When you think about sneakers and sports shoes, which brand do you think about? How about phones and laptops? We bet there were definitely some brand names that popped up without thought for you, the ones that have made a lasting impression because of how consistent, reliable, and trustworthy they are.
This impression is created through powerful content marketing.
Content marketing is an effective strategy that has worked for businesses time and time again. This is why it’s not surprising that more than 89% of brands use content marketing to grow and increase their brand awareness and why small businesses must consider it too, so they can get on the map.
Despite the importance of content marketing and how effective it is, only 37% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers actually take the time to concretely strategise their content, making it harder for them to get their business name out there. As a business owner, it’s important to help your business become more recognisable. If your brand doesn’t try to make itself known, audiences won’t be able to trust it, lessening potential sales.
While content marketing won’t have people lined up around the block the morning after your first blog post, it is a consistent driver for growth if done right. Content marketing comes with its own obstacles, but once you learn how to overcome these challenges, the results are incredibly rewarding.
Why brand awareness is important
Impressions really do last, which is why it’s important for your brand to be memorable (in a good way). When people think of certain products, a specific brand comes to mind making it easy for them to purchase your goods or services. Certain brands rule markets just from how quickly people recognise them and those businesses intentionally create that recognition through powerful, engaging content.
Recognisable brands have a certain aesthetic that matches their value set. Even over decades, people can associate a certain feel with that company because of marketing consistency. Apple, for example, is associated with sleek, minimalist, and elegant presentation combined with powerful but user-friendly technology. This means that every product they release will be thought of in that way, too: Sleek, elegant, minimalist, and easy-to-use. That translates into their products and their values. These are things people instantly assume about the brand because of their consistency, not just in marketing, but also in product delivery.
By allowing your audience to get to know your brand before a purchase through quality content that answers their questions up front, your brand becomes more trustworthy.
When an audience trusts a brand, they’re more likely to make a purchase, and if that purchase matches their expectations, they will come back again and refer your business to others.. This is why brand awareness is so important—you want to be that brand that people think of and stand out as trustworthy based on how reliable your product or service is and how valuable your content has been.
A survey conducted by SurveyMonkey in 2018 shows that trust plays a big role in purchasing. Adult women are especially particular about how much they trust a brand before they buy, saying that if they don’t trust the business, 0% of them will buy.
The graph below shows how crucial trust is when it comes to large purchases.
Content marketing helps to boost your brand awareness through strategic content that addresses your audience’s concerns and shows what your brand cares about, stands for, and wants to communicate. With good content comes more authority, since well-researched, quality content can position you as an authority in your field and a leader in your industry.
3 ways you can use content to increase brand awareness
Building a brand can keep you front of mind for an audience, making them defer to you immediately and increase your sales. There are three ways you can use content in your business to increase brand awareness.
1. Create a content strategy targeted to a specific audience
By having a specific audience in mind, you can narrow down the kind of content you need to create. You’ll have to research and find out what your target market is looking for and how they want it packaged. Whether it’s through new ideas in an opinionated blog or straightforward answers in a how-to guide, you need to figure out what will best resonate with them and address their needs.
Creating a content strategy can help you cater to your audience. Your strategy will include what piece of content will be published during a certain week or day and what each piece of content is about. This will help create a unified flow of information that all works together with consistency to add value and trust to your brand.
Having a backlog of content prepared is also important so that you don’t have to panic come publishing day. Your content should also reflect your end goals and what you want to achieve with your brand content so it has direction and you can easily check-in to see if you are meeting your mark.
2. Build influence and identity through consistent blog content
When you’re able to address your audience’s concerns through educational content or content that answers their direct questions, you build authority and influence. It’s more likely that they’ll turn to you in the future for answers since you’ve provided them previously. In turn, this builds more trust and reliance for your brand.
Your content should strive to answer known questions and even anticipate questions and provide answers that haven’t been asked yet. When you help your audience solve their problems, they’ll remember you and your brand identity better because of how helpful you’ve been to them and how much value your content provides.
One thing you need to remember is that content isn’t the place to hard-sell your products or services. Audiences are smart and intuitive, they can tell when they’re being pushed to buy a product rather than have their concerns addressed. They come to your blogs, videos, or podcasts to learn, so don’t undo all your hard work by entering into an elaborate sales conversation. To know more about strategies or creating quality content for your brand, visit copywriting services.
3. Write and send eNewsletters
eNewsletters are a good way to start a conversation with your audience as you’re able to speak to them directly. By reaching out via email, you can give them updates and insider scoops and tell them of all the goings-on with your business while still imparting some value. Audiences will appreciate this direct interaction because they are not feeling pressured into a sale.
eNewsletters are informative and you don’t have to rely on your audience having to look for your brand, you’re the one approaching them instead, supplying content they could find worthwhile.
Different content styles can also come into play here. Be creative with your eNewsletter, it doesn’t just have to be a report on your business, it can also be more story-centred. Talk about your hero’s journey, include your opinions, or even forward a new idea that you think could be valuable to your audience.
Dedicated and consistent content marketing is crucial when building brand awareness. A brand that fails to provide powerful content is not only harder to find, but it’s also harder to trust, making audiences less inclined to make a purchase.
For your brand to stand out you’ll need to have the kind of content that engages audiences through supplying answers and having bold new ideas that can change their outlook and keep your brand front of mind. Doing this will put your brand name on the map and make it easier for conversion.
