The Nike swoosh logo is iconic for many reasons. First, it is the perfect example of what a simplistic and minimalistic brand logo should look like. But more importantly, the swoosh alone stands for Nike, and Nike stands for a range of things.
What Nike has achieved through its swoosh and marketing is a copybook example for all companies. Nike has found its voice and established its identity. Today when we buy a Nike cap, we in turn propagate the brand awareness of Nike.
But what is brand awareness in the first place? Let’s find out.
Brand awareness
The extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services — is how the dictionary defines brand awareness. To put it simply, brand awareness means what people think about your brand. Brand awareness and brand identity are closely related and often overlapping.
The goal of all marketing efforts is not only to increase sales but also to establish brand identity. If people buy your products but do not have any exclusive attachment to them, long-term growth will be very difficult.
Here’s how you can establish brand awareness through marketing:
Thematic consistency
If we look at the most successful companies in the world like Apple, Nike, IBM, or Starbucks, we will see several common points. One of them is thematic consistency. The partly-eaten apple of Apple is present across all its products. Similarly, the G of Google is in every Google product — software or hardware.
What these brands achieve through careful use of logo and design is thematic consistency. One look at a shoe will tell you whether it’s from Nike or some other brand. This immediate association of a product with a brand would not be possible without thematic consistency. If Nike used the swoosh in some products and the word Nike in other places, it would lose this consistency.
No matter the scale or size of your business, thematic consistency should be a primary concern. Achieving and maintaining this would be very fruitful in the long run.
Great service
You can market your products and services as much as you want, but you also need to walk the talk. Great customer service separates successful businesses from the rest. To provide amazing service, you must have your fundamentals in place. That includes sorting out all administrative tasks and processes. You should also consider insuring your business. You can compare general liability insurance by clicking here.
Omnichannel marketing
To establish a brand identity, you must have more than one marketing channel. If all your efforts are concentrated on social media marketing alone, you will not reach the people who do not use social media. Similarly, you will miss most people if you focus on SEO and content marketing alone.
There must be a balance between all forms of marketing channels. Use a mix of print marketing, digital marketing, content marketing, and even word-of-mouth marketing to get the best results. Brands and companies of all sizes would benefit from omnichannel marketing.
Organize and sponsor events
Redbull associates itself with sponsoring extreme sports events. Watchmakers like Tissot and Omega have a long connection with racing events. Reebok hosts the CrossFit games every year and has started a whole new approach to physical fitness.
As you can see, events and sponsorships are the biggest advertisements. At the same time, it is a costly affair. For small to medium businesses, organizing a large sports event may be out of the question.
However, they can still organize small-scale events in their local community. With social media, anyone can host a virtual event. Unfortunately, many brands look at this as an unnecessary expense since it doesn’t generate immediate ROI.
But when you consider the long-term impact of these events, the results are priceless. Any successful event will leave a mark on your brand and work in your favor for years to come. Consider organizing events in any capacity that suits your business.
Build credibility
A company or business becomes credible when enough people trust it as an authority in its niche. One of the best ways to gain credibility is through high-quality, original content. If people come to you for answers, they are very likely to trust the products and services you offer.
Finding your unique brand voice is challenging. It would take you quite some time to establish your brand identity and brand voice. It is absolutely worth the time and effort since an established brand identity can change the fate of any business.