How to Build Brand Awareness
In my last blog post: How to Master Your Messaging I broke down the delivery of your Value Statement (also known as your Elevator Pitch, your Positioning Statement, or your Golden Sentence) into three pre-steps, in order that you might easily and clearly communicate what it is that you do, who you serve and the results that you help them to achieve.
And now that you have mastered your messaging, you are going to want to go out into the world and tell everyone what you do! You need to be visible and consistent, and make sure that you are spending time (either in-person, online, or through your published content) where your clients are; more of that in a moment.
So, I am going to outline for you three fundamental principles of brand awareness and then provide a few ideas, or channels, that you might like to consider when marketing, and ultimately raising awareness of your brand.
Principle 1: You Need a Clearly Defined Brand
You don’t have to be Coca-Cola or Google, but you are still a brand and who you are, what you stand for, who you serve, and how you help solve their problems has be completely clear.
Be courageous, and don’t be afraid to be specific and own your niche. No, not everyone will like you, but that’s completely OK because that means that they are not your people. You want to reach your ideal customer and filter out the rest.
Be clear on your story and how it relates to your ideal client and their story (they want to be able to see themselves in your content).
Turn your attention inward rather than succumbing to comparisonitis and work on establishing your own unique voice. The deeper you can go and the more aligned you can get to your values, your why, your purpose, the more authentic you will be and the more confidence you will gain. It’s fine to be inspired by others, but don’t try and replicate what they do, because you'll just come a little bit unstuck. Own who you are and your people will come to you.
Principle 2: You Don’t Find Clients They Find You!
You might think, “I’m good at what I do, I’ve invested a lot in my training and development. If I do good work clients will come to me.” And I can understand why you might feel this way, but you will be waiting a long time with an empty calendar I’m afraid. That’s not to say when you are further down the line and you have an established business, that your clients won’t come to you via referrals, as I’m sure they will. But a business based on referrals takes years to establish, and it’s likely that you would like to get up and running sooner than that, doing what you love - am I right?
So, with that in mind, you need to make sure that you are consistently delivering value, providing your expertise, and demonstrating that you understand your client and their current challenges.
Take some time to research where your clients hang out (online and/or in-person) and be there. Leave a trail for them to follow back to you and then be clear on the next step that they would need to take to work with you.
This doesn’t happen overnight, so take some time to play around and find out a) the marketing channels that you enjoy and b) what works. Don’t be afraid to rip-up an approach and try another if it isn’t working for you after a period of time.
Principle 3: Your Clients Are on a Journey Towards Working With You
Right now we are talking about raising your prospective clients’ awareness of you and your brand. This is the very top of your funnel, or your clients’ entry point onto a journey of firstly knowing that you exist, then becoming interested in you and what you have to offer, to developing the “know-like-trust” factor, to ultimately taking action to engage with and work with you.
So, it can be incredibly simple, but make sure that you have established what your client journey looks like, and how you encourage them to move from one stage to the next.
Here are some examples of potential marketing channels that you might like to consider. Even if they seem obvious, ask yourself, “Is my business here currently? Is it working for me? Am I being consistent? Am I reaching my ideal client? Am I energised by this approach?” and review accordingly. Perhaps you might like to try something new…
Social Media, Blogging, In-person and Online Networking, Events, Online and In-Person Speaking Gigs, Video, Referral Partners, Strategic Alliances, Email, SEO, Paid Ads, Online Challenges, Webinars, Courses… Have a play and find a strategy that you enjoy!
On a final note, I would suggest that brand awareness at its core is really about creating connections and building relationships. So, if you come from that place, with an energy of curiosity about how you build and nurture better relationships, you will be more open, inviting and receptive to those clients when they come, rather than coming from a place of lack or desperate need.
Good luck and, above all, enjoy the process!
Vicki Messenger helps empower aspiring and early-stage female founders to confidently create, launch and grow purpose-driven, soul-feeding, authentic businesses that work in harmony with their ideal lifestyles. You can find out more about Vicki’s services, along with more articles and heaps of complementary resources at www.vickimessenger.com.
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