Brand awareness is an important part of any company's business. Marketers are constantly concerned with how consumers respond to a brand's services and products and whether consumers are sufficiently aware of the availability of these very services.
Measuring brand awareness may be difficult, and a sensitive topic for many, but some marketers use extremely successful solutions to promote their products. However, before we talk about them, let's find an answer to the question — why is brand awareness important?
What is a brand awareness campaign
A brand awareness campaign aims to increase a particular brand's familiarity and recognition among its target audiences.
A brand awareness campaign aims to make potential customers aware of a brand's existence and to associate positive qualities with that brand.
Brand awareness campaigns can take many different forms:
1) Social media marketing
Social media marketing campaign is the practice of using social media to help promote a brand, product, or service. It consists of creating and distributing content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others to interact with target audiences, increase brand awareness, and increase website traffic and sales.
2) Influencer marketing
Partnering with influencers in the brand's niche or industry to build brand awareness among their followers. You can set us influencer marketing campaigns by researching the relevant influencers in your niche.
3) Content marketing
It is defined as the practice of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to capture and hold a well-defined audience and potentially drive profitable customer action. It involves developing and distributing various forms of content, such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, and social media posts, to educate, entertain or inspire audiences and raise brand awareness in its field.
4) Public relation
Securing media coverage and generating positive press for the brand through media relations, press releases, and events. Public relation is a key component of brand awareness campaigns. PR involves building and maintaining relationships with media outlets, journalists, influencers, and other stakeholders to promote a positive image of a brand, product, or service.
We can measure brand awareness by various metrics, such as the number of impressions (the number of times potential customers viewed the brand) or increased website traffic or social media followers.
Ultimately, the goal is to increase brand awareness and familiarity and, hopefully, to drive more sales and revenue in the long term.
Programmatic brand awareness campaigns
A programmatic brand awareness campaign is a specific type of advertising campaign that uses programmatic advertising to increase brand awareness and recognition among a specific audience.
Programmatic brand awareness campaigns can be very different: display ads, video ads, and native ads. In this type of campaign, the advertiser sets a specific audience target, such as demographics, interests, and behaviors.
The programmatic technology then uses data and algorithms to buy and place ads in real time on websites, apps, and social media platforms that the target audience is most likely to visit.
To optimize the performance of a programmatic brand awareness campaign, marketers can use a variety of tactics:
Creative optimization
Testing and optimizing ad creative to maximize the impact on the target audience. Creative optimization is an important component of programmatic brand awareness campaigns. It involves continuously testing and refining ad creatives to ensure maximum impact and engagement with the target audience.
Frequency capping
Setting limits on the number of times an ad is shown to a particular user to avoid ad fatigue. Frequency capping is a technique used in programmatic brand awareness campaigns to limit the number of times an individual user sees the same ad within a specified period of time.
Viewability tracking
Ensuring the ad is viewable to the target audience by tracking viewability and completion rates. It measures the percentage of ad impressions that are actually viewed by the target audience, as well as the amount of time the ad was in view. This information is important for advertisers to understand their ad campaigns' effectiveness and make adjustments as necessary.
Brand safety measures
Ensuring that the ad is placed in a safe and relevant environment by using brand safety tools that monitor the placement of ads and prevent them from being shown on inappropriate sites.
Programmatic brand awareness campaigns can effectively reach and engage a specific audience, especially when combined with other digital marketing channels such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing.
By increasing brand awareness, these campaigns can help build trust and loyalty and, ultimately, drive more revenue and sales.
Boost brand awareness with some tactics
Brand awareness can be improved using a variety of marketing strategies. These can relate to the content you produce and the platforms you place them on. Let's take a look at some of these brand awareness campaign examples.
Branded and unbranded hashtags
Branded hashtags
A branded hashtag is a hashtag that is unique to a specific brand or company. It typically incorporates the brand's name or tagline and promotes a specific campaign, event, or product. For example, the famous #JustDoIt hashtag is used by Nike to promote its products and brand message.
Branded hashtags can help businesses to increase brand recognition and create a sense of community among their followers.
Using a branded hashtag, companies can encourage their followers to share their content and amplify their message across social media channels.
Unbranded hashtags
Unbranded hashtags, on the other hand, are related to an industry or topic but not specific to a brand or company. They can be used by any individual or business that posts content related to that topic.
For example, #foodgasm is an unbranded hashtag that anyone can use to share content related to food and cooking.
Using unbranded hashtags can help businesses to increase brand awareness and reach a wider audience.
By including relevant industry-related hashtags in their social media posts, businesses can attract the attention of people who are interested in their products or services but may not be aware of their brand.
Both branded and unbranded hashtags can be effective tools for businesses to build brand awareness and engagement.
