Top 12 Tips for Boosting Brand Recognition

Top 12 Tips for Boosting Brand Recognition

The most important thing you can do to get ahead is to be noticed by people. If you're one of those people, you probably need to know these tips for boosting brand recognition.

In today's world, brand recognition is no longer enough. Consumers are becoming savvier and smarter. They are aware of the products and services being offered and know which brands are reputable and which ones are not. 

As consumers become increasingly selective about their products, brands must do the same. Brands need to ensure that their offerings are recognised and trusted by the marketplace. 

Brands must have a story, and a story tells the history of a brand. It tells us why a brand is what it is. It tells us where a brand came from and why it has become what it is today. A brand story is an excellent tool for connecting with customers and creating a unique and memorable customer experience.

Most businesses are built on brand recognition, yet many companies fail to maximise their potential. What can you do to make sure you're maximising your branding efforts?

Top 12 Tips for Boosting Brand Recognition

This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a brand: its logo. If you have a logo, people will recognise it when they see it. But a logo is just a piece of the puzzle. If you want to make sure that your brand stands out among your competitors, you have to do more than just come up with a logo. Here are the top 12 tips that will help you get more people to recognise your brand.

1 – Establish a Sense of Urgency

This tactic helps consumers identify with the brand and connect with it. It helps them feel connected with the brand, an essential component of consumer engagement.

In the case of the Starbucks campaign, Starbucks had to convey a sense of urgency in the marketplace because people don't necessarily walk into a Starbucks store with a “need” to get their morning coffee. 

You could argue that many consumers don't even realise that they “need” their morning coffee until they realise they can't function until they've got it. By creating a sense of urgency for customers to have their morning cup of joe, Starbucks built brand recognition in a way that was organic to the needs of the target market.

Don't Focus On Sales at the Beginning

It may seem counterintuitive but don't focus on sales too early in the marketing process. Instead, focus on building up awareness. In a recent survey conducted by The Hubspot Marketing Optimisation Blog, 68% of marketers said that brand recognition was the most critical part of their marketing strategy.

Focus on building the brand first. Branding is often confused with marketing. Marketing is the message you're trying to send to customers about who you are and what you stand for. 

Your branding is how you portray that message in the form of your visual identity, tone of voice, and messaging. Branding isn't something that just happens. You decide to do something, and it takes time to do it well.

2 – Use Emotion to Drive Sales

If you're trying to sell something, but you don't have a good feel for whether or not your products or services resonate with your ideal customers, you'll need to start by getting a better feel for what people want. You can do that by using emotion as a primary sales driver. 

Once you know what your ideal customer wants, you can figure out what emotions they are feeling right now and find ways to trigger them. When your customers see you as someone who understands what they think and feel, they'll associate your brand with trustworthiness. That's the key to boosting your brand's reputation.

This technique is based on the idea that the human brain is wired to recognise things we like and avoid things we don't like. 

According to Harvard Business School professor Gary T. Becker, our brains are “hardwired to care about the objects of our desire.” We don't just respond emotionally to what we see; we respond to the emotional quality of what we see. In short, the brain pays attention to what it wants.

3 – Incorporate Personalisation

One of the keys to establishing a unique brand identity is incorporating personalisation into your content marketing strategy. The use of personalisation and customer data can help your company reach its target audiences and establish a trusted relationship with them.

One study found that the most powerful of all persuasion techniques, a personalised message from a trusted source, had the highest conversion rate among all of the factors tested. 

When marketers create highly personalised messages that take advantage of a consumer's unique personality, they gain increased trust and loyalty. They are far more effective at building relationships than static, generic communications.

4 – Create Social Proof

Social proof is another powerful tool for convincing people to act. This persuasion method uses the concept of social proof to give people a reason to trust what others are saying. 

It works like this: People need to see a certain amount of positive social support for a product or brand. They need to see that others think differently about that product or brand. Social proof may help influence your consumers' purchase decisions by showing them what others do.

According to a 2021 study, social proof has become an important marketing tool. More people use the Internet than traditional media in this day and age. 

However, as we all know, the Web is rife with misinformation, and the truth often gets drowned out by insufficient information. People trust recommendations and evidence they see shared online.

Promote Your Content With Social Media

Most businesses have a social media presence, but many fail to leverage their online channels. Businesses aren't using social media to their full potential because it can be complicated and time-consuming to do it well. But it doesn't have to be. 

