Consistent, recognizable, trustworthy – there are many ways to describe a well-established and respectable business. The question is, how do you get people to view you as such? The answer lies in a somewhat vague term – brand awareness.

Generally speaking, it is in every business’s best interest to establish themselves as familiar brands and become one of the first – or ideally, the first – thing that comes to mind when a customer thinks of a particular product or service. Brand awareness helps businesses get closer to that goal, and this article is the ultimate guide to cultivating it.

The definition of brand awareness

Although vague, brand awareness is vital to ensuring business success. It refers to a degree to which consumers are familiar with a particular brand. It’s the thing that can heavily influence buyer’s decisions, and motivate them to choose one particular brand over another. It’s also a vital component for acquiring and retaining customers, and a valuable element for measuring and determining the success of a business and its marketing campaigns.

When built strategically, a business with high brand awareness becomes the go-to choice for a large number of consumers. The brand then becomes associated with particular qualities, thus increasing customer trust and loyalty, and driving sales as a result.

The four levels of brand awareness

As an aspiring business owner, you need to know that brand awareness doesn’t happen overnight, and that there are different levels to it. Think of it as a pyramid – starting from the bottom is the first level. This is when there’s little to no awareness of your business. You need to build it from scratch by grabbing your customers’ attention. The next level is brand recognition, and refers to the customer’s ability to recognize your brand by relying on its visual elements (logo, color scheme, slogan, etc.).

The third level is brand recall, and refers to the stage where your brand is one of the things that comes to mind when searching for particular products or services. Finally, the fourth level which is also called top-of-mind level is when customers associate the brand with particular products or services without giving it too much thought.

The essential components of a good brand awareness strategy

We’ve defined brand awareness and its four levels, but the question is – how do you actually increase it? For starters, think of the things that distinguish you from the competition. Choose a niche to focus on, and let your customers know how your business differs from others. Tell a story, and develop a brand identity your customers will remember you by. And this doesn’t only mean staying consistent with style, color scheme, and the personality of your brand. It also means building a brand customers can relate to while also being authentic and memorable.

Other than effective storytelling, focus on effective SEO campaign management and make it a part of your brand awareness strategy. In the digital era, virtual presence is vital, and a good SEO strategy will go a long way in boosting Google rankings. With a good team on your side, you’ll be able to not only knock your competitors out from search results, but also make sure your business website remains relevant.

The importance of brand awareness

There’s a good reason why customers choose a particular brand name product or service. After all, how can you trust a brand that you don’t really know? This tendency to rely on familiarity when shopping for products and services isn’t by any means a coincidence.

Consumers make the majority of their purchasing decisions at a subconscious level. This is often followed by the tendency to reach for the same brands that they view as superior. By developing awareness of a brand and cultivating a sense of trust, brands are more likely to become customers’ number one choice and influence them to reach for their product without a second thought – time and time again.

Benefits of increasing brand awareness

Other than helping your business bring in first-time customers and gain credibility as a brand, an effective brand awareness strategy can also make it possible for you to eventually start charging more for what you offer.

As your brand develops and becomes more and more recognized, you’ll get a chance to work with bigger, respectable businesses. You may eventually decide to add new products to your line, or even expand your business into new markets. The opportunities for growth are endless, and it all starts with familiarizing people with your business and building awareness.

Wrapping up

Becoming a go-to brand in the field is a dream of many business owners. To get closer to reaching that level, it is vital that you take steps to build awareness of your brand. Not only will this make you appear more trustworthy, and therefore, a better option in the eyes of consumers, but it’ll also open doors for various opportunities for future growth and success of your business.