engine optimisation (SEO).
Don’t be intimidated by this topic. While it can get complex, even simple SEO strategies based on keyword research can be highly effective.
Focus on creating content that utilises long-tail keywords your customers would use when searching for the products or services you offer.
While this isn’t an overnight solution, getting it right will help search engines like Google connect you with your target audience.
2. Boost Referrals
Social proof can be a fantastic way to increase brand awareness. People are more likely to trust new businesses if they hear good things from friends, family members, or trusted influencers.
Make it easy for your customers to write a review on your website, social media pages, or third-party review sites like Yelp.
You can incentivise them by offering rewards or discounts for referrals.
3. Show Up Offline
Brand awareness doesn’t just happen on the internet! There’s still a big, wide world out there that your customers interact with every day. Consider your target audience, and see if you can think of ways to show up in real life.
This could be as simple as placing flyers or posters in the neighbourhood, running a stall at the town market, sponsoring a local event, or attending industry events like conferences and seminars.
4. Jump On A Trend
Going viral is marketing gold! While there’s no tried and true formula to reach viral status, trending topics, audio, and memes can help increase your reach.
See what’s trending, and consider whether the content might be a good fit for your business. But remember, whatever you share must align with your brand and be relevant to your audience.
5. Join Forces
There’s power in numbers, my friend. Partnering up with another business or collaborating with an influencer is a great way to get more eyes on your brand.
Perhaps there is a business that aligns well with your brand where you can work together to cross-promote – either online or in real life. You could try guest posting on an industry-relevant blog, take part in a podcast, or tap into the engaged community of an aligned influencer.
6. Run A Social Media Giveaway
Have you ever participated in a giveaway over social media? If so, you’ll know how they work. A business has a prize to give away – all you have to do is “like” or “follow” the page, share and/or like the post, and tag a friend in your comment.
This is a hugely effective way to build brand awareness quickly. Bonus points if you collaborate with another aligned business on the prize! Just remember to use this tactic sparingly so that you don’t get a reputation for giving away too much free stuff!
7. Tag A Friend
Every time someone tags a friend in a comment on one of your posts, you’re extending your reach and building brand awareness. You can increase the chances of this happening by creating relevant, timely content and jumping on memes and trends.
Alternatively, you can ask your followers to tag someone. For example, if you sell boutique wine, post a pic of a chilled bottle and two glasses on an exquisite tropical beach with the caption “tag the special person you’d want to share this moment with.” Get creative; you could have a lot of fun with this one while reaching a whole new audience.
8. Get Hashtag Smart
Hashtag research may be tedious, but in the world of social media, it’s just as important as SEO is to your website. Brand awareness happens when you are consistently seen by your target audience
Hashtags help ensure your content make it to the people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.
Avoid being too generic or specific with your choice of hashtags. Strike the middle ground, but make sure they’re relevant to your brand.
9. Create Videos
If you’re dragging your heels when it comes to video content, now is the time to bite the bullet.
Video is generally more engaging than text, more likely to go viral, and more likely to be shared.
Embrace features like Reels, lives, and stories in your marketing strategy. You don’t have to be a pro-editor – even short, simple clips can help you build brand awareness.
10. Invest In Ads To Build Brand Awareness
The best thing about brand awareness is that you don’t have to have a huge budget to boost it. However, that doesn’t mean a little bit of investment is a bad idea!
Paid ads are a great way to fast-track brand awareness by getting your marketing messages seen by the right people – and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Consider social media advertising or Google Ads for a quick brand boost.
Bonus Tip: Be The Face Of Your Business
You have heard me say that people like to do business with other people many times before. So, give your brand a face… your face!
The great news is that you don’t have to spend thousands on professional branding shoots. In fact, you can take your own professional quality brand photos with your smartphone and a bit of know-how. Check out how you can do it in my courses.