12 Tips for Maintaining Brand Awareness Throughout the Year
By Brett Farmiloe
Becoming a consistent and quality resource for reporters, engaging in social causes, and creating and using a consistent hashtag are only a few of the ways these marketing leaders and business leaders keep their brands top of mind year-round. Read on for their best PR tips.
PR tips to maintain brand awareness
1. Never stop pitching
"It's crucial to constantly pitch new content ideas to your press and media contacts. If you only submit the same ideas, they will become stale; consistent outreach to journalists and sending new data or thought leadership will improve the likelihood that your brand is represented."
—Logan Mallory, Motivosity
2. Require marketing staff to come up with ideas for digital marketing campaigns
"Make digital PR ideation a mandatory requirement for all employees in the marketing and PR departments. We've been applying this strategy at our company and have found that junior employees come up with some of the best and most creative ideas. Being innovative and relevant in a crowded marketplace isn't easy, but consistently engaging your audience with high-quality content is an excellent way to keep your brand top of mind all year-round. Make sure you focus on providing your target customer with content that will make them click."
—Natalia Brzezińska, UK Passport Photo
3. Conduct surveys
"Surveys are one of the pieces of information most used by journalists. Many articles are based on surveys, as journalists will center their stories or a narrative around a particular trend or issue that the data addresses. Conducting surveys of your website visitors, current customers, or individuals on your email list will allow you to not only address and control the subject matter, but also become a valuable resource for journalists who will reference your data in their articles. If you conduct regular surveys, you will always have information ready to serve a journalist's needs and keep your brand top of mind year-round."
—David Derigiotis, Embroker
4. Get involved with a social cause
"By volunteering and getting actively involved in a social cause that positively impacts the community, you will not only be doing something that's good for society, but you will also be creating an opportunity for your brand to be seen and remembered. People remember brands that are associated with things that are good and meaningful."
—Shaun Connell, Writing Tips Institute
5. Tie your marketing to the current season
"A content calendar is a powerful PR tool, and when you layer in the four seasons, it keeps you mindful of changing mindsets, interests, and activities. Think about what happens in the spring. The weather gets warmer, trees bud, flowers bloom, and animals come out of hibernation. People come out of hibernation too and want to go outside to enjoy the sunshine. Anchor your brand to that feeling and the activities that go along with it. If you do so effectively through earned and owned media, you'll be top of mind whenever people have related thoughts."
—Dennis Consorte, Snackable Solutions
6. Become a consistent and quality resource for reporters
"The single most important PR tip to keep your brand top of mind all year-round is to consistently create and distribute quality content. Content should be distributed through multiple channels, including social media, websites, online magazines, press releases, and blogs. Additionally, it is important to engage with influencers and reporters in order to increase the reach and visibility of your brand's message. Finally, never forget to measure the impact of your content and activities, so you can make sure that every effort is worthwhile."
—Brandon Schroth, Reporter Outreach
7. Share news from your industry—and not just your own news
"Being seen as your own news 'hub' for your industry is an incredible way of obtaining positive PR back to your brand. You're essentially positioning your business as an authority in the space, and a selfless one at that—in that you have no issues sharing and promoting similar businesses in your industry to promote news in the space."
—Tracey Beveridge, Personnel Checks
8. Leverage the power of education
"You've heard the phrase 'knowledge is power,' right? As I've grown my brand and personal influence, I've found leveraging the power of education to be the best tip to keep my brand at the forefront of my audience's mind. The reason? Education is one of the most impactful ways to build trust, as it empowers your audience.
"For instance, I take a proactive approach by regularly hosting engaging and informative webinars and workshops that delve into the latest industry trends and best practices. I also create a wide variety of educational content and guides, which my audience can access and refer to all year round. This approach not only keeps my brand top of mind, but also positions my brand as a reliable source of information and support, which leads to a deeper connection with my audience.
"In a nutshell, investing in education is an incredibly effective PR tip that should not be overlooked."
—Maria Harutyunyan, Loopex Digital
9. Strive to be authentic and relevant
"The best way to stay top of mind is to be as authentic and relevant as possible with every story you pitch. This will help you build value and credibility as a content creator so that when your brand's industry is being spotlighted, you will be one of the people called upon to share your insights. Also, be ready with ancillary items such as infographics, candidates to interview for stories, and videos to help add even more brand value."
—Chris Biscuiti, Minuteman Press International
10. Create and consistently use a dedicated hashtag for your brand
"Connect with your audience and keep your brand top of mind by creating a dedicated hashtag and consistently use it in your communications. This will encourage your audience to also use it and become part of your community. Additionally, you can use the hashtag to track engagement and gain insights into what your audience wants from you.
"The key to using a hashtag successfully is to make sure that every post that is related to your brand uses the hashtag. If you use the hashtag in only some of your posts, your audience may miss it, and you will not get the full benefit of using it. By using the hashtag consistently and in every post that applies to your brand, you can help to grow your community and keep your brand top of mind."
—Luciano Colos, PitchGrade
11. Maintain a blog
"Blogs are a great low-cost way to keep your brand at the top of consumers' minds year-round. Content can be shared across various social media platforms, which will draw viewers to your site.
"It's important that the content be substantive to both your existing customers as well as to a larger audience. Content shouldn't be focused just on marketing your products, but on exploring your field in a broader context. For example, if you are a personal fitness company, you wouldn't want your blog to focus just on what services you offer. Instead, it should discuss the overall benefits of physical activity and ways to be healthy.
"Also ensure that you update your content on a consistent basis. This will help your viewers know when to expect the next article."
—Brianna Bitton, O Positiv
12. Become a key source of the latest industry news
"Anytime there's a major shift or event in your industry, interview your CEO or another C-level executive at your company to get their perspective. Then package their statement into a press release and let the PR distribution network do what it does best. In doing so, you will reinforce your brand as one that is always at the forefront of relevant industry developments with an interesting take on the most recent industry-related news. In turn, your brand will stay relevant and top of mind with your audience, which will come to rely on your brand's voice and its message."
—Goran Luledzija, Localizely
About the Author
Post by: Brett Farmiloe
Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Terkel, a Q&A site that converts insights from small business owners into high-quality articles for brands.
Company: Terkel
Website:
Terkel.io
Connect with me on
LinkedIn
