What Is Brand Awareness?

Consider this scenario: you’re heading to a sports bar with coworkers after work to get a beer. You’re in a crowded bar with a long line of taps and a lengthy beer menu. You have a hundred beers to pick from, yet you only know approximately half of them. At the pub, a queue is forming, and your coworkers are waiting. How do you make your decision?

It’s simple: you select a beer that you are familiar with and enjoy. Why? Because you are familiar with the brand, you have brand awareness.

In this RisePath article, we have done a detailed discussion on brand awareness.

What is brand awareness?

Brand awareness is the ability to recognise a brand by its name, how it differs from its competitors, and any unique attributes it possesses. Customers absorb advertising without even realising it, but there are just a few brands for which they have complete brand awareness.

Customers might be aware of a brand in one of three ways, according to one research: assisted, spontaneous, or top-of-mind.

• Aided brand recognition: a buyer can choose your brand from a list.
• They may put your brand as one of numerous in your category, resulting in accidental awareness.
• Top-of-mind awareness occurs when a customer thinks of your company without being asked.

What is the difference between brand recognition, brand awareness, and brand reputation?

A customer recognises your name and logo, which is known as brand recognition. Whereas, customers’ comprehension of your product, market fit, and brand voice are all goals of a brand awareness plan. Brand reputation, on the other hand, incorporates personal feelings that customers have about the brand.

What is the significance of brand awareness?

In the consumer journey, brand awareness is crucial. A potential customer cannot become a customer before they are familiar with your brand. They won’t be a wonderful consumer until they are fully aware of the brand. Your organisation develops trust, a competitive edge, and long-term value by raising awareness.

Brand awareness fosters trust.

Customers trust those they know, such as close friends, family, and coworkers. Consider each interaction with your audience as an opportunity to form a friendship. When a customer is ready to buy your product, they’ll think of you as a trustworthy advisor.

Brand awareness marketing amplifies customer loyalty to well-known brands. 

Your brand becomes less vulnerable to competition once you’ve established a strong relationship with your customer. Customers are less likely to want to form an unfamiliar relationship with a competitor as their awareness of your brand grows.

A long-term strategy is brand awareness.

Bob acquired a blue Honda Civic a few years ago, a style he’d never seen before on the road. It was as if a thousand blue Hondas arrived overnight when he signed the automobile title. Every time he left the house, he spotted one.

This is the frequency (Baader-Meinhof) illusion. When someone initially sees something, they are aware of it every time they see it again. This means that your buyer simply needs one touch to become aware of your brand. They’ll see your brand everywhere once they’re hooked.

What exactly is a brand voice?

Brand awareness marketing requires the development of a brand voice. Many brands have gained a reputation for being a standout example of a brand voice on social media and in corporate branding.

Consider how you would personify the brand while developing your brand voice. Are you a tough boss or a loving grandmother? How about a cutting-edge specialist or a compassionate educator? Customers will form meaningful associations and become more familiar with your brand once they know who they’re talking to.

How does your brand’s voice contribute to great brand awareness?

Consistency

Each time a customer engages with you, your brand voice should be consistent. You will meet the expectations of your clients if you maintain this consistency. This will increase the confidence and credibility of your brand.

Clarity 

If your message is muddled, your customers will have to work more to learn about your company. You create instant trust with your audience by being clear on each occasion.

Audience reflection

Use a voice that your customers can connect with and believe in. For example, you can have your brand voice to reflect the voice of your young target demographic. Customers who recognise themselves in your brand are more likely to become brand-aware.

Brand recognition in the digital era

To increase brand awareness, companies have turned to online reputation engines. The ‘digitization’ of word-of-mouth marketing is online recognition, which can take numerous forms. It might be a LinkedIn suggestion or a product shared by an Instagram star. Online endorsements are an important part of your strategy for increasing awareness among relevant audiences.

Online reputation, for better or worse, can be easily manipulated. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertising to appear well-known and established among the right audiences. Companies entice clients with flamboyant advertising and competitive prices, especially in emerging markets. Switching brands may be simple and cost-effective thanks to the convenience of internet shopping.

When competitors outspend you on advertising or undercut your pricing, however, brand recognition is a benefit. Even if there are cost reductions, clients will be unable to estimate the cost of moving to a new brand because there are so many unknowns. This offers the corporation with a higher brand awareness plan the upper hand.

If you don’t have a six- or seven-figure advertising budget, brand awareness will help you compete. Smaller businesses can increase audience awareness by implementing digital marketing techniques that take advantage of the natural ways that customers learn about things before making a purchase.

Building your brand awareness strategy with digital marketing

More than 87 percent of product research takes place online. Control your brand’s messaging by balancing your digital marketing presence across channels if you want to compete.

Content

Content tells a story about your company. Blogs, templates, product information, videos, customer anecdotes, and other forms of content are all examples of content. You construct a narrative with material that reflects your organisation, product, and values. Companies with significant brand recognition use content to communicate with their audience.

Search engine optimization, or getting to the top of Google’s search results

Your audience trusts Google (or another search engine) to provide them with the most useful stuff when conducting online research. Optimize your website with SEO (search engine optimization) best practices for digital marketing to improve your chances of being at the top of search results. High ranking offers two advantages:

1. Customers who are looking for the appropriate information will come across your brand.
2. You establish trust by demonstrating that Google finds your material to be extremely relevant and valuable.

Social Media

Is your audience on Twitter? LinkedIn? TikTok? These apps exist to improve people’s connections, regardless of platform. A presence on relevant social media channels demonstrates a desire to interact with your target audience. Friends and colleagues can also suggest your brand through social media platforms. You can increase brand exposure among the most trustworthy circles by utilising these types of digital marketing.

Marketing with influencers

Obtain the endorsements of industry thought leaders to increase brand recognition. You may reach new audiences and customers by leveraging the networks that tastemakers have developed. Although it is frequently pay-to-play, thought leaders in many areas make sincere suggestions.

Email advertising

Email is widely used and popular over the world. This still makes it the most effective marketing campaign. In addition, email analytics provide unrivalled insight into client behaviour. As a result, email can be utilised as a tool for learning and listening to improve your brand recognition.

Paid advertisements and media placements

Organic authority isn’t enough to create awareness. Brands’ adverts are viewed by their target demographic thanks to Google, Facebook, and paid media. Advertising allows your brand to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. Find the greatest chances for your industry and set a competitive ad budget. You can reinforce your message and build consistency across brand assets and channels by harmonising your content, SEO, and sponsored campaigns.

Brand awareness is a journey.

Many marketing teams have an implicit or stated purpose of increasing brand recognition. We now understand that brand awareness is a process rather than an end goal. Customer interactions at all phases of the funnel are included in brand awareness. However, as you and your marketing team gain a better grasp of what brand awareness is (and isn’t), you and your team may strive to optimise your mix of strategies and tools to achieve brand awareness and, ultimately, business goals.