Building brand familiarity for your small business can be tough. With so much competition, it’s important to set yourself apart and make your company stand out. There are a few things you can do to help increase brand familiarity among your target audience, and we’re here to walk you through them one step at a time.
What is Brand Familiarity?
Brand familiarity is not a cut and dry answer on if a customer knows your brand or not. It is true that for a new brand, awareness is important, but the main goal is to turn that customer awareness into familiarity. A customer can be aware that your brand exists, however, this doesn’t mean that they understand the value of the product or service you are providing.
For example, if a company conducts their market research based on who is aware of their brand, they may be missing the important aspect of who their main customer base is. This can result in overestimating how much money to put into and charge for their product or service. Customers who are nothing more than aware of a brand are most likely not thinking about purchasing from them.
Now that we better understand what brand familiarity is and why it is important, let’s dive into some ways to begin turning your potential customer’s awareness into familiarity.
Where to Start
As a small business owner, you know what your company’s mission is and what value you bring to your target demographic. So how do you bring this knowledge to your customers?
- You should create marketing materials that feature your logo and branding prominently. Make sure all of your printed materials, website, social media pages, and other marketing collateral prominently features your branding. This will help customers quickly identify your company as the source of the product or service they’re seeking.
In addition to marketing materials, make sure your employees are familiar with and can articulate your branding message. Your employees are often the first point of contact for customers, so it’s important that they be able to communicate what makes your company unique.
- Develop a consistent marketing message across all channels. When audiences see or hear the same message across different channels (including offline and online), they’ll start to develop a stronger association with your brand.
- Be active on social media platforms that are relevant to your target audience. Different platforms cater to different demographics. For example, platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn offer great opportunities for businesses to connect with potential customers in an informal setting, which can help increase brand familiarity over time.
Small businesses need to focus on turning brand awareness into familiarity in order to create a connection with potential and current customers. Branding can help new businesses achieve this by establishing an identity, telling your story, and creating customer loyalty. It’s important for small businesses to remember that it takes time and effort to build a successful branding strategy; however, the payoff is worth it. Want to learn more about how branding can help your business? Check out our other blog post on Ten Reasons Why Branding is Important for Your Business!
