So, you have decided to start your own business! Good for you! There is nothing better than being your own boss. You should not be stressed out, because everyone around you may tell you that more than half of the start-ups that are now on the market do not have chances to become successful and they will probably face bankruptcy in no more than a year. The trick is to do research, tons of research on what strategies to focus. Pay attention to the strategies that great names in the industry use; you will notice that they do their best to build their brand. So what is the key to success? Well, it is simple, you have to build a brand that is recognizable and loved by clients.
What the majority of entrepreneurs do not know is that in order to boost brand awareness they have to use different strategies to reach their possible clients. The purpose of building brand awareness is to help people become familiar with the services and products your company offers. Big brands such as McDonald’s, Nike or Coca Cola managed to replace generic terms from language with the name of their products, and if you want to follow an example when it comes to building brand awareness then they are the ones. Other examples is Jacuzzi that is not only a type of bathtub, but a company that sells toilets, hot tubs and mattresses. Also, Rollerblades is a brand registered by two brothers who decided to create something new from their old pairs of hockey skates. Nowadays, every company that produces this type of product calls them rollerblades, because the name of the brand is now a generic term.
Your brand needs a voice
And no, we are not talking about hiring Morgan Freeman to be the voice of your message, even if it would be an amazing strategy, but let’s face it, his fee is scary only to think of it. You have to create a voice for your brand that is related to your business’ audience, mission and industry. The voice of your brand is the one that reaches your clients, and the one that determines their responses to you. So what options do you have when searching for a voice for your brand? It can be service-oriented, professional, friendly, conversational, technical, promotional or informative. Considering your niche, you will have to decide what option is the right one for you.
Tip: When you publish articles on social media platforms and blogs, make sure you maintain the voice consistently, because in time your clients will identify it with your brand.
Collaborate with other companies and offer gifts
One of the best ways to build brand awareness is to collaborate with other companies. Keep in mind that you are running a start-up, and if you have partners you will be able to join together at business events. Sponsors will not have second thoughts when they will see your name associated with the one of an experienced company, and where there are sponsors, there is always success.
Tip: If you want to make your name known to clients, then you should donate to charity events and become a sponsor yourself. You should sponsor your passions, because clients prefer to buy from a company they consider friendly, when it comes to supporting local talents.
Offering gifts is one of the most successful marketing strategies, because clients have the opportunity to try your products and they will get things for free. You can put your name even on products you do not sell. Offer pens, bags, and other similar items at local events.
Creating a logo requires special attention
When you think about what the brand Coca Cola means, you have in mind their visuals. If you want to show your clients and business partners that you are running a reliable company then you should invest in visuals. The logo is one of the most important details, and if you do not have your own design team, you may find it difficult to create it. But, who says that you need to be a design expert to create it? You can use a professional online tool to make the logo, and doing so will help you save money up front. If you want to make the logo by yourself then you will have to focus on its typography and image.
Your main question may be if you should buy the logo or design it by yourself. It is advisable to create it by yourself, because you are the one who knows best what your business represents and does. You know what message you want to send to potential customers and you will know for sure what logo will send that message. Not to mention the fact that if you want you can upgrade it in the future. Even Apple brought adjustments to their logo!
Tip: When you build the logo with an online logo maker you should decide what colour palette you prefer, what its size and placement will be, the style of the image and the font. When you know all these details go online and generate the logo with a logo creation tool, because it will help you save time and money.
Your brand needs a unique personality
If you analyse some of the latest brand awareness strategies used by big names on the market you will notice that they bet on the fun part of their business. This is what sells nowadays: friendly and funny brands. It does not matter the industry you are working for; a little dose of comedy will help you offer your brand personality. Here are some of the most famous brands that used humour to raise awareness on their name.
Deadpool is the figure used to promote Espolon, a Mexican tequila distributed by Campari Group. In the ad released by Campari, Deadpool says that he “needed the money”, and he did not want to allow Ryan Reynolds to get all the glory for acquisitioning the drink. The ad is full of jokes about Ryan Reynolds, something quite common for Deadpool.
Kevin Hart and David Beckham made a great team for the latest H&M commercial. The ad features these two dressed identically and heading to Las Vegas, where they are going to play “I, Beckham”.
Tip: If you need inspiration just check out the videos for the ads staring Deadpool, Kevin Hart, David Beckham, or even the Mountain from Game of Thrones.
