How to Build Social Media Brand Awareness: Tips, Ideas & Examples

Most brands nowadays use social media to connect with potential clients. And for good reason! People are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media, and also tend to be more loyal to them. So, let's go right ahead and delve into various strategies that can help you build social media brand awareness.

Did you know that 75% of internet users research brands on social media? Or that 90% buy from brands they follow?

This already suggests why use social media to increase brand awareness. Thanks to its ability to target specific audiences, social media is one of the best ways to create brand awareness with people actually interested in what you have to offer. But how to increase brand awareness on social media? Where to begin?

Don't worry - we've got you covered. Here's what you'll learn:

• Why use social media to increase brand awareness?
• How to increase brand awareness on social media - strategies, best practices, and content ideas?
• Famous social media campaigns for brand awareness

Why use social media to increase brand awareness?

There are 4.9 billion people on social media. This means that, whatever your industry is, there’s a solid chance your audience has social profiles on at least one channel.Not only that, brand building on social media has a lot of other benefits over more traditional forms of brand marketing. Here are some of the key ones:

• Reach: With billions of users worldwide, social media platforms offer an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to reach new audiences and increase their visibility.
• Engagement: Social networks allow you to interact with your target audience directly, providing valuable insights into customer preferences and needs. It also fosters loyalty through personalized communication.
• Affordability: Unlike traditional advertising methods like print or TV ads, most social media marketing efforts can be executed at a fraction of the cost—making it accessible even for small businesses with limited budgets.
• Analytical tools: Many popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram provide built-in analytics features that help track the performance of your content. By leveraging analytical tools, marketers can use real-time feedback from users to refine media marketing strategies.

How to increase brand awareness on social media?

To maximize the benefits of using social media channels for increasing brand awareness, it is essential first to understand which platforms best suit your business goals.

For example, visual-heavy industries like fashion or food might find greater success on Instagram or Pinterest than text-based sites like Twitter or LinkedIn. This way your content will resonate with your target audience, helping you boost brand awareness and engagement. 

One effective way to build brand awareness on social media is through brand awareness campaigns. These campaigns are designed to increase brand recognition and recall among your target audience. This may include paid ads, content ideas, and social mention tools.

Another way to generate brand awareness is by building a strong social media presence. For this, you’ll need plenty of creative post ideas that align with your social media brand guidelines. While your social media design should be cohesive, content can vary. For example, you can share tips and information from your blog posts, funny memes, and polls and contests to boost social media engagement.

Finally, social media can also be used to provide excellent customer service. By responding promptly to customer inquiries and complaints on social media, you can demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and build trust with your current customers.

Strategies for building brand awareness on social media

When it comes to brand awareness, it's very difficult to become an overnight success. You might have the odd "viral" moment, but if you want to create long-term relationships with your target audience you'll need a well-thought out social media brand awareness strategy.

In this section, we'll provide a list of ideas that will help you do it.

Targeting the right audience

Understanding your desired demographic is vital for making your marketing efforts successful. Research demographics and interests of potential customers (e.g. Sprout Social has an exhaustive list of insights that you should check out).

Of course, don't take data at face value. Always remember to research your existing followers and any data you may have on your customers. For example, a millennial audience of fantasy gamers is more likely to be on Reddit and even Twitter than they are on Instagram.

Created branded social profiles

If you've been trying to convert your very popular personal social platform into a business one, think again. Having official social accounts doesn't only convey professionalism - there are also many platforms (Facebook, Instagram) where you can't run paid ads, or use different features if you don't have a business account.

Moreover, it's critical to create cohesive branding across your social platforms, as this helps you to connect with customers and retain new followers in the long run.

Use a brand awareness ROI calculator

A Brand Awareness ROI Calculator enables businesses to quantify their social media marketing efforts by measuring key performance indicators like reach, engagement, and conversions. By tracking these metrics over time, marketers can optimize strategies for maximum effectiveness.

Set SMART goals

How to increase brand awareness on social media? First you'll need to know what brand awareness means for you. For example, it could be more followers, a higher reach, or, more visits to your website from a specific social media platform. So, you'll need to set some goals, which need to be:

• S: Specific - Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• M: Measurable - Establish quantifiable criteria for success.
• A: Achievable - Set realistic objectives based on available resources.
• R: Relevant - Align goals with overall business objectives and customer needs.
• T: Time-bound - Assign deadlines for accomplishing each goal.

How to create content for social media brand awareness?

Now that we got the technical stuff out of the way, let's explore a few content ideas to include in your social media brand awareness strategy.

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Utilize targeted hashtags

Using targeted hashtags can increase impressions on social media posts and make your brand known among relevant audiences. Research popular hashtags within your industry or create unique ones that represent your brand's values. This will help users discover and engage with your content, ultimately increasing visibility and recognition.

Collaborate with other brands

Collaborating with other brands, especially those that share similar target audiences or values, can lead to effective cross-promotion campaigns. Partnering up allows both parties to benefit from each other's followers while offering fresh content ideas for their respective social media pages.

