Using Content to Increase Brand Awareness

We are confronted by huge amounts of information every time we go online, so a brand trying to capture a new audience has to produce something very eye-catching. We are focused on what we want to see, so a brand’s marketing material must be valuable if we are to spend valuable time reading/watching/clicking our way through it. Value is really how to get someone coming back to your website, Twitter feed, RSS or whatever it is that you wish to draw attention to.

Here are a few methods that brands have used to reach new audiences with content:

Digital PR

Reaching new audiences that are as passionate about your industry as you is the ultimate goal when producing content for brand awareness. A great way to do this is to appear as a guest blogger on a relevant website. For example, if you sell women’s fashion, you might try approaching blogs that talk about current trends or review fashion items. Consider asking a blogger if they would allow one of your lead designers to write an opinion piece on a specific new trend; this would be a subtle way of introducing your brand, while keeping the blog’s readers interested.

Sounds simple! However, it is important to remember that bloggers with popular publications are getting wise to this. There is a chance that they will ask for an incentive (usually monetary) for a brand to appear on their blog. Equally, fashion may have been a bad example. Most bloggers would jump at the chance for a designer to write on their blog, but other verticals may not be so simple, especially with B2B content.

Invest in the best

This is the expensive option. Many brands dream of their content going viral and a billion people seeing it, just like ‘Gangnam Style’. However, this may not be the best way to reach your desired audience. There are now numerous companies claiming to produce viral videos, but it really does take a lot of research, focus groups and cash to get it right for your audience. If you are serious about making video content for brand awareness, it is important to do your research and get a really good video producing company on the case. It is not a time to cut corners.

A great example of a non-branded viral video is Reebok’s ‘Walking on Water’ with over 12 million views:

Brand partnerships

As long as they are not your direct competitors, collaborating with other brands that share your audience can be a very effective way to reach new audiences. It is similar to the theory of digital PR. The relationship can be mutually beneficial and produce some great results. It can also lead to long-term partnerships that can be very profitable over time. A good example of co-branding to reach a shared luxury and aspirational audience was when DKNY met Veuve Clicquot to produce a very shiny line of yellow rubber boots:

If you would like to know more about content and content strategy, please contact us on [email protected]