As any small business owner will know, the first few years of trading can be exceptionally difficult. The first challenge and ongoing concern is simply to survive by gaining suitable income streams to support the business and to pay for the costs of setting up the firm. Getting past the first two years of operations should be seen as a great achievement in modern times, especially as the market for goods and services is becoming increasingly crowded.
Today, many firms operate on a purely online basis to lower their costs and focus on the growing e-commerce sector. This can mean that a small business needs to compete with overseas companies if they offer similar goods and can ship internationally within a reasonable timescale.
One of the great ways to secure the long-term future of your business is to increase the brand awareness of the product(s) that you sell. In this brief guide, some key strategies that serve to increase brand awareness will be explored.
Promote on social media channels
It’s estimated that approximately 57.6 million people in the UK use social media channels. This represents around 85% of the total population of the UK. Sites such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are incredibly popular with a wide range of customer demographics, and it’s vitally important that businesses promote themselves on these channels to increase their brand awareness. Businesses should seek to create targeted marketing campaigns on these channels that are designed to reach their desired audience and inform them of their products, services, and special promotions.
Ideally, the advertisements should have hyperlinks that lead directly to the company website, and even more ideally, to the product page of the item that’s being promoted. In short, social media advertising is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience, generate additional sales channels, and boost brand awareness.
Let customers sample your products
If your company sells consumable products (such as food and drink), you’ll be aware of how difficult it can be to change buyer behaviour. Customers typically form an attachment to certain brands and will then choose these products over the offerings of competitors. If they’re not even aware of your brand, they’ll be very unlikely to choose it over their normal purchases. However, by working with a sampling agency, customers can be invited to try your products. This can be a crucial way to boost the brand awareness of your products in the eyes of consumers and can also help to change buyer behaviour when it comes to making future purchases.
Ideally, your company will set up some stalls in key retail sites such as at shopping centres, or in supermarkets. Customers will be encouraged to try your product for free and the sales staff can give information on the benefits of your product (i.e., is it lower in fat than competitor products, is it a cheaper alternative to established brands but with similar quality?).
The process of holding product sampling can be a vital way to improve brand awareness, especially if you’re new to the marketplace or face strong competition from more established brands. The simple act of tasting a product sample can help to ‘break the cycle’ of consumer preferences and will ideally convert consumer interest into sales whilst boosting brand recognition.
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