How to Build Brand Awareness in Atlanta
Building brand awareness is an essential top-funnel marketing strategy for building and growing a successful brand. It is an opportunity to leave a positive, lasting impression on your audience to engage and draw them into your sales funnel. Soofa Signs are proud to have a part of the fabric of Atlanta since 2018 and are found in its diverse neighborhoods and communities. Continue reading for our brand-building learnings in The Big Peach.
What is brand awareness?
Brand awareness is how familiar your target audience is with your brand. The greater your brand awareness, the more people will recognize and remember your brand, its messaging, products, and benefits.
Benefits of brand awareness
Let’s look at the Marketing & Sales Funnel. Awareness is the first step any prospective customer takes, so it’s worth investing some time to cast a wider net at the top of your funnel and grow the number of people making it to the point of purchase. That being said, it’s no surprise that 89% of marketers say brand awareness is their top priority.
Building Brand Awareness in Atlanta
There are many ways to build brand awareness in general. Even if you’re targeting a single geographic region, like Atlanta, there are a plethora of actions you can take. Here are five tried and true tactics to boost your brand’s awareness in Atlanta.
1) Start a referral program
Consumers can do the heavy lifting for you and spread the word of your product or service - especially if there’s an added perk. Delta, an Atlanta-based company, reaches new customers when you refer a friend to their Delta Skymiles Card. In return, existing customers have the opportunity to earn miles to use for future flights. In a referral program, you increase your brand’s awareness and users have the opportunity to get their hands on exclusive perks.
2) Launch an OOH campaign
You can reach your target audience out in the real world with Out-of-home (OOH) advertising. OOH, behind digital, is the fastest growing form of advertising worldwide. What’s so powerful about OOH is that people see brands in their own communities on their way to work, with friends, and waiting for their bus. This is hands down, one of the best ways to achieve TOMA (top-of-mind awareness).
Atlanta’s High Museum experienced the benefits of OOH advertising firsthand after reopening after an unexpected closure due to COVID-19. After the four-month closure, they needed a quick and effective way to reach Atlantans outside of their own digital network. Soofa Signs were able to lead 6% of people exposed to the High Museum’s ads to the museum within 30 days.
Learn About Advertising on Soofa Signs
3) Sponsor an event in Atlanta
Without sponsors, events like music festivals, conferences, and sporting events would not be successful. It’s a win-win situation for both parties involved—you support the event and give the resources needed for its success and in return, you have your brand in front of the attendees that lie in your target audience.
While online events took center stage in 2021, the return of in-person events is on the horizon. Keep an eye out for upcoming events, online and in-person. Go big and sponsor a renowned event like Music Midtown in Piedmont Park in September or find other events that your target audience will be attending. To find an event to sponsor, try browsing Discover Atlanta’s site or use Sponsor My Event’s tool.
4) Run Geo-targeted Paid Social Campaigns
Step up your social media presence by running a geo-targeted brand awareness campaign on a social media platform like Facebook or Instagram. When you launch a brand awareness campaign, you reach new people who may be interested in your brand by targeting their specific behaviors, preferences, and geographic location. Most social media platforms allow you to select an audience, location, interests, behavioral activity, and budget to get started, making this an effective, measurable option.
5) Sponsor a community asset
A community asset is anything that improves the quality of community life. These assets make an impact on every person who lives, works, and plays in a given area. Community assets can range from bike-sharing programs to promote health and micro-mobility, parklets that enhance a city’s functionality and beauty, or even local communication tools.
To learn more about community asset sponsorships, how to plan for one, and measuring its success, check out our 10-minute guide.
Sponsor a Soofa Sign
With these tips, you should be on your way to building a strong brand in Atlanta. You’ll create a stronger audience that will remember, recognize, and choose your brand over other alternatives.