Brand is important in demand generation. Whether it is a greater likelihood to open emails, look at display ads, or recall phone conversations, a well-known brand helps increase response. (Unless of course the prospect has had a recent bad customer experience – a reminder to ensure your social listening is in place to identify discontent and avoid adding insult to injury.)

But there is plenty that smaller businesses can do to mitigate any disadvantage. Here are some of them:

  1. Be realistic about your brand status. Don’t assume that everyone has heard about your business. They haven’t.
  2. Embrace your positioning. Are you offering something new or different? Or are you a “challenger” brand with a better or cheaper solution than better-known competitors?
  3. Whatever your point of differentiation, make sure you link it prominently with your brand name and logo in all content, telemarketing scripts, and email messages. And don’t forget your website has to reflect your overall brand message
  4. Build your brand presence slowly but persistently. And concentrate your perhaps limited budget on prime prospects rather than dissipate over a wider group. Better to have 100 decisionmakers with strong awareness than 1,000 who get the odd message.
  5. Be patient. Don’t suddenly expect brand recognition to soar after a few months. Persevere.
  6. Don’t forget social media. Post on LinkedIn and elsewhere regularly in ways which will support your brand message
  7. Think of engagement strategies like surveys and webinars to mix things up
  8. Track and measure. What is working and what is not? Use metrics that measure impact on your demand generation as well as brand awareness surveys
  9. Look for references and endorsements from customers or clients that are well-known. “You may not have heard of me, but you will have heard of our customer X!”
  10. Finally give you brand a personality …it should reflect your values and those of your team. Nerdy, relaxed, reliable, innovative, customer friendly, environmentally conscious – or whatever it happens to be.

Demand Studio is here to help convert these principles into action!