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5 Creative Ways To Increase Your Online Brand Awareness

You're competing with over a billion different active websites, and the days of "creating content" will simply no longer cut it.

Photo: Zac Johnson, Online Marketer and Creator of Zacjohnson.com; Source: Courtesy Photo
Photo: Zac Johnson, Online Marketer and Creator of Zacjohnson.com; Source: Courtesy Photo

If you want to find success on the internet, you need to be seen.

It’s not just about getting people to see your brand, it’s about grabbing their interest with your content, building a loyal brand following and also getting them to convert into paying customers in the process.

Sure, the business model is nothing new… but on the internet, you are now competing with over a billion different active websites, and the days of “creating content” will simply no longer cut it.

So what’s an entrepreneur or brand marketer to do?

Simple, get creative with your content marketing and put your message right in front of your target audience.

Yes, this is easier said than done, but to help with the process we have five working strategies that anyone can start implementing today. Start with just one of the methods below or dive head first into all five of them… no matter what method you choose, your brand exposure and awareness will be benefiting from it in the process.

 

1. Create an infographic

Infographics are without a doubt one of the best ways to increase traffic, backlinks, engagement and awareness for brands of all sizes. The reason why infographics work so well is because they bring boring data to life and also require a lot less time and effort to consume all of the data.

Even better, infographics aren’t just for businesses and brands — people love to view and share them as well. This is where the brand awareness and ROI come in.

If you want to create a successful infographic, you need to follow this 8-point design checklist. The truth is, anyone can create an infographic, but if it doesn’t have the right information, messaging, target audience and branding… it simply won’t work.

Once your infographic has been created, be sure to add it to your site and start with the outreach and promotion process.

 

2. Everyone loves stickers

Keeping with the theme of visuals and custom art, stickers are still an excellent way to show off brand loyalty and giving your customers a little something extra back.

This is something Apple has been doing for years with most of their products. Buy a new iphone or laptop, get a little Apple logo sticker in there as well. Since Apple has some of the most die-hard fans out there, most of these stickers end up on laptops, cars, desks, books and much more.

There are plenty of creative and effective ways to start using stickers for your business no matter if you are currently online of offline. Just to name a few creatives ideas:

 

  • Hand out business cards that are actually peelable stickers

  • Create social profile stickers with your face and name

  • Use stickers as custom labels for your products

  • Print out a sticker of your company logo to include in order shipments

 

While you might not think stickers are used as often as they might have been years ago, it’s all about getting creative and giving your audience something they will enjoy.

 

3. Launch a company blog

When it comes to creating original content that not only gets people back to your site but also helps grow brand loyalty at the same time, few things work as well as a blog.

For most small businesses, their websites are usual only a few basic pages and probably cover information on the business, products, customer reviews and a few other topics. When you add a blog into the mix, then things really start to get exciting!

Through the use of a blog, new content can be added to your site all the time and it can be focused on anything you like. A perfect example of how a blog can provide more value to your brand and business would be to create resource articles, how-to guides, top lists and posts of relevant products and information that your audience enjoys.

Adding a blog to your business website will also help with SEO and ranking your site higher and more often in the search results.

 

4. Participate in industry podcasts

Mobile usage is on the rise and more people are listening to podcasts than ever before. What this means for brand marketers and businesses, is a huge opportunity to take advantage of connecting with audiences “offline” and through audio where your competitors might not already be.

Even though podcasting is still an online practice, most people are listening to shows through their mobile devices, cars and mostly while they are away from the computer.

For B2B businesses, it’s also a great way to connect with entrepreneurs and marketers as well. For the most part, there are three different ways to take advantage of podcasting as a business.

 

  • Advertise on existing podcasts (through 30-60 ad spots)

  • Participate in podcasts as a featured expert guest

  • Start a podcast based on your expertise or business model

 
No matter which of the three podcasting options you use, discover what works best for your business model as the world of podcasting is just starting to take off.

 

5. Start a mailing list and autoresponder series

On the internet, you only have a few seconds to make a great first impression. Even if that impression is quite amazing, there is a good chance most of the people coming to your site for the first time will never come back.

This doesn’t have much to do with your content or business model, it’s simply a numbers game and there are way too many sites online for people to remember yours.

However, getting your audience to join your mailing list and getting them on an autoresponder series is one of the absolute best ways to increase brand awareness, engagement, and revenue instantly. At the same time, throwing up a “Join Our Newsletter” form on your site simply isn’t going to cut it.

Follow best practices to grow your email list fast and imagine what your list size might be a few weeks or months from now!

 

Taking brand awareness to the next level

As you can see, there are plenty of actionable tips that you can start implementing today. Some of these methods will cost you a few dollars, while others will be more focused on time.

Consider each of the options above and always keep your customer experience in mind. At the end of the day, the most appreciated and loved brands in the world, are the ones that make their customers happy and feel appreciated!

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

Zac Johnson, the creator of Blogging.org, is an entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience in the online marketing space. You can learn more about Zac through his blog at ZacJohnson.com. Connect with @zacjohnson on Twitter.

 

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