Obvi Brand Recognition Top 10
Google this and you’ll find all kinds of crap. None of it cuts to the chase and it all reads like it’s pulled from a circa 2012 500 page Marketing Textbook. It’s easy to get caught up in the nuance of brand recognition, but without the obvious foundations maximized to their fullest potential not only will things like influencers, referral marketing, and (god-forbid) merch be a waste of time but they likely will never stand a chance of happening in the first place. So without further adieu, here is our Ovi Brand Recognition Top 10.
- The four-letter word: Blog
We have this at #10 because technically your brand could survive and be successful without it. HOWEVER, when you want to get serious about brand growth and attracting new customers blogging is hard to deny. It’s common for some to shudder at the thought of doing a blog, but it really doesn’t have to be that hard. A well-written, creative and engaging post once a quarter is fine (monthly is better). We can speak from experience how the phone rings in relation to a past post. Four hours of your time every month or so provides a compelling ROI when it results in a new client that could stay with you for years. Want to read a good blog? Check out Agency in Paradise.
- Good design is good business
There are plenty of brands out there with great design while others don’t see the value or need to invest in their visual image. As designers, we are always shocked at how some of the fully left-brained simply can’t see that making it bold, with italics and underline isn’t necessarily driving your point home. If brand awareness is important to you, don’t you want to be pretty, stylish, interesting, note-worthy, clever, funny, attention-getting, even award-winning as it relates to how others see you? Come on. Get serious about design and hire pros to get it done for you. Here’s some eye candy.
- Leverage all of social media
You’ve heard of this right? $56 Billion (with a B) is projected to be spent on social media advertising in 2022. Long gone are the days that simply having a business page on Facebook or posting something to Instagram every few weeks constitutes a social media presence. Social media advertising is one of the most effective (and cost-effective) advertising avenues. While some will argue that for brand awareness traditional media is king (do you have a TV ad budget?), it can’t be taken lightly that 55% get it through social media. This number skyrockets when just looking at Gen Z and Millenials. And guess what? Gen Z and our Millennial friends are getting older, wiser, and wealthier. Need more info? Let us explain …
- Consist of Consistency
Ask any social media pro how important consistency is. It’s not important, it’s vital. Of course one can’t consistently be pumping out garbage, so content quality is equally important, but we will get to that … This doesn’t just apply to social either. It’s critical that you know who you are talking to and never waver from your core brand message and ethos. Likewise in your visual identities. Of course, a brand tweak or refresh could be in the cards but don’t stray from your home base too much. Stay classy.
- Content isn’t king, it’s the kingdom
Tired of hearing that content is king? Well, you better not be because it’s as important as ever. Our world is so crowded with click-bait garbage, cliché B.S. and mainstream politicizing that it’s hard to find anything noteworthy anymore. (CUT THE CORD! DEFUND THE MEDIA! Okay, sorry. Had to say it.). For the love of god produce great content. Branded content. Stuff your clients actually want to see, damn the rest of them. Stay true, stay targeted, and don’t just pump out content for content’s sake. I could go on, but you get what we are saying right? Need more, check this out!
- Creative Display Advertising
Display ads are the grandpa of the digital advertising world, but hey one may have gotten you here! Gone are the days of a 44% click-through rate from the first AT&T banner ad, but grandpa is still going strong. It’s still a top tool for building brand awareness and you can’t beat the price, statistical advantages, and opportunity to be super creative. Creativity is one of the great differentiators in this ad segment. You don’t often see too many clever, well-executed display ads. Begin to leverage video (18.4% higher CTR) and native ads (49% higher CTR) and then you really have something.
- Equally Creative Retargeting Campaigns
Display ads have an encore that you gotta do. Sure, it’s kinda creepy, super big-brother but if you spin a little tongue-in-cheek and some good design, it will seem much less so. Still don’t want to do it? Well, retargeted users are 70% more likely to convert into customers. So you have a 49% larger viewership (from display) and a 70% conversion spike on top of that — Want to know more? Drop us a line.
- Honestly, some amount of SEO. It’s really not that hard.
Your brand can’t be recognized if it can’t be found. Sure, it’s not all science, there is some art to it, but the nuts and bolts are pretty straightforward. The reason why folks think this is hard is they hear the word “algorithm” and immediately run for the hills. Yes, big scary words, and Google’s is certainly always changing, but if you have good SEO, a plan to keep it fresh, it will fundamentally always be relevant to the algorithm.
- Have a fantastic website
Your website is the nerve center, HQ, mission control, and final resting place for all of the reasons why anyone would want to know what you do or who you are. Sure, social media is a 500lb gorilla for your brand. In terms of visibility, information, and credibility, the best brands in the world have killer websites. Heard the term “mobile-first”? Eric Schmidt from Google was saying this nearly a decade ago and yeah, it’s pretty much mobile first so yours better look great on a phone. Currently, over 60% of traffic is mobile (and that just keeps going up). If you don’t do any of the aforementioned items on this list, at least pony up for a solid web presence.
- Love what you do
Barf. But damn if it isn’t true. This list has some daunting items on it. Heck, it could take a long-ass-time to make it through this list successfully. You know what? The ones that do it best are the ones that can’t do without it. They love it. Can’t get enough. It’s constantly changing. Always something new. Can never learn enough. Those are the ones that thrive because well, they love it. If you don’t love it, find someone to help that does. MyerRoberts.com
