Brand Awareness Campaign
‘Brand awareness’ sounds like a good thing. It sounds like something all businesses should be doing, especially start-ups. But what is it exactly? It’s a slippery term with lots of definitions, so here’s how Outsource Your Marketing defines brand awareness:
A brand awareness campaign is all about reaching out to customers and saying “We’re more than just a sales pitch; we actually care about what we sell and the people we sell to.” Brand is the juice that makes relationships, so sales feel less like persuasion and more like collaboration.
What is a Brand Awareness Campaign?
Brand humanises your product. It intervenes in the transactional business of buying and selling with the opportunity of a relationship, a community or a friendship. In place of ads that persuade, branding engages. Instead of selling, branding starts a conversation. Buyers gradually become part of a community of people who are also involved that conversation; they feel an affinity.
“Audiences are searching more. Consuming more. And sharing more. Too many brands are still spending the bulk of their budget on ads no one wants. Marketers need to create helpful and consistent content” Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insider Group
A brand campaign is primarily social. It’s like striking up conversations at a social event. People talk, ask questions, find out about each other. Some drift away, others want to engage. Gradually a self-defined grouping starts to emerge made up of shared attitudes, perspectives and concerns. No-one’s selling or taking the lead, but everyone is making connections, engaging and making an emotional investment.
Brand Awareness Campaign Activities
So, what does a brand awareness campaign actually look like? It’ll be slightly different for each business, but the building blocks can all be found in these 4 examples of brand awareness campaigns:
- Social Media Posts. Research by Forbes finds that 50% of brand awareness occurs through socialising online. That means finding out which social media platforms your customers prefer – ask them – and setting up a business page. Involve your customers in the process and then work together to set up a community that’s lively, fun and something they want to be a part of.
- Share Free Stuff. Branding is all about knocking down barriers to participation, so what you share needs to be free. Find out what kinds of things your customers might like: a podcast perhaps, or regular blogs, or videos? Creating the right kind of content for brand followers shows that you’re listening, engaging, and that you care.
- Show What You Care About. Shared values are important to the creation of relationships, but they can be difficult to demonstrate. So find causes and charities that you can get behind and donate, sponsor or partner with them. Loads of caterers became part of the free school meals initiative in 2020, because they cared.
- Be Human. Being real and authentic is what this is all about. None of us want to make a relationship with a chatbot; we want people with blood in their veins who are curious, like us, about the world. Introduce the people who make your business happen; publish the playlist that gets you going in the morning – be human.
Why Brand Awareness Matters
A brand awareness campaign, unlike PPC campaigns, won’t create an immediate impact on your sales figures. So is it worth doing? If you believe in long-term growth strategies, yes it is. An engaged brand community will grow gradually, spread the word, and advocate on your behalf. They’ll buy from you, and they’ll recommend you to others. But they won’t do it to order.
Want to find out if your brand awareness campaign is making a difference? Check out these metrics:
- Direct Traffic Numbers – the people who are using your url to visit your website.
- Site Traffic Numbers – the people who are browsing your site and engaging with content.
- Social Engagement – people who are following, liking, sharing and commenting on your posts.
