Unlocking the Power of Brand Awareness

In the bustling world of marketing, one term stands out as a cornerstone of success: brand awareness. But what exactly is brand awareness, and why does it matter so much in the world of business and marketing? In this blog, we'll delve into the world of brand awareness, exploring its definition, measurement, importance, and strategies for building it.

What Is Brand Awareness?

At its core, brand awareness refers to the extent to which a target audience recognizes or recalls a particular brand. It's the familiarity people have with your brand when they encounter it, whether through a logo, slogan, product, or other elements associated with your business.

Brand Recognition vs. Brand Recall

Brand awareness can be divided into two key aspects: brand recognition and brand recall. Recognition occurs when consumers can identify your brand when they see it. Recall, on the other hand, is the ability to remember your brand when prompted without visual cues. Both recognition and recall play vital roles in brand awareness.

Building Blocks of Brand Awareness

To create strong brand awareness, you need to pay attention to various elements in your marketing including visual aspects (such as logos, colors, and fonts), auditory elements (like jingles and slogans), and emotional elements (capturing the essence of your brand's personality and defining the value that it promises).

Why Brand Awareness Matters

A brand is a symbol that represents everything your company stands for – when people see a simple icon, a logo, all at once, they are making snap judgements about what you offer and what is important to you. It’s imperative to curate that brand to mean something positive that people want. 

·       Trust and credibility – When customers recognize or recall your brand, they're more likely to perceive it as reliable and trustworthy, which can influence their purchasing decisions.

·       Competitive advantage – In a crowded market, strong brand awareness sets you apart from competitors. It helps you attract and retain customers who resonate with your brand identity.

·       Loyalty and advocacy – Effective brand awareness leads to brand loyalty. Loyal customers not only make repeat purchases but also become brand advocates, spreading the word about your products or services.

 From my perspective as a demand gen professional, achieving this elevated status of brand awareness means generating more leads for the sales team to follow up on with accelerated velocity through the sales funnel. For some of the startups I’ve helped in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry, I’ve leveraged renowned analyst organizations such as Forrester or Gartner to add clout to the company name. When those trusted sources declared my brand as a market leader, that was fodder for multiple marketing campaigns – to show that we were not only trusted by customers, but also confirmed by subject matter experts as authorities in our field.

“...achieving this elevated status of brand awareness means generating more leads for the sales team to follow up on with accelerated velocity through the sales funnel.”

Measuring Brand Awareness

To gauge brand awareness quantitatively is one of the hardest metrics to capture, but can be done through customer surveys, questionnaires, online engagement (website and social media), and data analysis from market research. 

It is much easier to get qualitative metrics by talking to customers directly. This can happen through 1:1 interviews with customers, focus groups, or even talking to customer success about feedback not captured via other mediums. If sales reps were to methodically ask prospects what they know about your company up front in a discovery call, for example, that could also be a tactic to learn what they know about your brand before being officially educated. 

If you are a startup establishing a new brand, recognition is the first goal, and the first indication of successful brand marketing. Prospects that proactively reach out to you with interest in your products show that positive associations are being made about your brand. 

Strategies for Building Brand Awareness

Where possible, it’s preferable to document “brand guidelines” for the company because this allows for all marketing content to maintain consistency across visual elements as well as the “voice” or the tone of messaging that is produced for marketing materials. All content should be derived from the rules established in this guideline document to assure your brand gets recognition for the values you are trying to convey. Strategies to raise brand awareness may include:

·      Content marketing – Disseminating content across platforms to educate the market about values that resonate with your audience. 

·      Paid advertising – Investing in targeted ad campaigns for social media, search, and trade publications increases visibility and reach. 

·      Public relations (PR) – Generating media coverage about your brand allows for always-on air cover. 

·      Event marketing – Getting in front of prospective customers allows you to pitch your brand in a discussion format where you have more time to expel misconceptions and set the record straight about brand values and offerings. 

These high-level concepts only scratch the surface of what is possible to reach your audience in an innovative way. Understanding what brand awareness is, measuring it effectively, recognizing its importance, and implementing strategies to build it can propel your brand to new heights. Embrace the power of brand awareness and watch your brand flourish in the hearts and minds of your target audience.

About the Author

Allison has an international MBA in marketing and entrepreneurialism, and has built her career on developing strategic marketing plans. By working with Microsoft for nearly a decade, she honed corporate marketing skills before transitioning to the startup world to help companies grow brand recognition and subsequently revenue. There, she explored various SaaS industries including cybersecurity, DevSecOps, telematics, and industrial IoT (IIoT). All of these industries leverage automation, machine learning, predictive analytics, and various forms of data management. It has been Allison’s pleasure to bring these powerful tools to light and watch as companies grow their business.

Visit her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/AllisonQDurbin