5 Low Budget Ways to Increase Brand Awareness
Blog / Article
What is brand awareness? Its people recognizing your brand and connecting it with your company. Imagine what a “swoosh” looks like, what do you think of? Or what do you think of when I say, “I’m lovin’ it?”
You think of the Nike symbol and McDonald’s, right? That’s brand recognition, when people immediately connect your visual identity or tagline with your company and what you offer. Now we all can’t be Nike or McDonalds, but there are ways that even a small business can become recognizable.
Here are 5 low budget ways that you can increase brand awareness:
1. Ensure your visual identity is consistent
It is key that your visual identity is consistent across all of your materials whether they be internal or external, printed or digital. If your business’s look changes it is liable to confuse your audience and make it harder to be memorable. Ensure that your visual identity is consistent by creating a set of brand guidelines. These guidelines should be used by anyone creating anything for your business so that consistency is maintained. Consistency reinforces your visual identity thereby making your brand more memorable. Learn more about what should be included in a brand guidelines book here.
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2. Have an active online presence
We live in a wifi enabled world where people google everything, where being online is standard, and if you don’t have a website or online presence, you don’t exist. The majority of consumers complete research online before making purchases, small and large. If you’re not online you miss the chance to connect and sell to consumers who are actively looking for your products or services.
By creating a simple website (on WordPress or a drag and drop tool like Squarespace) or by establishing a quick social media presence, you make yourself available to your audience. But you must be engaged. If your audience sees that your website or social channel hasn’t’ been updated in months, or god forbid years, they’re likely to think you’ve gone out of business, so make sure that you keep up with your online platforms.
4. Get out in the community
Be an active member in your community. People like to support and do business with people they know and trust, which is why referrals work so well. Make connections by being a member in your local chamber of commerce, sitting on a board, participating in philanthropy, sponsoring local events, and making the most of networking opportunities.
5. Put your logo on everything
This is an easy way to get your name out there, but you have to go about it the right way for it to be cost effective. If you do your research and choose the right vendors for your needs, purchasing personalized items can be cheaper than buying them right off the shelf. First, prioritize the items you want to brand. Place high importance on customer facing items and lower importance on internal items. You can’t go wrong with a company t-shirt, travel mugs are popular, and personally, I like notepads. You never know when an opportunity may arise so having your brand literally on you is a great conversation starter and chance to gain brand awareness.