Accelerate Business Growth and Valuation By Building Brand Awareness

Develop and deploy comprehensive, multi-touchpoint brand awareness strategies to become the trusted brand that buyers think of first.

EXECUTIVE BRIEF

Analyst perspective

Building brand awareness

Achieving high brand awareness in a given market and becoming the benchmark for buyers is what every brand wants to achieve, as it is a guarantee of success. Building brand awareness, even though its immediate benefits are often difficult to see and measure, is essential for companies that want to stand out from their competitors and continue to grow in a sustainable way. The return on investment (ROI) may take longer, but the benefits are also greater than those achieved through short-term initiatives with the expectation of immediate, albeit often limited, results.

Brands that are familiar to their target market have greater credibility, generate more sales, and have a more loyal customer base. CMOs that successfully execute brand awareness programs build brand equity and grow company valuation.

Nathalie Vezina
Marketing Research Director
SoftwareReviews Advisory

Executive summary

Brand leaders know that brand awareness is essential to the success of all marketing and sales activities. Brands that fail to invest in brand awareness are likely to face some, if not all these problems:

• Lack of brand visibility and compelling storytelling.
• Inability to reach the target audience.
• Low engagement on digital platforms and with ads.
• Difficulties generating and converting leads, or closing/winning sales/deals, and facing a high cost per acquisition.
• Low/no interest or brand recognition, trust level, and customer retention rate.
• Inability to justify higher pricing.

Convincing stakeholders of the benefits of strong brand awareness can be difficult when the positive outcomes are hard to quantify, and the return on investment (ROI) is often long-term. Among the many obstacles brand leaders must overcome are:

• Lack of longer-term corporate vision, focusing all efforts and resources on short-term growth strategies for a quick ROI.
• Insufficient market and target buyers' information and understanding of the brand's key differentiator.
• Misalignment of brand message, and difficulties creating compelling content that resonates with the target audience, generates interest, and keeps them engaged.
• Limited or no resources dedicated to the development of the brand.

Inspired by top-performing businesses and best practices, this blueprint provides the guidance and tools needed to successfully build awareness and help businesses grow. By following these guidelines, brand leaders can expect to:

• Gain market intelligence and a clear understanding of the buyer's needs, your competitive advantage, and key differentiator.
• Develop a clear and compelling value proposition and a human-centric brand messaging driven by the brand's values.
• Increase online presence and brand awareness to attract and engage with buyers.
• Develop a long-term brand strategy and execution plan.

"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another."

– Seth Godin

What is brand awareness?

The act of making a brand visible and memorable.

Brand awareness is the degree to which buyers are familiar with and recognize the attributes and image of a particular brand, product, or service. The higher the level of awareness, the more likely the brand is to come into play when a target audience enters the " buying consideration" phase of the buyer's journey.

Brand awareness also plays an important role in building equity and increasing business valuation. Brands that are familiar to their target market have greater credibility, drive more sales and have a more loyal customer base.
Building brand awareness allows increasing:

• Brand visibility, perception, recognition, and reputation
• Interactions and engagement with the target audience
• Digital advertising performance and ROI
• Conversion rates and sales wins
• Revenue and profitability
• Market share and share of voice (SOV)
• Talents, partners, and investors attraction and retention
• Brand equity, business growth, and market valuation

"Products are made in a factory, but brands are created in the mind."
Source: Walter Landor

Capitalizing on a powerful brand

A longer-term approach for an increased and more sustainable ROI.

Market leader position

Developing brand awareness is essential to increase the visibility and traction of a brand.

Several factors may cause a brand to be not well-known. One reason might be that the brand recently launched, such as a startup. Another reason could be that the brand has rebranded or entered a new market.

To become the trusted brand that buyers think of first in their target markets, it is critical for these brands to develop and deploy comprehensive, multi-touchpoint brand awareness strategies.

A relationship leading to loyalty

A longer-term brand awareness strategy helps build a strong relationship between the brand and the buyer, fostering a lasting and rewarding alliance.

It also enables brands to reach and engage with their target audience effectively by using compelling storytelling and meaningful content.

Adopting a more human-centric approach and emphasizing shared values makes the brand more attractive to buyers and can drive sales and gain loyalty.

Sustainable business growth

For brands that are not well established in their target market, short-term tactics that focus on immediate benefits can be ineffective. In contrast, long-term brand awareness strategies provide a more sustainable ROI (return on investment).

Investing in building brand awareness can impact a business's ability to interact with its target audience, generate leads, and increase sales. Moreover, it can significantly contribute to boosting the business's brand equity and market valuation.

"Quick wins may work in the short term, but they're not an ideal substitute for long-term tactics and continued success."
Source: Forbes