101 Series: Brand Awareness and You

The Significance of Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is like the heartbeat of your marketing efforts. It lays the foundation for everything else you do, from social media campaigns to search engine optimization (SEO).

A brand is the public face of what your company does and why your company exists. In a flash of a moment it must be able to convey meaning, place, reason, and need to a customer. In a future post we will discuss the differences in brand awareness (aided and unaided and why these metrics are so important to businesses), but for now let’s keep it somewhat simple. Your brand is your identity. It is your promise to the world about who you are as a company, what you make, and what you stand for.

A quick thought experiment (and you can do this on your own any time!): think about a brand that you know well/love. Maybe it’s Nike, Apple, Burger King, etc. What are the immediate first things you think of when a favorite brand crosses your mind? Are they friendly? Helpful? Pushy? All the above?

A brand is made up many things. Think of it as a character in a play: you need to provide this character a motivation, a style, a voice/outlook, and more. You also need to know how your character interacts with other characters in the play. Brands operate the same way. When brand builders and creative marketers are trying to come up with a new brand (or revitalize an old brand), they have to think about their brand’s tone, voice, interaction and, most importantly, how it interacts with other brands in the world—competition.

Brands are critical. They are expensive, time-consuming, and hard to build, and very easy to loose with a misstep. A brand is even sometimes considered an “intangible asset” on a company balance sheet.

Now that we have a early handle on the importance of a brand, lets think about how companies use their brands to build trust, grow their business and remain top-of-mind:

1. Trust Building: In today’s world, consumers are cautious. They research extensively and rely on others’ opinions before making a purchase. Brand trust is everything. When consumers bond with your brand, they become repeat customers without much hesitation. Brand awareness establishes that trust by putting a face to your brand name.

2. Creating Association: Have you ever reached for a Band-Aid when you had a paper cut? Or Googled a question? These actions are examples of brand association. When your brand becomes synonymous with a product or service, it’s a powerful achievement. Brand awareness ensures that your brand is top-of-mind when consumers need a solution.

3. Loyalty Bridge: Trust leads to loyalty. Once consumers trust your brand, they’re more likely to stay loyal. Repeat purchases become second nature. Brand awareness bridges the gap between trust and loyalty, making your brand a go-to choice.

4. Storytelling Outlet: Brand awareness gives your brand a personality. It allows you to tell your story, receive feedback, and engage with your audience. Just as humans build trust through storytelling, brands can do the same. Whether it’s through social media, content, or advertising, brand awareness provides the canvas for your narrative.

5. Driving Traffic: A well-known brand attracts curious eyes. People visit your website, explore your offerings, and engage with your content. Brand awareness drives traffic, which is essential for conversions and growth.

How to Build Brand Awareness

1. Consistent Branding: Use the same logo, colors, and messaging across all channels. Consistency breeds recognition.

2. Content Marketing: Create valuable content that aligns with your brand’s values. Share it on your blog, social media, and other platforms.

3. Social Media Engagement: Interact with your audience. Respond to comments, ask questions, and foster a community.

4. Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers who resonate with your brand. Their endorsement can boost awareness.

5. Events and Sponsorships: Participate in industry events, sponsor local initiatives, and get your brand out there.

Measuring Brand Awareness

While brand awareness isn’t a neat numerical metric, its impact is tangible. Monitor website traffic, social media engagement, and brand mentions. Surveys and focus groups can also provide insights.

Remember, brand awareness isn’t an overnight success. It’s a gradual process that pays off in the long run. So, invest in building your brand’s presence, and watch it flourish! 🌟

Win the Year: Building Sales Pipeline with ABM

ABM, or account-based marketing, is a strategy that focuses on targeting and engaging specific accounts that are most likely to buy your product or service. ABM can help you accelerate your sales pipeline by creating personalized and relevant experiences for your prospects, aligning your sales and marketing teams, and leveraging data to optimize your campaigns. In this article, we will share some tips on how to boost your pipeline velocity with ABM.

1. Align your sales and marketing teams

One of the key benefits of ABM is that it fosters collaboration and alignment between your sales and marketing teams. By working together on a shared list of target accounts, both teams can coordinate their efforts and resources, avoid duplication and confusion, and deliver consistent and coherent messages across the buyer journey. To achieve sales and marketing alignment, you need to establish clear goals, roles, and processes, use the same platform and metrics, and communicate frequently and effectively.