User-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC), such as customer reviews, testimonials, or photos featuring products/services, provides an authentic way of showcasing how real people interact with your offerings. Encourage customers to tag you in their posts by creating branded hashtags or running contests where they have a chance to win prizes if they participate. It's free, fun, and can skyrocket engagement - what's not to love!

Leverage influencers & ambassadors

Partnering with influencers and brand ambassadors who align with your values can help you reach new audiences. These individuals have a loyal following that trusts their recommendations, making them valuable assets in increasing brand awareness. Less is often more when it comes to influencer marketing campaigns, since recent studies show micro influencers (follower count 10k-100k) have over 22 times higher conversion rates than other influencers.

Share behind-the-scenes stories

There are few better ways to enhance your social media brand awareness strategy, then offering some genuine "unpolished" types of ontent. According to Social Media Today, 86% of consumers value authenticity when deciding which brands they support!

Giving users an inside look at how your business operates can make them feel more connected to the brand, and give your brand a more authentic feel. This could include sharing employee spotlights, hosting live Q&A sessions on social networks like Instagram or Facebook Live, or even providing sneak peeks into upcoming product launches.

Engage with trending topics

To further boost brand awareness efforts on social media, consider creating social media content around popular posts or current events within your niche community. This approach not only helps you stay relevant but also increases the likelihood of users sharing your content with others who share similar interests. Be sure to monitor trends closely using tools like Social Mention, so you can respond quickly when opportunities arise.

Successful social media brand awareness campaigns

And now we get to the good stuff! If you're stuck with ideas while creating your social media brand awareness strategy, this section is for you. Here are some of the most famous and successful social media campaigns to learn from!  

Coca-Cola's Liquid & Linked campaign

Sometimes a brand awareness campaign doesn't need to be linked to the launch of a flashy new product, or even a viral ad. Coca Cola's Liquid and Linked strategy refers to its efforts to capture a disproportionate share of popular culture through content marketing efforts.

The basic idea is simple, yet powerful. Coca Cola creates amazing content ("liquid") connected to the company's business objectives, brand, and customer interests ('linked"). The most famous example is probably their iconic Share a Coke campaign, which prompted thousands of social media users to share bottles and cans of Coke bearing their name, nickname, or the name of a person they love.

Another social media brand awareness example is the 2018 UK campaign "We Do", which Coke launched after the increase in price of sugar (and subsequently the price of their drink). They wanted to remind people what a cultural staple their drink is, by highlighting that their recipe hadn't changed for over 125 years.

So, they compared the drink to pop culture giants, such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. And when you put it that way - who would be bothered about something as trivial, as a price increase of a few pennies?

The one key takeaway from this campaign is to consider the big picture.

Creating a viral social media post is awesome, but initiating a lasting conversation is much better. Give people an incentive to interact with your brand, whether it's by inviting them to share their personal experiences, or engage in a bigger socio-historical moment.

Old Spice targeting the hipster demographic

The now famous Old Spice ads are a great example of building brand awareness on social media. By tapping into the hipster crowd with posts on their social media pages featuring quirky humor and memorable characters, Old Spice managed to create buzz around their products and boost overall engagement rates.

What's the takeaway here? A pretty simple, yet powerful “understand your target audience”. Dads and grands probably wouldn't have been too appreciative about the absurdity of these posts. But, when shared on social media channels with the right target demographic, they become an instant hit.

Smirnoff makes a cocktail for every occasion

If you want to build brand awareness across social media, you need to know about trending topics. Smirnoff New Zealand had a fun campaign of sharing a cocktail recipe each day for 100 days. Whether it's a simple TGIF cocktail, a tribute to a trending TV show like Emily in Paris, a (Spotify) Wrapped cocktail, or even a "Freed Britney" to mark the end of her conservatorship - the brand really found a great way to build hype around their product.

And not only that! The clever use of a particular type of social media posts (carousel) helped to bring even more engagement, as people were keen to find out how to make some of the creative drinks.

Aldi campaigns for a free Cuthbert

This is one of the most talked about Twitter campaigns in recent years. A British supermarket chain M&S filed a lawsuit against Aldi over an alleged copyright infringement over their caterpillar-shaped "Colin" cake.

Instead of being serious about the, quite frankly ridiculous lawsuit, Aldi responded with a hilarious campaign to #FreeCutbhert presenting their caterpillar-shaped dessert as a wrongfully accused. The campaign racked over 60,000 whimsical tweets of people partaking in this absurd courtroom drama. Moreover, it gave the (usually somewhat bland) supermarket brand a younger, more fun tone of voice.

Conclusion

Effective social media brand awareness marketing is a long and complex process. It requires a deep understanding of your target audience and the platforms that they use. When creating content, remember that authenticity is vital for creating trust and loyalty among your social media followers.

We hope a few of these best brand campaigns gave you some food for thought for your own marketing efforts. Don’t be afraid to showcase your personality, and get people excited about topics you care about yourself.

Finally, don’t forget to harness the power of great social media design. Whether it’s adding a beret to your canned drink, or a custom GIF that your audience can laugh with, professional design is a must.

Discover how ManyPIxels can meet all your creative needs for a flat monthly rate. Or, book a call with us and tell us how we can help!