Creating content on social media platforms can be as easy as a few clicks away. Once you have created your content, all you have to do is schedule it to appear at the appropriate times. Once it does, you'll have a ready-made audience ready to see what you have to offer.

Your content strategy doesn't need to involve just one platform. Depending on your goals, you may decide to share content on multiple platforms, each with its audience and potential reach. 

Think about your audience's preferences. Which social networks do they prefer? Twitter and Facebook are two of the most popular social platforms for consumers. However, people also spend much time on Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram. 

What you share on any social network you choose to promote is a strategic choice, but always be mindful of the platform's strengths and limitations.

5 – Leverage Incentives to Build Trust

Incentives have long been used to build trust between brands and consumers. One of the most effective incentives is a discount or freebie. 

Consumers expect companies to give them something for free, but it's how that incentive is framed that matters. Companies that offer a freebie for a limited time—like a free trial of a product or a free sample of an item—are often more successful than those who offer freebies for extended periods, even when those freebies are a loss leader.

Once trust is established, the next thing marketers can do is give customers incentives to return. This approach has three essential parts:

1. Creating a good offer that encourages repeat purchases.
2. Get your customers to tell their friends about your brand.
3. Offering something of value to your customers after they leave your site.

Build Trust through Authenticity

Most marketers know the value of creating content that resonates with their audience. But building trust is another story. 

It's something that many marketers ignore entirely. This is because it's hard to build trust in an environment where the consumer doesn't know who you are. But if they do know who you are, they can trust you because of your authentic connection. 

So, instead of convincing consumers that you are trustworthy, create content that gives them reasons to trust you.

Brand recognition doesn't just happen. You can't wake up one day and decide you're going to be recognised. You have to build your brand by being authentic and establishing trustworthiness.

Think about this… What makes your brand special? 

• Is it the price point? 
• Is it the product/service itself? 
• Is it your unique selling proposition? 

These questions help you find out what makes your business unique. If you're a car manufacturer, the answer is obvious: you make cars. Your product is the same no matter whom you sell it to. 

A food company, however, has a different answer. They make food. What makes them unique is their specific recipe for making a delicious meal. Your customers can see that you're authentic.

Build Your Email List and Use It to Generate Leads

If you're an entrepreneur and want to grow your business, you must build an email list. When building an email list, start with your friends and family and get them to sign up with their email addresses. Next, you can target other people whom you know will be interested in your product or service. Finally, you can use free platforms like MailChimp or ConstantContact to collect email addresses from websites.

Your email list is an invaluable resource that will enable you to stay top-of-mind in your customers' minds. With just an email, you can reach out to customers, remind them about your company's latest offerings, let them know about upcoming events, and keep in touch with them in between sales calls. 

And while the old-fashioned “call to action” can work, the most effective emails have content that makes the call to action clear, compelling, and easy to take action on.

6 – Make Your Customers Feel Like They Are In Control

Consumers want to feel they are in control of their own buying decisions. This is why marketers focus on making consumers believe they can save money by comparing shopping, retailers offering free shipping, and coupons in grocery stores. 

This psychological phenomenon also explains why consumers are so upset about price-fixing when they feel like they've been victimised.

Whether you are creating a brand or looking to build an online presence, one thing is for sure: People will judge your brand by its content and design. 

If you want to make your customers feel like they are in control, take some time to consider what elements of your site and content will make them feel like they are in control, says Chris Granger, digital strategist at Blue State Digital.

Get Customers Involved

To increase the effectiveness of a company's advertising campaigns, it's often helpful to engage the audience directly. This means finding ways for the consumers to become part of the brand experience instead of just being consumers. This is a crucial lesson for brands. 

If you are looking for ways to make your brand more approachable, consider ways to get customers involved and create a community around your business. The more people who participate, the more likely your brand will be remembered long after the product or service you provide has left the store.

Like me, you have a few favourite brands that you can always count on when shopping for something. But if you're not careful, those brands might lose their lustre when you see the same products from those companies everywhere you shop. 

Brands, like people, change over time. They become associated with different emotions. They begin to feel familiar and comfortable. And then, suddenly, they seem generic. 

