The pandemic saw many businesses closing after people stayed home to avoid getting infected by the virus. The business closures resulted in job losses. While many were able to find new jobs, some people started businesses after finding opportunities during the health crisis.
The situation has improved since then. But many new businesses are struggling to make their presence felt in the market. While these new business owners set up websites to connect with customers online, many have yet to expand their reach.
The situation highlights the importance of brand awareness, which businesses have to increase to succeed in the market. Here are some ways businesses can increase brand awareness in the middle of a pandemic.
Give the Brand a Voice
The first thing that businesses should do is to give their brand a unique voice. They should work on personifying their brand so people will identify themselves with the brand. The voice should focus on how the brand influences the market.
Businesses should also decide if their brand is designed for ordinary customers or the high-end market. Identifying the brand’s market allows businesses to focus their marketing efforts on the target audience that they aim to reach.
Consistency is also important when it comes to branding. With this, businesses are consistent with the voice they use in their marketing efforts across all platforms.
Develop a Digital Marketing Plan
When businesses aim to increase their online presence, they should not stop with setting up a website. They should also develop a digital marketing plan designed to increase awareness for their brand. They should work on a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to increase the rank of their website on the search engine results page (SERP) of Google. An SEO strategy also increases traffic to their website.
Aside from SEO, businesses should also establish a search engine marketing (SEM) plan. An SEM plan focuses on the advertising efforts of the business online. An SEM plan is necessary with the increasing competition in the online marketplace. Additionally, a social media marketing (SMM) plan allows the business to leverage social media to expand its reach in the market.
Businesses should also work with agencies offering content marketing services to complement their SEO, SEM, and SMM efforts. These services allow them to tell the story behind their businesses and create awareness in the market. These agencies achieve this by creating and distributing relevant content to attract and retain their target audience.
Position the Products and Services
Aside from developing their digital marketing plan, businesses should position their products and services properly to increase awareness within their target market. They should use high-quality images to catch the eye of their market. Each image should also contain a message relevant to their product.
Businesses should also create unique branded packaging to enhance the look and feel of the brand. They should make give the package a feeling of being a gift to their target market. This strategy is ideal for the holidays when people look for gift ideas for their family and friends. They can also personalize their products to increase their appeal to their customers.
Sympathize with the Customers
Increasing brand awareness should not focus only on their products. Instead, businesses should connect with their customers at the emotional level. They can achieve this by sympathizing with their situation.
For instance, the pandemic affected people across the country. Businesses should acknowledge the feelings of anxiety and isolation among their customers. Showing compassion humanizes the brand and makes it relatable. In this situation, the customers will connect with the brand, especially if they see the sincerity in the business’s message.
Aside from the customers, businesses should also help their employees. The current situation affects the mental health of people across the country. This is particularly true among employees who have no other sources of income. So, businesses should assure their employees that they will not lose their jobs if they perform well.
Be Authentic
Being authentic with their messaging allows businesses to connect with their target audience at an emotional level. Authenticity also increases brand recall among their customers. This is particularly true when businesses are sympathetic to the situation of their customers. When the customers see the sincerity and authenticity of the business, they feel connected to it.
Businesses should also avoid sending mixed messages to their customers. Mixed messaging will result in confusion, and the customers will find it hard to trust the brand. So, businesses should be true to the message that they want to convey in the market.
Increasing brand awareness is essential in the success of a business in the market. So, businesses should focus their efforts on building their brands to create awareness within their market.
