How to Build Name Awareness
Submitted By: Christopher Florentz
It’s all about branding, whether you’re a small to medium-size business (SMB) or a Fortune 500 company. Of course, the big kids like Xerox and Campbell have known this for years, long before the term became the marketing buzzword du jour, which is why their products enjoy top-of-mind status. If you think about copiers, you think Xerox.
But branding isn’t just for products. It’s used to build awareness for a wide range of services from architectural to legal and everything in between. The goal is to embed your products or services in the consciousness of the consumer.
To do this, you need to create the right blend of communications to reach and influence your target audiences. Keep in mind that the right mix of communications for one business, including media such as publicity, advertising, search engine marketing, direct mail, trade shows, print literature and speaking engagements, may not be right for another. It depends on the makeup of your audiences and how they can best be reached.
When an organization, be it a business, non-profit or educational institution, achieves its optimal mix of communications, the resulting synergy can create many new opportunities to build name awareness and brand recognition. The goal is to create communications that influence people’s behaviors in ways that enhance the bottom line, whether by increasing sales, membership, enrollment or annual giving.
Once you’ve articulated your business objectives and identified your target audiences, the next step is to focus on what you want to say. This calls for crafting key messages that speak directly to the specific needs and interests of each audience. When this is done, you’re ready to select the right media to reach your audiences where they live.
Publicity is a particularly cost-effective way to promote your organization. Stories about a business or other entity in the press, online and in the cable and broadcast media have a higher degree of credibility attached to them from the consumer standpoint than paid advertising. On the other hand, advertising is predictable and a reliable way to reinforce key messages about your products and services.
Some companies find that exhibiting at trade shows is a good way to generate sales leads, while for others it’s more a matter of maintaining visibility. The Worldwide Web is one of the fastest growing vehicles for building name recognition, including search engine marketing. In fact, if you’re an SMB and do not yet have a website, build one now! Without one, your ability to effectively promote your business is hampered and your organization’s credibility may be diminished.
Achieving communication synergy is a building block process. Prospective customers read articles about your business in the press. They surf the Internet, view advertisements and attend trade shows. Your key messages are continually being reinforced in people’s minds and the stage is set to obtain your desired behaviors.
In time, your products and services may even achieve the top-of-mind status enjoyed by the most successful businesses.
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