Absolute #1 Way to Increase Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is easily attained. Nowadays, it doesn't take much to get your name out there.

Just ask the parents of the Balloon Boy.

But Balloon Boy's time has come and gone. The original buzz around the controversy has lost its momentum. We will see some follow up news about this family because their actions were so remarkable, but interest will wane because people feel duped.

Marketing via controversy is not a long term strategy.

The best way to increase brand awareness over time is to increasingly supply value. Value is the fuel for the brand awareness machine.

Add value--per your Marketing DNA--and move your business to the next level.

Sure, you can increase brand awareness with a publicity stunt, a controversial idea or some other audience-grabbing event. But if there is no substance beyond the initial exploit, then awareness will fade faster than it was built.

The graph is an illustration that strong brand awareness is built by increasing levels of value. Per the small curvature, you can reduce value and still increase brand awareness. But this is just a blip, just like the Balloon Boy.

In order to build a strong brand, you need to increasingly provide value without any blips.

For most small businesses, brand awareness depends on referrals, recommendations and repeat business. Value is the key to unlock the flood gates of referrals, recommendations and repeat business.

So host a tasting event, have a customer appreciation week, give informative (i.e. not salesy) presentations, offer an add-on service for free or otherwise create some additional value for your product or service.

Adding value will build your brand and move your business to the next level.

Going Rogue or Just Plain Nutz?

Marketing via controversy is a tough way to build long term marketing success. Nevertheless, you don't have to be "liked" in your marketing efforts.

In fact, a lot of great buzz can be created with divisive tactics.

Take Bookshop Santa Cruz for example. A locally owned and independent bookstore, Bookshop Santa Cruz has made a national name for itself with some notorious maneuvers.

It's most recent initiative was to include a bag of "Just Plain Nutz" with every purchase of Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue.

Santa Cruz leans left on the political spectrum, so there was little surprise locally. However, this tactic alone generated national coverage including a blog post on The Huffington Post.

Risky, maybe. Effective, yes.

It goes to show that a little contoversy, if managed correctly, can generate some terrific publicity.

If you are thinking about a good publicity stunt, ensure the possible outcomes are more Bookshop Santa Cruz than Balloon Boy. For Bookshop Santa Cruz, they either sell more books or resonate more with their target audience. Both outcomes are favorable.

You can use controversy to move your business to the next level. Just make sure all possible outcomes are positive.