Branded hashtags can help build brand recognition and create a sense of community among followers, while unbranded hashtags can help businesses to reach a wider audience and attract new followers.
The key is to use the right mix of hashtags that are relevant to the business and its target audience.
Complementary partnerships
Complementary partnerships are partnerships between two or more businesses that have products or services that complement each other.
These partnerships can be effective for increasing brand awareness and reaching new audiences. Here are some examples of complementary partnerships:
Co-branding
Co-branding involves two or more companies collaborating to create a joint product or service.
For example, Starbucks & Spotify partnered to create the agreement that gives Starbucks employees a Spotify Premium subscription by compiling playlists that serve as background music for coffee lovers, which they access through the Starbucks app.
Spotify then provides these playlists "on the go" and offers discounted subscription plans, thereby attracting many new potential users.
Cross-promotion
Cross-promotion means that two or more companies promote each other's products or services. For example, clothing and shoe companies might promote each other's products to their respective audiences.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship implies that one company sponsors an event or activity organized by another company. For example, a sports drink company might sponsor a marathon organized by a fitness clothes company.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing requires one company to promote another company's products or services in exchange for a commission. For example, a travel blogger might advertise a hotel booking site to his subscribers in exchange for a commission.
Collaborative content creation
Collaborative content creation refers to two or more companies creating content together, such as a blog post, video, or podcast. For example, a cosmetics company and a beauty blogger might create an educational video together.
Joint social media campaigns
Joint social media campaigns include two or more companies collaborating on a social media campaign. For example, two beverage companies might create a joint social media campaign to promote their products.
By forming complementary partnerships, businesses can leverage each other's strengths, build brand awareness, and reach new audiences.
These partnerships can also help businesses to build trust and credibility with their target audience, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive more sales and revenue.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is a content marketing strategy where businesses write blog posts for other websites in their industry or niche. This strategy can be an effective way to build brand awareness and reach new audiences.
Guest blogging is an excellent opportunity for building brand awareness, so don't neglect paid sponsored publications in large and reputable media sources. This is quite a profitable investment, as many people will see it anyway.
HubSpot, for example, produced a sponsored publication on Adweek describing the products they offer.
Such publications keep them at the forefront of marketing and sales software companies. By sharing their expertise on other blogs, HubSpot can establish itself as a thought leader in the marketing industry and attract new customers to its site.
Many well-known companies in the advertising technology industry have resorted to such publications. Another example is Kissmetrics' publication on TechCrunch to share their experiences and raise awareness.
By guest blogging on authoritative blogs, Kissmetrics can establish a reputation as a thought leader in the web analytics industry and bring new clients to their website.
Benefits of guest blogging
Reach new audiences: By guest blogging on other websites, businesses can reach new audiences that may not be aware of their brand. This can help to improve brand awareness and attract new customers.
Build backlinks: Guest blogging can also help businesses build backlinks to their website, improving their search engine rankings and increasing website traffic.
Establish thought leadership: By writing high-quality blog posts on industry-related topics, brands can establish themselves as experts in their industry. This can help to build trust and credibility with their existing customers.
Expand reach on social media: When businesses guest blog on other websites, they can promote their guest posts on their social media channels. This can help expand their social media reach and attract new followers.
Build relationships: Guest blogging can also help brands to build relationships with other websites and bloggers in their industry. This can lead to future collaboration opportunities and more brand awareness.
Podcasts
Podcasts are audio shows that people can listen to on-the-go, making them a convenient and engaging way to consume content. Brands can create their own podcast to share their expertise, display their products or services, and connect with their audience.
It's important to mention that podcasting is not one of the completely reliable "increasing brand awareness" examples. People don't listen to podcasts to hear a commercial offer; they do it to be entertained or to learn something new that matters to them.
However, as long as you want to tell them about your brand and product in these podcasts, that's fine, as long as it's done right. If you represent value, you can insert your brand along with the content!
Just keep in mind that everyone is listening (or watching) to get interesting and informative content from you. Make interesting and informative content your priority; informing everyone about your brand and product should come second.
A good example of using podcasts as a platform to build brand awareness is Shopify sponsored a weekly podcast that can be listened to on three different platforms. It focuses on how subcultures and communities make money.
This is especially relevant to Shopify since their platform is exactly designed to help small businesses make money, which is what they talk about, but very unobtrusively in the releases. You can listen to it here.
Benefits of podcasts for brand awareness
Reach new audiences: Podcasts can help businesses attract new audiences that may not be available through other marketing channels. The reason for this is that podcasts have a loyal audience and dedicated listeners who are interested in the topics being discussed.
