04 Jun Cost effective ways Small Business Owners can Build Brand Awareness
We are almost halfway through the year, and with that comes new challenges for small business owners to hit their goals. One area that most businesses struggle with at one point or another is brand awareness. It is probably most neglected due to owners assuming it is a costly initiative.
Even if you have a tiny marketing budget, there are ways you can increase brand awareness.
Be Seen
- Attend business virtual networking events
- Volunteer for community activities online
- Participate in special online events and conferences
Don’t just be seen, create value.
Have a professional Website
Having a website might seem like “duh” advice, but a whopping 46% of small businesses don’t have a website. Creating a professional website for your company will give you a leg up on that 46%. If budget is the issue, there are many DIY website creation tools that cost nothing for a basic design. This will allow your brand to be introduced to even more potential customers.
Beef up your marketing strategy
Brand awareness is virtually impossible without marketing. It’s important to know which channels your clients spend time on ( Facebook? LinkedIn? Instagram? Pinterest?Email?) and investing resources into marketing through those channels.
To do so you’ll need an omnichannel approach to marketing meaning that you’ll need to strike from different angles to let your message sink in. If you use social media, focus on just one or two sites where your clients are most likely to be found rather than trying to be on all social sites.
Consistency is key for a successful social media strategy. You’ll need to communicate with your audience throughout the week, if not every day, depending on the channel. Consider an editorial calendar to map out your post and topics week by week.
Establish your expertise
Another way that is a very cost-effective way to increase your Brand Awareness is to become an expert in your field. Share your vast knowledge of your industry. Contribute guest posts on blogs that target your audience, host webinars, speak on podcasts, post-how-to videos on Youtube. Most of the investment here will be your time.
Create a conversation
The days of talking to your clients face to face have reduced. Before a consumer even decides on a company they do a whole lot of research. Today, you need to engage in dialogue to capture people’s attention and get them to engage with your brand. That means you need to listen to your audience, whether it’s a comment on your Facebook or a not-so-great review, act accordingly. Converse with them.
The great thing about feedback is that it is your chance to pivot and turn things around. These types of conversations might not be ideal for you but it is your chance to let that client know, you have heard them and you intend to improve. This shows the human side of your brand that people can connect with.
Deliver the solutions your clients want, not what you think they want
When thinking of how to build your brand, you should be thinking about the products and services that resonate with your clients. However, what you think your clients want might not be what they want. To boost brand awareness, listen to your clients to understand their needs.
Feedback from surveys or talking directly to clients can provide a great understanding of how well your solutions work, or where you have room to improve.
Be everywhere consistently
Creating and managing your brand isn’t a once-a-month activity. You need to invest your time and efforts on multiple channels to stay in front of your competition and at the forefront of your potential consumers. Measure your effort so you can work smarter not harder.
If you have questions or would like help with any of these recommendations please email Marcia at marcia@socialmd.ca . She is our expert in all things marketing. 🙂
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