#1. Website
At the awareness stage, your prospective leads aren’t doing research with the intention of purchasing anything from you. Instead, they’re simply looking for answers, entertainment, or information! Approximately 96% of visitors that come to your website are not ready to buy.
And that’s exactly why, at the early stages of the customer’s journey, you create content that is educational and useful.
#2. Advertising
Your ads may be the first way someone is introduced to your business.
The most effective form of advertising for the small business does sell — not a product a service, but an action. A call to pick up the phone, visit your website, leave a business card, or send an email to get something of value. To begin a relationship with the advertiser. Sell permission to educate your prospect and you will find that advertising does indeed increase brand awareness.
#3. Marketing materials
Don’t forget marketing materials that can be downloaded online to help tell your story and increase brand awareness in more tactile ways.
Do you know why most marketing materials fail? Because first they are sales materials. . .written to convince someone to buy. Guess what, nobody wants to be sold anything.
Really effective small marketing materials educate the prospects by showing them solutions, allowing them to see themselves building a relationship with your firm, demonstrating knowledge and expertise, showing past successes and the like.
Awareness and trust are it for the real world business owners and unless you’ve got unlimited cash laying around to buy unlimited ads on a million channels, you better get down in the trenches and map out how to educate first, sell later.
#4. Social Networking
Simply put, social networking on sites such as LinkedIn or Quora are excellent ways to increase brand awareness. It will allow you and/or your team to answer questions and meet prospects in the industry. Instead of going to these sites with the sole intention of selling your products, try to educate and connect with these people on a personal level.
#5. Social Media
Social media is incredibly helpful in first introducing your customers to your business or product. Being active on social media, especially LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ can help your SEO ranks. Often, social media channels will show up high on any local search. Frequently use keywords for which you want to show up in searches, and you can improve your search engine rankings in those keywords.
In addition, social media advertising has become more effective over the years. You can target potential customers based on interest, who they follow or like, even location getting your brand/product or service in front of more of your ideal clients.
Conclusion
The overall theme of this post is to question whether or not you are driving value that goes beyond the products and services you sell. That is the essence of a increasing brand awareness today, and I hope you’re applying it to your brand awareness efforts.