Building trust and credibility: Podcasts offer companies a platform to share industry knowledge and expertise. By sharing valuable information and knowledge, brands can build trust and credibility with their audiences, increasing brand awareness and loyalty.
Create a personal connection: Podcasts can connect companies with their customers in a personal way. Using a conversational tone and sharing personal experiences, companies can create a more intimate and engaging relationship with their listeners.
Boosting Brand Awareness: Podcasts can help drive brand awareness by consistently promoting the brand in each episode. Hosts can mention the brand name, share information about products or services, and describe their personal experiences with the brand.
Cost-Effective Marketing: Podcasts are relatively cheap to produce and can be a cost-effective way to reach your target audience. They also have a long shelf life, so they can continue attracting new listeners over time.
Video content
There are 244.4 million digital video viewers in the US. 91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands. You can create branded video content to showcase your products or services, share your company values, and provide valuable information to your target audience.
Branded videos can be shared on social media, websites, and other digital platforms to raise awareness and attract new customers.
Video, among other things, can also be a great way to measure a brand awareness campaign. If your brand has, say, a YouTube channel, and there's some video content that's regularly posted, but it's not very popular, that could mean that your brand awareness is not yet high enough, and you need to take steps to increase it.
Video advertising can help with it. Here are some tips for creating effective video ads for brand awareness:
Keep it short and sweet
Attention spans are short, so keep your video ad short and to the point. A 30-second ad is usually a good length to capture attention and convey your message.
Use eye-catching visuals
Use high-quality visuals, such as stunning images, animations, or video clips, to capture viewers' attention and keep them engaged.
Make it memorable
A memorable video ad can help to increase brand awareness and leave a lasting impression on viewers. Use creative concepts, unique visuals, and a catchy soundtrack to make your ad stand out from the crowd.
Tell a story
Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with viewers and evoke emotions. Use storytelling to convey your message and build an emotional connection with your audience.
Include a clear call-to-action
A clear call-to-action at the end of your video ad can encourage viewers to take action, such as visiting your website or purchasing. Make sure your call-to-action is clear and concise.
These tips will also work for other types of video content that you can use to increase your brand awareness.
For example, collaborations with influencers or educational videos. You may be able to change the length of your video in some cases, but otherwise, all of these tips are still relevant. Remember to follow them so that your marketing efforts are not wasted.
Native ads
Native advertising is designed to match the look and feel of the platform it is displayed on, making it less intrusive and more engaging for the audience. Native advertising can be a great addition to your brand awareness strategy.
Native advertising can take many forms:
Sponsored content on social media: Facebook and Instagram are popular platforms for sponsored content. Sponsored content appears in the user's feed just like any other post but with a "sponsored" tag. The content is designed to match the look and feel of the platform, making it more engaging and less intrusive.
Sponsored articles: Many online publications offer sponsored articles as a way for businesses to promote their brand or products. These articles appear on the publication's website and are written in a way that matches the tone and style of the publication.
In-feed ads: In-feed ads are native ads that appear within the feed of a website or app. They blend in with the content and can take the form of an image, video, or text.
Native video ads: Native video ads appear on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and other video platforms like YouTube. These ads are designed to look and feel like the surrounding content, making them less disruptive to the user experience.
Native ads examples
A contest from an amusement park and Snapchat. In 2015, Cedar Point Amusement Park held a contest where participants had to take a screenshot of a ghost on Snapchat. Those who pulled it off got a coupon to visit the park or a small prize. By the way, this contest also improved Snapchat's performance — the number of unique users increased to 144,000 per day.
Game of Thrones special project. Even such famous paintings need advertising. To raise the number of views and create excitement for the series, the creators have placed a quiz on popular platforms, "How would you die in Game of Thrones".
Hanami at Home. In 2022 MGM National Harbour Hotel, located in Maryland, partnered with the Washington Post to create a beautiful interactive local experience to celebrate the cherry blossom season. "Hanami" is a traditional Japanese custom to admire the beauty of blooming flowers, and this native advertisement allowed Washington Post readers to do just that.
Using augmented reality technology, readers could enjoy "Hanami at home" and watch the cherry blossoms bloom at virtually every stage of growth.
Overall, native ads are a popular and effective way for businesses to reach new audiences and promote their brand or products in a less intrusive and engaging way than traditional advertising.
To sum it up
Brand awareness is important to businesses. It can increase brand value, generate customer loyalty, drive sales and revenue, and build brand reputation.
Sometimes it can be difficult to measure brand awareness, but this part of the marketing strategy is still one of the key aspects of business promotion in the online environment and, therefore, should not be neglected.
Overall, building brand awareness is a critical component of any successful marketing campaign. By increasing brand awareness, businesses can establish themselves as leaders in their industry and create a lasting impression in the minds of consumers.
