Brand recognition is the act of someone recognizing your brand, it’s essentially as the name suggests – and it’s extremely important for businesses looking to increase their customer retention and boost sales through loyal customers.
In this article, we’ve already answered the main question so let’s dive a little deeper into the subject as a whole and explore ways a brand can improve its recognition. Let’s get started!
The Two Types of Brand Recognition
There are two types of brand recognition: good recognition and bad recognition. Both might seem obvious at face value, good is good and bad is bad but in many ways it can be important to have a bit of both. First, let’s cover good brand recognition.
1. Good Brand Recognition
Good brand recognition is a good thing, it means that people know your brand and generally accept it – in most cases, it means that your current customers have some level of loyalty and likely make repeat purchases.
2. Bad Brand Recognition
Bad brand recognition is the opposite of good brand recognition as you could probably already tell. It means people who know your brand have negative feelings towards it. People may not like your products for a variety of reasons that are either in or out of your control.
Truth be told, many brands experience bad brand recognition at some point in their business lives — but, is bad really all that bad of a thing? As we previously mentioned, having some good and some bad can be a great thing and being in the middle has been proven to bring a greater level of success to a business.
The Middle Ground
The middle ground is the sweet spot in brand recognition. The middle tier means that you have repeat and loyal customers and have people that love the idea of your brand and its products. It also means that you have your fair share of people who dislike your brand.
Disliking your brand, or bad brand recognition is not a bad thing in the middle ground, the goal is to have a product or service that generates a form of hype – which naturally many will dislike seeing.
Oftentimes, a dislike that results from hype generates more hype.
How to Improve Brand Recognition
Improving brand recognition is not as hard as many deem it to be. If you’re struggling with improving your brand recognition whether it be lacking in general or in a bad state (from dislikers) we’ve got you covered with these three proven tricks.
1. Get Social
The first trick is to simply become more active on the brand’s social media. This does not mean you need to post every single day on LinkedIn or Meta, it means you need to post more frequently and engage with your pre-existing audience.
Whether you’re trying to bounce back from negative brand recognition or grow a new audience of loyal customers, social media can be a powerful tool. Take a look at the famous fast food chain, Wendy’s. Wendy’s has had its fair share of negative brand associations and is still one of the top fast-food chains in the United States. One factor that helps Wendys is its social media strategy. They’re funny, engaging and generally pretty helpful to their customers who may have questions about their restaurants.
2. Improve Product Offering
The next trick is to simply improve the brand’s product lineup. This doesn’t mean you need to add new products to your roster, it does however mean that you should focus on improving your current product whether that be by using higher-quality products and even lowering the pricing to better reflect your market.
3. Advertising Awareness with Promotional Giveaways
Promotional giveaways are essential in brand recognition, it’s symbolized in the name after all (promotional).
Promotional giveaways are the act of giving away a branded product. If you frequent trade shows, you’ve likely received the cursed pen – a pen with a company’s logo on it.
Promotional giveaways are an effective way to increase brand awareness and recognition. If you choose your products carefully and ensure they’re useful to your target audience, you’re creating a product bond that people will love. Practicality should be at the core of your promotional marketing efforts. The dreaded branded pen, while good in many situations, is often overused. But items such as custom water bottles and branded t-shirts have far more uses than a pen, and add further exposure outside of the average giveaway — it’s simple, people wear shirts that other people then look at. The pen? Your hand is covering 99% of the logo.
Measuring Brand Awareness
Wondering how to measure brand awareness? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered here too. Tracking brand awareness is essential to understand how well your brand is resonating with your target audience.
Here are some effective methods to measure it:
Surveys and Polls
Conducting surveys and polls can provide direct insights into how familiar your target audience is with your brand. You can ask questions like, “Have you heard of our brand before?” or “How did you first learn about our brand?” Utilize online survey tools or social media platforms to gather responses.
Social Media Metrics
Monitor your social media engagement, including likes, shares, comments, and followers. The more engagement you have, the more likely it is that your brand is being noticed. Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or native analytics on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help track these metrics.
Website Traffic
Analyze your website traffic using tools like Google Analytics. Look at the number of visitors, page views, and the average time spent on your site. An increase in organic traffic can indicate growing brand awareness.
Search Volume Data
Use tools like Google Trends or Ahrefs to monitor search volume for your brand name and related keywords. An upward trend in searches for your brand suggests increased awareness.
Brand Mentions
Keep track of how often your brand is mentioned online, whether in news articles, blogs, forums, or social media. Tools like Mention, Brandwatch, or Google Alerts can help you monitor these mentions.
Share of Voice
Compare your brand’s presence to that of your competitors. Share of voice measures how much of the conversation your brand owns in comparison to others in your industry. This can be measured through media mentions, social media presence, and other online interactions.
Customer Feedback
Regularly collect and analyze customer feedback. Reviews, testimonials, and customer service interactions can provide valuable insights into how your brand is perceived.
Brand Recall Tests
Conduct brand recall tests to see how well your brand is remembered by your audience. This can be done through focus groups or surveys where participants are asked to recall brands within their industry.
When you employ any of these methods, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your brand’s awareness and make informed decisions to enhance your marketing strategies.
Increase Your Brand Recognition with Pinnacle Promotions
Looking for a surefire way to improve and increase your brand’s positive recognition? Leave it to the pros here at Pinnacle Promotions with our Program Solutions, effective solutions designed to help you with every area of promotional marketing, from custom products to brand strategy, trust Pinnacle Promotions to deliver the best results for your brand.