If you want your customers to feel like a brand is their brand, you need to get them involved in developing your brand. Ask customers to participate in surveys, and contests, or even offer input on new products and services.

7 – Be Realistic About What You Can Do

This is the first rule of marketing, and it often gets overlooked. If you don't have a clear understanding of your brand, you'll be hard-pressed to find solutions to problems that exist within it. 

Even if you understand your brand, you may still need to adjust it. There's nothing wrong with making changes, but you should make them because you understand why you want to do so.

It doesn't matter if you have an excellent idea for a brand or not. But if you're going to invest time and energy into developing a brand, you need to make sure that the brand you build is realistic. 

When you're just starting, you're likely to be working under a tight budget. It's unrealistic to expect to spend thousands of dollars developing a logo and building your brand. 

Don't forget that you're just starting, and there's plenty of opportunity for growth before you become financially stable. So it makes sense to start small and see where your brand takes you.

Choose a Logo that Reflects Who You Are

How many people see your business logo every day? It should be in their face, whether they are looking for you. When you are looking to grow your brand recognition, your logo must be one that you can be proud of. 

Your logo must reflect who you are and what you represent. If you don't know who you are and what you stand for, you can't effectively convey who you are to others.

A new logo should first communicate your company's core values to the viewer. Every logo should reflect who you are and what you stand for. 

To create a unique and memorable logo, ask yourself what makes your brand unique. 

• What are the values that you live by? 
• What makes your company unique? 

Consider what makes your company attractive to customers and competitors. How can you present your core values in an exciting and fun way?

Have a Clear Mission Statement

When writing your mission statement, it's crucial to stay focused. If your mission statement has too many broad areas, the customer won't be able to recognise your brand and may even confuse you with another company. Try to keep your mission statement to a maximum of 10 words.

“The best way to communicate what you're about is to tell people what you're NOT about,” said John Sviokla. 

There's no better example of a company that succeeded with a strong mission statement than Google. The company's website proclaims: “Don't be evil.” It's simple, concise, and provides a clear direction for the company.

Having a clear mission statement can help you stand out in a crowded market. Consumers want to know exactly why they should buy a brand. If you can't explain why they should choose your brand over the competition, you are leaving money on the table.

8 – Create a Sense of Community

One of the ways businesses can achieve increased brand recognition is by creating a community of people who are invested in its success. These people are part of the company's audience and community, and they can also be part of the product. 

An example of this might be a product that makes it easier for a mom to save money, and she invites moms interested in the same topic to join a Facebook group where they share ideas and tips on how to do so. The mom's brand becomes more associated with this group when this occurs.

This is something that resonates with the social media generation. We've all grown up in the age of social media, and it seems like everyone is on Instagram and Facebook (or at least trying to be). 

Brands are increasingly trying to capitalise on this phenomenon and take advantage of the social media user base. Research from Experian shows that the average consumer spends over 40 minutes a day on social media. And of course, many other statistics show that social media drives most retail sales.

Offer Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are often overlooked in the context of marketing and branding. They are often used to create a sense of urgency in consumers. Still, there is a massive opportunity for brands to leverage loyalty programs to increase brand recognition and gain market share. Loyalty programs may seem simple, but the results can be extraordinary.

This is another example of using psychology to your advantage. By offering loyal customers rewards and discounts, you encourage them to associate their brand with something good. 

Customer loyalty programs are straightforward to implement because there is a minimum requirement for offering them: The company must offer a specific discount, and the discount must be significant. 

While it might seem unfair to those who don't participate in the program, the benefits of such a discount are immeasurable. The customer's loyalty goes up, which means they are more likely to purchase from your company.

9 – Use Customer Service as a Differentiator

In a survey conducted by the Marketing Performance Institute, 74 per cent of customers said they are more likely to choose a company based on its online reviews. 

This is why online reviews and customer service are essential to your business's image and reputation. When it comes to customer service, many companies still struggle with the basics – understanding their customers, what they want, and how to help them.

While it's true that having a strong customer service policy can sometimes hurt, it can also help your brand. Many companies that take a no-questions-asked approach to return orders, offer generous return policies, and provide frequent social media updates have dramatically increased brand recognition. 

That's because customer service helps build trust. And while we're talking about trust here, we should probably mention the importance of word-of-mouth marketing. 

Consumers who hear about a brand through friends and family are significantly more likely to purchase from the company than if they heard about it on TV.

