You can’t reach new customers if they don’t know who you are and what you do. Entrepreneurs often overlook brand visibility until a marketing team starts working on a promotional plan. However, it should be one of the first things you do to grow your business. Add this to your list of goals, and you’ll bring in more revenue and develop loyal customers.
The pandemic changed the way people interact with brands, possibly for forever. The Edelman Trust Barometer report for 2021 indicates a sharp decline of 5% in consumer trust between May 2020 and January 2021. What can business owners do to combat this trend? Transparency and authenticity are only part of the equation.
Company leaders understand the importance of building a positive brand image but sometimes overlook the relationship between various factors and how the public perceives their organization. Here are some key ways to focus on brand visibility as one of your most important business goals.
1. Build an Audience
One of the reasons brand building should be a business goal lies in the ability to develop leads. Most people seek out a business offering the products and services they need to solve a problem. Unfortunately, they are most likely to turn to the most familiar brand. If they’ve never heard of you, they won’t buy from you.
Your job is to improve brand awareness, so your name is the first that comes to mind. You can develop an audience via social media, sharing educational information about your industry and through savvy marketing efforts. Don’t rule out local promotional efforts. Anyone who lives in your town should think of you first when they need your type of products.
2. Make a Great First Impression
People tend to make snap judgments based on initial interactions with your brand. What is the first thing users see when they order from you? Is your image consistent across every interaction?
Your website and social media pages must match your brand image, so you present a consistent look and tone. However, don’t forget about other factors, such as how the packaging you put your products into affects consumer opinion.
For example, a personalized box helps increase your visibility by placing your company’s logo on the outside and getting it in front of multiple handlers. You can repeat impressions and reach people numerous times by including your logo on the car you drive, the outside of your building and in offline and online advertisements.
3. Increase Market Share
The pandemic forced more businesses to get creative with digital advertising. Reaching a select audience is much easier on social media than you might think and more cost-effective than print advertising.
Which platform you choose for your promotions depends upon the demographics of your target audience. For example, a recent survey of Gen-Z showed about 59% buy something based on the recommendation of friends or family, but an impressive 39% purchased because of a TikTok video.
Think about where your target audience spends the most time. Seek out influencers and others to help spread the word about your products on those platforms.
4. Connect With New Segments
You can grow your business in multiple ways. You can sell more to your current customers, but you should also strive to reach new audiences. Spend a little time researching who your competitors serve. You might find a few places you need better marketing to reach similar customer demographics.
Business mapping can also help you identify underserved markets. Who isn’t seeing industry pitches, and how can you fill the gap? In what ways can you meet consumer needs and gain a loyal new following? The more types of customers you have for the same products and services, the more you’ll scale up as a company.
Sometimes, you simply need to tweak your marketing campaigns to show what you can do for a particular demographic.
5. Personalize Experiences
You’ve likely heard the buzzword “personalization” in marketing circles in the past year. As data becomes more abundant and the capabilities of tracking consumers better, brands realize the importance of reaching people on a deeper level.
It’s no longer enough to just know you serve 30-something working women. Instead, you need to dig deeper into the types of hobbies they enjoy, why they seek out your business in the first place, and what pain points drive their decision-making.
At the same time, they don’t want to feel like just another faceless number. Greet your customers by name, show them you know what makes them tick. Gather as much information as you can about them and reach out individually through SMS, live chat and emails.
Accenture’s Personalization Pulse Check report indicated some of the coolest engagement tactics consumers pointed to were not what you’d typically expect to see from a brand. For example, 45% of shoppers indicated they’d appreciate an apology email after a poor experience with a brand. In comparison, 41% said posting an apology message on a brand’s website for a significant error was enough to keep their business.
On the flip side, the 2020 survey by the company unveiled some exciting insight into how personal is too personal. The survey indicated about 69% of people said they’d stop doing business with a brand if the ads became so accurate to their life that it felt invasive, and around 30% said a brand had already crossed the line with them.
The takeaway is that you must find balance. Keep interactions positive and personal but don’t cross the line into creepy.
6. Overcome Negative Perceptions
Paying attention to brand visibility can also help you overcome negative perceptions about your company. Every business makes mistakes from time to time. You can only fix the way others see you if you know about the problems and work on them.
Start by checking out any online reviews on third-party websites, such as Google, Facebook or Yelp! Next, make a list of the complaints you see frequently. Are there multiple rants about how long it took for you to fulfill an order?
Before you can overcome damaging reviews, you must fix the underlying issues, so the problem doesn’t occur again. Work to improve logistics, order fulfillment and inventory controls. Then, go back to the reviews and reach out to those who were dissatisfied. Explain what you’ve changed and offer to fix the problem for them if they allow you to do so.
You should also ask your happy, current customers to leave reviews. If people see the most recent feedback shows you solved the problem, people are more likely to give your brand an opportunity.
Awareness Goals
Brand visibility isn’t something that happens overnight. You have to work at it for years to gain the attention and recognition you crave. Create a consistent and positive experience, and users will begin sharing what you do with others. Over time, you’ll gain a loyal following and word-of-mouth referrals.
About the Author: Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philadelphia with her husband and pup, Bear.