The deleterious effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) is made evident with the left and right closure of the market participants. Those which managed to stay afloat are fighting for survival amidst this global crisis.
Faced with the challenges of the new normal, businesses are encouraged to increase their brand visibility to improve brand awareness. With the current situation of consumers cooped up in their homes most of the time, consumer recognition and recall is of great importance.
For that matter, small and medium-sized businesses should be aggressive with their brand awareness campaign. To serve as a concrete starting point, here are some ways to improve brand visibility.
Offer Promotional Merchandise
Who does not love free samples, right? One of the efficient ways to boost brand awareness is to give out practical promotional items with your brand on it. Items like water bottles, bottle openers, flash drives, and pens are things that people use every day, making them perfect options for promotional products.
Top companies such as Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and Target could attest that handing out freebies helps increase sales. Taking heed from them, start stamping your brand name and logo to your freebie items using a stainless steel laser engraving machine. That way, even with wear and tear, your customers would still remember your business.
Team up With a Local
Joining a local partnership is also a great strategy to build up your brand. Team up with a local business or even with the local government in holding conventions and festivities. You could also opt to sponsor local contests and contribute to fundraisers.
Working together with another company is also a cost-efficient method of boosting brand awareness. When you collaborate with another company, you share the burden of marketing expenses. For a company stretched thin in its marketing budget, this strategy is the best option.
Start a Podcast
Podcasts are becoming a hit for businesses looking for ways to increase their audience reach and brand awareness. As blogging became saturated with companies using such marketing channels to build their brand, podcasting serves as a fresh avenue for businesses to create a strong brand voice.
Although written words on blog posts can be effective in swaying readers, hearing those words in podcasts is more efficient. In a way podcasting, gives your company a personality. The contents in your podcast could serve as leverage that sets you apart from the rest of the competitors.
Start a Controversy
Starting a controversy is a strategy that is not for everyone. Nonetheless, it is an extremely efficient way to get your brand some attention from the whole world, whether it be good or bad. After all, as they say, bad publicity is better than no publicity.
Brand awareness is critical for any business for it serves as a foundation for acquiring new customers. When consumers are able to recognize and recall your brand, an increased conversion rate is highly possible.
The first step to build active and heightened brand awareness is to ensure that brand visibility is not neglected. To improve brand visibility the ones mentioned above are tested and proven approaches that you should apply to your business.