Social Media doesn’t feel very “social” when you’re just another face in the crowd, does it?
And then we look at the likes of GoPro, Wendy’s or Starbucks with their rabid followers and wonder how we can replicate just a fraction of their performance.
The reality, though? If you’re struggling to stand out as a brand, you’re definitely not alone.
With more and more people taking to social media to research and sound off on brands, getting your target audience’s attention is easier said than done.
So what does an effective brand awareness strategy look like, anyway? How do you become a familiar face within your followers’ feeds versus someone they just scroll past?
We’ve highlighted twelve strategies businesses of all sizes can take to boost their brand awareness. From fine-tuning your profile to experimenting with your content, any combination of these tips are fair game.
1. Add Personality
First thing’s first: your social media presence shouldn’t look like everyone else’s.
And while this may seem obvious, many brands fall into the trap of becoming robotic.
They play it totally safe. They post a picture or link, tack on a few hashtags and call it a day.
Here’s the deal, though: that’s not how you stand out. Not by a long shot.
Moonpie is a shining example of a seemingly “boring” brand that’s exploded in popularity because of their distinct voice and sense of humor.
Sure, it’d be easy for them to post generic promos. However, it’s their off-the-wall personality that’s made them so endearing to followers.
And “personal” is the keyword here. Followers want to see more than promos and links: they want personal, human-centric content. That’s why selfies and story-driven posts typically perform so well.
2. Tag Others to Start the Conversation
Tagging (@ mentioning) is a brilliant brand awareness strategy because it only takes about half a second and instantly amplifies your content.
Think about it. Anyone you tag via Twitter or Instagram instantly receives a notification, meaning you win an extra opportunity for engagement. Not only that, but it’s a surefire way to make positive impressions on others players in your industry.
If you have an opportunity to give someone a shoutout, go for it.
3. Dial In Your Profiles
Recognition is a key element of building brand awareness.
When followers glance at your social profiles, they should be able to understand what you’re all about. Likewise, they should recognize that you are, well, you.
From social bios to profile images, how you set up your profile determines whether or not people recognize you. Check out how ThinkGeek has a clean logo and nerdy Facebook cover photo to match…
…while boasting the same logo and branded bio copy on Pinterest.
While this might seem elementary, there are a surprising amount of organizations with inconsistent branding across multiple channels. This confuses people and questions the legitimacy of an organization.
4. Experiment with Your Captions
Social captions are yet another opportunity to let your brand’s voice be heard.
Again, no big brand or influencer simply drops a link without some sort of commentary. Captions can pique people’s interest and encourage engagement, giving a sort of taste to readers before they click through.
As evidenced by the wealth of creative Instagram hashtags and captions out there, creativity counts. Whether through emojis or cracking jokes, captions are prime real estate for connecting with followers and letting them know exactly who you are.
5. Show Up Consistently
Finally, consider that nobody can truly be aware of your brand if you don’t post consistently.
There are many scheduling tools out there such as Sprout, Hootsuite, or many platforms have their own scheduling built in.
The more ground you and your brand can cover, the better. It all comes down to having a specific strategy which makes the most out of the time you spend on social media.
If you’d like to see more ways to boost brand awareness on social media, check out the full article on the Sprout Blog!
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