5 reasons why social media presence is important for your business (part 1/5)
Increased brand recognition
Brand recognition is the extent to which the public can identify a brand by its attributes. Brand recognition, also known as “aided brand recall”, is the most successful when people can state a brand without being explicitly exposed to the company’s name, but rather through visual or auditory signifiers like logos, slogans, packaging, colours or jingles as seen in advertising.
To build brand recognition, a company must repeatedly provide consumers with a consistent visual or auditory learning experience. Consider the case of television advertising. A brand that spends millions on a single television commercial during a soccer match against the biggest rivals in football may be forgotten weeks after the game. However, a brand that uses a football commercial to reinforce a years-long advertising campaign will have higher brand recognition.
Brand recognition is developed by reach, frequency ad consistency. A useful tactic in advertising is for a brand to develop a campaign around a concept or a slogan. Examples of concepts or slogans that helped with brand recognition include “Just Do It” from Nike, “Everywhere You Go” by MTN and, “Finger Lickin’ Good” by KFC. Brand recognition can be contrasted with brand awareness, which means the consumer knows that a brand exists. Brand recognition has several advantages over brand awareness, including consumer preference, loyalty, and, in some cases, trust. Brand recognition can stem from positive or negative associations. To gain confidence and advocacy from consumers, brand recognition should be combined with brand equity.
Effectiveness of brand recognition
To ensure brand recognition and the effectiveness of promotional campaigns, many companies will perform experiments on study groups. Companies may also utilize a unique, touching, or heart felt story that lets customers know why they are in business. Customers tend to remember brands that reach them on a personal or emotional level and are more likely to recommend and buy products/services from a company they know and value.
If brand recognition is done correctly, your product should be recognized even without using its name. The goal is to get potential customers to recognize the service you provide instantly without requiring much effort. For example, can you think of a restaurant that is symbolized by a debonair man carrying a pizza box, or a computer company identified by a particular fruit? Companies will often engage in market research to test brand recognition.
So, think of social media as an opportunity for you to reach the masses and to have your brand, in simple terms, thrown into people’s faces for familiarity and to create curiosity for potential customers. Look out for improved brand loyalty in the next part of this series.
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