Brand awareness is the extent to which stakeholders are familiar with the distinct qualities of a brand, like its name, characteristics or logo. Effective communication is at the root of any brand awareness initiative. Keeping this in mind, there are a few basic steps you can take to improve your brand resonance.
1. Have a strong website and SEO strategy
Today, you must have a high-quality, mission-aligned website where people can learn more about your brand. It’s not enough these days to simply have a website. Your site should serve as a key information source about your brand, provide pertinent information and be accessible via mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. While you’re at it, remember Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO enables your brand to achieve higher and more favorable placement on search engine results pages and drives quality, organic traffic to your website, resulting in increased brand awareness. Web development and SEO can often be overwhelming and challenging to master, so don’t be afraid to reach out to the professionals (that’s us!) about creating a stronger brand identity on your website and developing your SEO strategy.
2. Pump up your social media presence
Because there is a high likelihood that your audience is on social media on at least one platform, social media can be a powerful communications tool for your organization. Social media provides a great opportunity for your organization to connect with your audience, humanize your brand and spread the word about what your company is doing. Much like a website, it’s not enough to just have social media channels anymore — your social media presence should be a two-way street that lets your stakeholders converse directly with you in real time. If you’re not taking the time to leverage your social media network and engage with your stakeholders consistently, you’re missing opportunities to tell your story.
3. Know your audience and segment your branding efforts
The way you communicate with one audience might vary from the way you communicate with another. For example, while I am a millennial and consume most of my news information via Twitter each day, that may not always be an effective way to communicate with everyone you wish to reach. Keep your audience(s) in mind when communicating about key issues and segment your efforts to target groups of people. This technique will still allow you to reach your audience, but in more specific ways. Defining and breaking your audience up into subgroups, based on brand interactions, for example, will enable you to target each group more effectively and improve visibility of your brand.
Great communication is extremely valuable when marketing your brand and communicating with your stakeholders. Though it might seem like a vague concept, brand awareness fosters trust and creates valuable associations that further your organization’s goals. Cooksey Communications is always available to help your organization enhance its brand associations, whether you’re just looking to get your feet wet or dive right in.
Allison Chvojan
Senior Account Executive
allison@cookseypr.com
