Whilst searching for ways to increase brand awareness, it’s likely you will see that advertising is an option, but it’s not always the best one if you are concerned about budget or ROI – and it’s certainly not the only option.
A more effective way to appeal to the masses – and your target audience – is to make use of high-quality content in order to increase your brand’s visibility. Content marketing boosts brand awareness by increasing the number of people viewing your brand. There are a number of specific strategies you can use when brand awareness is your ultimate goal:
General Brand Awareness Strategy:
When you are trying to reach a wide audience, your brand awareness strategy should focus on mainstream topics that will interest popular media sites with large followings.
Incorporating mainstream topics into your marketing
Choose an idea that has a broad appeal, which will increase the possibility of your content going viral. If your brand offers a product to the general public, this is easier to achieve but if you are selling something that appeals to a specific target market, you should extend your content idea further than your offerings. Think outside the box!
Thoroughly research your topic and use credible sources
The foundation of your content needs to be strong in order for it to be newsworthy, otherwise publishers may not trust your content or feature it. If you are creating something based off existing research, only use high-quality, up-to-date sources.
If you really want to gain attention for your business, original research is the way to go. Offer the media something that no one else can. It will then become highly desirable to big publishers and can also act as a reference for future stories, resulting in writers continuously linking back to it over time.
Keep it simple, sweetie
It’s fun to create elaborate, beautiful designs but remember that ultimately, you’re compiling graphics that will appeal to the general public – not to an art critic. When it comes to creating general brand awareness content, keep it simple. Go for clean designs that are not distracting, and simply let the information or data do the talking.
Ensure the copy used in your graphics and on the webpage, is clear and straightforward. When reviewing your copy, ask your friends and family to take a look and see if they can easily understand it. If not, simplify it.
Make it easy to access
The goal with general brand awareness is to spread the word, but if it’s difficult for media sites to feature, it defeats the point. Make sure to include embed codes for interactive components such as zoomable maps, otherwise publishers can’t use them. The easier you make it for the media to use your content, the greater the chances of having it published.
It’s also worth seeing if you’re able to offer the same content available in different formats. Doing this will expand your brand’s reach with media who can pick and choose the format that works most effectively for their site and/or audience.
Promote ‘til you can’t promote anymore
It’s pointless leaving content to sit on your site unpromoted – it doesn’t do much for broad brand awareness. Successful outreach takes patience and hard work but it is worth it – don’t put it on the backburner. Do your research so you know who to target and what to look out for, such as:
· Pitch to writers who specifically cover the topic of your content.
· Check out media sites’ engagement levels when deciding which ones you will pitch to.
· Do not send outreach emails on holidays, or the day before and after.
· Keep your subject lines at 10 words or less.
After you have formed relationships with journalists and writers, you can approach them more efficiently when it comes to future content.
Increase brand visibility with local press
People feel a sense of connection to the place they live so content focused on geographical locations like countries, regions, states and cities is likely to draw in audiences. This is called geo-bait and it captures everyone in the locations your content represents.
Targeted Brand Awareness Strategy:
When your product is only intended for a niche group of people, it’s important to make sure you amend your marketing strategy accordingly. For example, if your brand manufactures printing equipment, your content will appeal to those in the tech or print media industry as they are the ones who would purchase the product or service.
With targeted marketing, the steps provided in the above General Brand Awareness Strategy still apply, however, you would not select a topic that has broad appeal. Instead, you should zone into your niche market’s interests.
In this approach to marketing, research is crucial as it helps fully understand the space your brand occupies. This will allow you to see what the market’s needs are and which topics industry publications would enjoy. Conduct thorough research into the online community within which your target audience falls and use this information to guide your process.
For example, if your products or services would appeal to the travel industry, take some time to research what sort of travel content audiences enjoy, such as transportation tips or perhaps food suggestions. Try create a sense of authority for your brand within its niche.