With visibility comes awareness. But as businesses struggle to stay visible in the eyes of their current and future customers, it becomes harder for them to maintain the awareness they need for long-term growth.
Broadcasting marketing messages is no longer enough in acquiring new customers. The reason is that you may be overlooking one crucial factor: some of your ideal customers are unaware of the needs they need met.
Building brand awareness comes after the awareness of a need that isn’t being met. Understanding how to approach this segment of the market provides a more effective path to converting prospects into customers.
Tailor Your Message
Consider how people are spread across your entire sales cycle. Some prospects are more familiar with you than others. So you need to communicate to them accordingly.
Likewise, those individuals who aren’t aware that they even need a product or service like yours must be approached the right way. By tailoring your message to the right people, you improve conversion dramatically.
Avoid the mistake of creating a marketing message that tries to promote the brand first. Consumers won’t distinguish your brand from competitors if they haven’t realized a need yet.
Use feedback from your analytics, social media, and other campaigns to gauge the results of your marketing. Tighten the focus of your message to meet the right people at the right time.
Identify the Problem for Them
Your product or service is a solution. But even people who realize they have a problem may not know that a solution like yours exists.
If you consider the idea of pain points—the needs and desires that customers have—then you must also consider that some people aren’t experiencing enough pain to seek out a solution just yet.
You need to craft a message that focuses on the customer. Avoid bragging or making exaggerated claims about your brand (at least for now). Address the needs of the customer first before talking about how great you are at what you do.
Be the Solution
Once you’ve created awareness of the problems (pain points) that customers have, you can begin to position yourself as the ideal solution.
By distinguishing yourself from competitors and highlighting the features of your business, you become the clear choice for prospects. They understand why they should choose you because you’re the one who’s helped them identify the problem and solution.
This is the stage where you educate prospects on the problem and how to solve it. Whether you’re selling a physical product, software, or service, your prospects will benefit from understanding how you can alleviate their pain points.
You can establish social proof using testimonials and reviews. Any recognition you’ve received should also be highlighted. Your prospect is at a point where she knows she has a problem, she understands the solution, and now needs to know why she should choose you over your competitors.
Building Brand awareness doesn’t come from being visible to your audience. It requires that you help them identify their need for a solution to a problem they may not even know they have. You provide even more value by uncovering what’s hidden.
You are positioning yourself as an authority that people can trust. This is just one component of a long conversation you begin with your customers.
When they come to understand that a solution exists, they are more likely to purchase from you. But until then, you risk making your brand into just another logo.
