Brand recognition is crucial because it is nearly difficult to reach end goals, such as lead generation and sales without it. It is, in fact, the initial stage in the selling process. As a result, the entire game is dependent on employing proper branding strategies – those that address relevancy and reach the intended audience.
Let me illustrate with an example. Assume you own and operate a restaurant in Nashville. Residents of Nashville will visit your restaurant if they are aware of its existence; otherwise, they will be oblivious to your brand.
So, you will need to work on branding with the help of a marketing agency in Nashville. With successful branding, you will experience rush hours and, as a result, increased earnings.
The most efficient way to make people remember your brand is to frequently show them your brand commercials. If you think that is true, it’s time to debunk the myth.
The key to increasing brand awareness is not quantity but quality. You must provide some value and be relevant to your audience’s needs. Only then will your brand be at the forefront of their minds.
There are several qualitative branding techniques, but harnessing influencers is the hottest and most lucrative in the social media era.
Social media influencers or content creators with niche content are the number one brand endorsers. That’s because their followers are loyal and trust their opinions. That’s why you must try influencer marketing to build your brand.
Here’s a guide to get you going:
Why Use Influencer Marketing for Brand Awareness?
Why should one favor influence marketing over other branding techniques? The answer is obvious. With every business seeking to promote its offerings to consumers, building market presence has become a struggle. Consumers are puzzled about what brand to trust. As a result, they seek suggestions and recommendations from social media influencers.
According to Statista, 763.5 people worldwide used adblocker in 2019. That’s why even the most effective advertising campaigns fail to offer a return on investment. But that’s not the case with influencer marketing because individuals let influencers invade their social media accounts. It proves how powerful influence marketing is.
How to Create an Influencer Marketing Strategy?
Here are some key points to consider when designing your influence marketing campaign:
Defining Goals
Defining goals will help shape your influencer marketing plan. So, whatever your aim is, whether it’s sales, branding, lead generation, or anything else, decide on it. We’ll go with brand recognition because that’s what this article is about.
Identifying the Right Influencer
Finding an appropriate influencer is crucial for the campaign’s success. If you’re launching an online furniture store, you can’t simply partner with a tech or cryptocurrency influencer. Here’s an example for clarity.
COOLA, an organic skincare company, enlisted the participation of 500 travel and lifestyle bloggers in return for a free product. The campaign was a big success, as seen by their huge Instagram following. Moreover, niche influencers can target the relevant market base, and help you achieve result-oriented branding.
Shortlist Influencers
To accomplish concrete business results, work with a widely trusted and admired influencer. Followers’ interactions with the influencer will help you assess that. Find the influencer with the most shares, likes, views, and comments.
Monitor Influencers’ Social Media Activities
Examine how frequently the influencers post content. Check to see if they publish paid or organic content. Always contact someone who is active and publishes non-paid content. Only then will they have a dedicated and steady following of people who are genuinely interested in their suggestions.
Avoid Being Salesy
Don’t pitch to the influencer right away. Instead, show your appreciation towards their posts by liking, commenting, and sharing them for a few days. Then, send them a direct message and propose a collab. Although personally contacting shortlisted influencers may appear daunting, the odds of closing deals by this method are high.
Impress With Your Packaging
The purpose of packaging is to help a product stand out, provide relevant information, and increase sales. You can enhance the attractiveness of your product by using unique packaging.
How do you come up with unique product packaging? One way to do it is by using custom boxes printed with your logo. With a reliable service provider, you can have full control over the customization process. You can decide on the color and style of your brand packaging so that it will truly reflect your brand.
Customized packaging is always a great way to impress potential influencers. They’ll know how important branding is and will see your company as something that wants to offer something valuable to their followers.
Communicate About Everything
Discuss your goals with the content creator, and inform them of the perks other than a paycheck. Perks could include free product samples, discount coupons, etc. Once the deal is on, cooperate with them to produce impactful content that corresponds with your brand’s requirements and the influencer’s style.
Provide a Unique UTM Code to Each Influencer
UTM codes help in measuring the impact of each influencer. They help determine the success of a campaign. If your goal is to improve brand recognition, these codes will tell you which influencer drove how many visitors to your website.
Conclusion
You can use influencers in any method that is appropriate for your brand. For example, you may ask for reviews in exchange for complimentary products, organize a contest and encourage the creator to share prizes with their followers, request guest blogging or sponsored articles, provide discount codes for every sale, and more. In the end, it’s all about using the power of influence marketing for branding.