2. Identify and prioritize your target accounts

The success of your ABM strategy depends largely on how well you select and prioritize your target accounts. You want to focus on the accounts that have the highest potential value, fit, and likelihood to buy from you. To identify and prioritize your target accounts, you need to use a combination of data sources, such as your CRM, web analytics, social media, third-party databases, and customer feedback. You also need to define your ideal customer profile (ICP) and buyer personas, and use them as criteria to score and rank your accounts.

3. Create personalized and relevant content and offers

Develop personal and …

…relevant content and offers, you need to do your research, segment your accounts, map your content to the buyer journey, and use dynamic and interactive formats.

Once you have your target accounts, you need to create content and offers that are tailored to their specific needs, challenges, goals, and preferences. You want to show them that you understand their pain points, that you have a solution that can help them, and that you can provide value at every stage of the buyer journey. To create personalized and relevant content and offers, you need to do your research, segment your accounts, map your content to the buyer journey, and use dynamic and interactive formats.

4. Choose the right channels and tactics to reach your target accounts

Another important aspect of ABM is choosing the right channels and tactics to reach your target accounts. You want to use the channels and tactics that are most effective and efficient for your goals, budget, and audience. You also want to use a mix of inbound and outbound methods, such as email, social media, webinars, events, ads, direct mail, and phone calls. To choose the right channels and tactics, you need to test and measure your results, and optimize your campaigns accordingly.

5. Track and measure your ABM performance and ROI

Finally, you need to track and measure your ABM performance and ROI. You want to know how well your ABM strategy is working, what are the results and outcomes, and what are the areas for improvement. You also want to justify your ABM investment and demonstrate its value to your stakeholders. To track and measure your ABM performance and ROI, you need to define your key performance indicators (KPIs), such as pipeline velocity, conversion rate, deal size, customer lifetime value, and customer satisfaction. You also need to use the right tools and dashboards to collect and analyze your data, and report your findings and insights.

Conclusion

ABM is a powerful way to build your sales pipeline and grow your revenue. By following these tips, you can implement a successful and cost-effective ABM strategy that delivers high-quality, engaged leads from your target accounts.

Uncertainty breeds grit and innovation: A Personal Guide for Job Seekers and Switchers

In crafting this blog post, I approach it with a measured sense of pride for the achievements I've swiftly realized. Departing from my role as Director of Integrated Marketing at Smartsheet was a decision made in a time of uncertainty — an economy in flux, jobless claims at unprecedented lows, and a job market that felt like a competitive arena, where even securing acknowledgment for an application or an initial screening call was akin to a bloodsport.

Embarking on this journey in early January, I couldn't escape the weight of self-doubt and the questioning of my choices. It's a familiar sentiment, one that the Navy Seals encapsulate with "embrace the suck." While I'm no Navy Seal (just a joke!), this phrase genuinely resonated as an inspiration to confront the challenges at hand. Here's a breakdown of the steps I took to embrace the difficulties and secure my dream job in under six weeks:

Embrace Discipline Rapidly:

Discipline emerged as a critical factor I needed to cultivate swiftly. Acknowledging my own lack of natural discipline, I resorted to creating routines, mapping out my week day by day, specifying tasks, locations, and defining success metrics. This structured approach added rigor to my discipline and reinforced my strategies.

Change Your Environment:

Recognizing the importance of a change in perspective, I found it beneficial to conduct career reflections and job searches from different locations. Whether in cozy coffee shops or vibrant city spaces, leaving one's usual environment can refresh the mind, spirit, and body.

Invest in Yourself:

While being cautious with resources, I realized the importance of balancing austerity with enjoyment. Allocating funds for small pleasures like a coffee, lunch, or a drink became essential. Consider these as rewards for your hard work and a way to enhance your day.

Turn It Into a Game:

For motivation, I gamified the process. Creating a dashboard to track key metrics, such as job applications, network connections, callbacks, and rejections, turned the monotony of the job search into an engaging game. While my method involved spreadsheets, the key is to make it personal and tailored to resonate with your own motivations.

Accept Help in Various Forms:

You're not alone in this journey. Utilize the friendships forged over time, seek one-on-one conversations with friends, and benefit from external perspectives. Memories and recommendations from past experiences can be powerful assets.

Patience is Key:

Acknowledge the challenges, frustrations, and stressful moments. It's okay to have bad days. Prepare for the dark clouds, take time off when needed, and return with a more objective outlook. Reach out to supportive individuals in your life; their willingness to help might surprise you.

Navigating this process requires a blend of discipline, changing perspectives, self-investment, a touch of gamification, accepting help, and, above all, patience. Embrace the challenges, stay resilient, and remember that you're never alone in this journey.