Our previous post discussed the importance of knowing your customers’ journey as the basis for building a robust paid media practice. This article will talk about the importance and process of creating brand awareness. A process that, of course, includes paid media to be done at its best. 

So, what is brand awareness? Brand awareness is the result of making your audience familiar with your brand. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your audience has extensive knowledge of your products but a general notion of what your company does. 

For example, we all know Nike. We know the logo, the company’s name, and that it makes tennis. Even though Nike makes much more than just sports shoes, the important point in terms of brand awareness is that the minute you see their logo, you know what it is. 

Building brand awareness is creating associations between a particular need and your capacity to solve it. The stronger those associations are, the more people will remember your brand when thinking of a specific product or need. 

This is important because no one will buy a product from a company they don’t know exists and, therefore, they can’t trust. 

Creating brand awareness sounds easy, but how do I successfully do it?

There are a myriad of strategies to build brand awareness. And, truth be told, not all of them involve paid media.  Even though we will focus here on paid media strategies, it is important to know the best is to try multiple strategies simultaneously. 
As we mentioned in our previous post, owned media is “free” to use, and paid media is someone else offering the service of giving your brand exposure.

Idea #1 – Advertising

Advertising through search engines has two forms: contextual targeting and pay-per-click (PPC).

Contextual targeting means that the search engine (mainly Google) will consider which websites are most aligned with your content and display it only in those where it will be most pertinent. For instance, if you run a winery, your ad will appear on websites about gourmet food or wine tasting. In this way, it will go directly to your target audience.

PPC campaigns are built on two principles:

1) Your potential customers will type what they are looking for, so you will show up with their solution once they hit “Search.” 

2) You have found the right keywords for your content. If you have, your ad will appear to the right audience; if not, you will strive away from your potential customers.

Idea #2 – Paid Social Media

Paid social media is a great way to expand your audience, even if you are on a tight budget. Social media have grown specialized in specific audiences, and their algorithms are sharp to work for your benefit. 

So, for this second option to work at its best, what you need to consider is which is the media your audience uses in each context? Most likely, your customer has more than one social media account, but which will they use to find what you sell? 

In general terms, LinkedIn is best for B2B advertising, while Instagram and Youtube are best for B2C. However, you need to advertise wherever your audience is. If your audience is teenagers, you probably need to get a TikTok account. Keep in mind that since every social platform has a different audience, you always need to create a separate content strategy for each of them.

When done properly, paid media has several benefits:

1. It is cost-effective
2. It gives movement to your content if it is aligned with the current trends. If it isn’t yet, doing some research will help you get on track
3. It doesn’t only help your brand awareness but also to lead generation

Idea #3 – Sponsor an event

Sponsoring an event is a great way of getting your brand out to a public that matches your brand’s personality. Whether it is an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, your brand will be visible to an audience with similar interests and motivations than yours.

Plus, event sponsorships can be much more diverse than just printing a logo on a water bottle. Here are some creative ways to incorporate sponsorships on virtual events, in case you are looking for inspiration.  

Sponsoring an event is also a great way to get involved in community-centered activities. Corporate social responsibility isn’t only a social duty but also a great way of creating brand awareness as people are naturally drawn to brands that give back and care about more than just profit. 

A great example of this idea is Optime Consulting’s iGrowSuccess. This online community supports and celebrates women’s success while offering tools and a space for professional development. 

Would you like to know how to apply these strategies to your brand? Contact us, and one of our specialists will get in touch with you!