As a small business, it can be hard to build brand
awareness and being able to establish your brand within your community is
something that takes time. While building brand awareness is a great way to
attract new customers, it can take multiple impressions on one consumer before
they actually give your brand a try.
“Working to build brand awareness within the areas you service is great for both business growth and retention,” said Melanie Duquesnel, President & CEO of Better Business Bureau® Serving Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. “It is something that can take a good amount of time and effort, but once a consumer is able to build a trustworthy relationship with your business, that retention and referral will pay dividends.”
BBB has 10 tips you can use to help grow your brand
awareness:
1. Be Transparent
According to a survey of 2,000 consumers, 94% of customers are likely to show loyalty to a brand that offers complete transparency, and 73% of customers are willing to pay more for its products. Transparency plays an instrumental role in driving loyalty and increasing a brand’s overall value. Therefore, being clear about how you do business and how your products are made will play to your advantage.
2. Have Stellar Customer Service
Consider the entire customer journey as you look at what
it will take to attract the right demographic, retain those customers, and then
build referrals from those relationships. Being contextually relevant with how
you approach your customers will help generate new sales, increase repeat
sales, and sustain loyalty. After all, 90% of Americans use customer
service as a factor when deciding whether to give their business to a
company.
3. Deliver Valuable Content
Content is integrated within every single piece of
communication and deliverable that your target demographic is exposed to. Your
ability to clearly define who you are, what your purpose is, and why you offer
better value than your competitors all lie within the content you
produce.
Therefore, make sure that you are
regularly publishing new content to give your target customers a
reason to return to your website every week. It is also a good idea to
diversify your content assets with everything from blog posts to infographics
and even videos.
4. Personalize the Shopping Experience
Based on a survey of 15,000 consumers and business
buyers, 63% of consumers expect businesses to know their unique
needs and expectations, and 76% of B2B buyers expect the same. Having a
connected experience with your customer requires considering various touch
points from when they are exposed to your brand to the point of purchase.
These touch points are important, because they show your customers that you
truly care about them and hope to not only earn their business but create a
meaningful relationship with them for years to come.
5. Leverage Social Media
Giving existing and potential customers a glimpse of the
people behind your brand will create a deeper connection than just showcasing
your products or services. This is why social media is so
powerful. Harnessing social media as a top avenue to increase awareness
will amplify your reach while also helping you stay relevant with new trends in
the market.
6. Share Exclusive Deals with Email
Email marketing is a key avenue for sharing exclusive
deals with your target customers. Encourage your website visitors and social
media followers to subscribe for exclusive deals. You can also leverage email
marketing to cross-promote, and to upsell customers. Again, consider the entire
customer journey and how you can optimize it to win more sales while also
providing stellar customer service.
7. Be Trustworthy
In a previous post about trust and integrity, we
shared the following advice: “Gaining your customers’ trust has never been more important. In today's globally connected world, consumers have dozens of options at their fingertips when making a purchase. This availability has allowed customers to be more thoughtful when deciding which brands to support.”
Building your company around trust and integrity will
also boost retention rates while helping you acquire new customers as well. You
can incorporate your BBB Accreditation to immediately instill trust
in your customers.
8. Develop Branded Videos
A survey of 3,000 consumers revealed that 54% of
consumers want to see more video content from a brand they support. Leveraging
video as a way to engage with your customers in real-time and while they are on
your website will provide a more personalized shopping experience and assist in
customer acquisition and retention.
For example, let’s say you sell T-shirts. You can develop a video to provide guidance on the best fit and color for a potential customer’s specific needs. This is not only a unique way for the customer to shop, but it also factors into the actual purchasing decision.
9. Advertise Where Your Customers are Online
Not only are digital ads cost-effective, but you can easily track and measure their performance to see where you’re gaining the most traction. Digital advertisement also gives you the ability to be as targeted as possible, so you don’t waste your ad dollars. By advertising online (and where your target customers are most active), you’ll not only grow awareness, but you’ll also be able to understand which messages, calls-to-action (CTA), and products/services are driving the most engagement.
10. Run Free Giveaways
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Just as you would target a specific demographic through online advertising, you can do the same by running giveaways. Rather than being incredibly broad, be more targeted with who you want as customers. This will help establish a foundation for new customers and improve retention.
Once you have targeted your ideal customers, make sure
you have an easy way for them to share your giveaway with their friends and
family. This will help proliferate your brand name, allowing you to grow your
subscriber base, which can further be nurtured into paying customers
overtime.
For more business tips or to learn more about BBB Accreditation, please visit bbb.org.
