Brand awareness is no longer a one lane road. It’s more like a major interstate with lanes and exits in every direction. You can no longer rely on just buying advertising and sending customers marketing pieces in the mail. You have to interact and engage your potential customers.

Consumers have always relied on word of mouth, friends and family to help them make purchasing decisions. It has expanded the communications and speed at which people share opinions and advice. Don’t be shy, you have the ability to join in on the conversation. You no longer have to buy the radio spot or the mail coupon and sit by the front door, peering through the blinds hoping someone will stop in. Be proactive, engage and connect with potential clients in ways you were never able to before.

Become an expert about your area

Often times being a local means you have experienced all the local restaurants, hiking trails and parks in your area. Those experiences are priceless and become great content for a blog post. I often look at blogs before I travel just to get feel for some activities and events that may be happening while I’m in town. I always find the greatest adventures from locals and not generic activity websites. This is a great way to create an ongoing conversation with both new and returning customers. Being an expert and providing relevant information goes along way in helping your brand to succeed.

People love to give their opinion

The easiest way to engage your website or Facebook visitors is through polls, surveys, and quizzes. This a great way to get people to come back again and again to participate in what your doing. Remember your brand is an experience and this is cheap and clever way to provide that to your visitors.

Promotions, the next generation

Promotions and giveaways have been at the heart of brand awareness and brand building for many years. Look around your house,you will find that great pen from your dentist or that magnet on the fridge from the dry cleaners down the street. This is not going away but it has changed. You will find that many people are using Facebook to run picture contests, naming contests and other creative promotions. Most of these contests offer a grand prize and not simple trinkets. The nice part to promoting online is that branding occurs during the visit and not two months down the road when you stumble upon a pen in drawer. You can run these promotions “24/7/365” days a year. You don’t have to wait and rely on your local trade shows or fair booths anymore. The days of buying 10,000 promotional rulers are over, give your customers a chance to win a great prize and brand along the way.

If you would like to read more about the statistics and research that contributed to this article, you can click here to visit Hubspot Marketing Data Box.

In conclusion, remember to get creative, engage, and don’t be shy. Consumers love to be informed, give their opinions and of course win prizes. Get blogging and continue to grow that social network.