Reward Your Best Customers

To increase brand recognition, you need to reward your best customers. This is especially true if your company is small. Think of ways to give customers unique gifts or discounts that don't interfere with the value you're delivering. 

You can also incentivise customers to do something valuable by creating content, referring clients, or referring friends to your business.

This tip is beneficial for online retailers who want to increase their overall brand recognition. This can happen when you're a top seller on Amazon, for example, but if you're not in the top 5-10%, your sales might not be reaching the masses. 

Reward your best customers with free shipping, samples, special offers and coupons, and other perks to increase brand recognition.

10 – Offer an Exclusive Experience

It's simple: give people a reason to choose your product over someone else's. When it comes to products and services, the key to success is often getting the attention of prospective buyers. 

The most common ways to do this are by offering discounts, providing a unique service, or somehow making your product stand out. One of the best examples is Virgin Airlines' Virgin Blue promotion, which offers the most discounted airfare to customers who sign up for their loyalty program.

This is another trick that the world's top brands successfully build strong connections with their customers and gain more attention and respect. 

This technique is effective because it gives your audience a reason to associate your brand with something they don't normally associate with. 

If your audience associates your brand with something they enjoy, you've just created a connection that will likely stay with them for years to come. Brands like Starbucks, Nike, Red Bull, Apple, and Victoria's Secret effectively use this tactic.

Create a User Experience That Keeps Visitors Coming Back

While the user experience (UX) is typically thought of in terms of how a website looks, it's also about how the site feels. 

The most crucial factor in creating a great UX is how easy the site is to navigate. It should be simple to use and easy to understand. If your visitor isn't having fun when they visit your site, you're likely to lose them forever. 

So what do you do if you want to keep visitors coming back? Make it easier for them to find what they're looking for, whether a product or service or just something to read. Ensure there are no unnecessary distractions and that the content is easy to navigate.

People are attracted to brands that share their values and that are authentic. Customers appreciate a user experience that is easy to navigate and navigate well. 

A website that offers intuitive navigation is more likely to keep people coming back. People want to feel a sense of belonging, and a brand that connects with its customers can offer a sense of belonging that keeps them coming back.

11 – Find Ways to Increase Search Engine Rankings

One of the biggest challenges for most small businesses is getting their brand recognised. A search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy can help your website appear higher in a search engine's rankings. 

SEO involves adding specific keywords to your page content. Some pages may have hundreds of these keywords to optimise for, but other pages have just a handful. Think of the main keywords and phrases that describe your business and add them throughout your site.

You may already know this, but there's a big difference between search engine rankings and how they impact your site's success. If a search engine doesn't rank your website high enough, it's unlikely you'll be found by people searching for what you sell. 

Even if you rank higher than your competitors, it still takes many clicks before someone sees your listing. For this reason, a lot of the effort in search engine optimisation is spent on getting your listing higher in the rankings.

12 – Don't Let Your Competition Have the Last Word

When working on your branding strategy, don't let your competition dictate how you communicate with your audience. What is your unique point of view sets you apart from other companies? 

Think of your customers and prospects as individuals who see value in what you have to offer. They have different needs, different interests, and different lifestyles. Every one of them has a story to tell about themselves. 

Don't forget to include your own story, too. What made you decide to become an entrepreneur? Who inspires you to be an entrepreneur? What is the dream you are trying to pursue?

If you've been able to create an association between the brand and the emotion of excitement, passion, or even fear, then that's what you need to convey. The more emotional response you create around the brand and the associated experience, the more likely consumers respond.

Conclusion

Brand recognition is crucial because it helps businesses gain credibility, authority, and trust among consumers. People recognise brands faster than ever before, so you must have a strong brand identity. 

To create a brand identity, you must establish your core values, communicate your brand vision, and design your logo. This process helps you build your brand in the public eye.

If customers can't recognise you from your competitors, they'll be less likely to purchase your product or service. So, start by asking yourself some questions about your business and your product or service. 

• Who is your target market? 
• What is your company's mission statement? 
• How does your product or service fit into the larger market? 
• Is there room for improvement? 

Once you've answered those questions, you'll be able to craft a brand that stands out in the market, and customers will recognise that.

We believe that your brand should be at the centre of everything you do. We've put together these 12 tips that will help boost your brand recognition.