Why do people trust brands such as Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Is it because they have been around for a long time? Is it because of their huge advertising budgets? While experience and huge budget certainly do help, something else is at play here. Some of the world’s major brands have perfected the art of personalized marketing. Yes, you read that right. Personalized marketing is what makes people come to you, trust you and eventually become your most ardent advocates. If you ever find yourself wondering why do some companies turn into trusted brands, while others struggle, look no further than brands like Apple, Amazon, Samsung, etc. These and other brands are the epitome of personalized marketing.

The digital era we’re living in is marked by constant and sometimes, dramatic changes. Customers have more choices, companies have more tools to choose from and the market is getting more and more competitive. Having said that, how can you gain an edge over the competition? And more important, how can your turn your company into a brand people like and trust? Because, at the end of they day, you want to earn’s people trust. People like certain brands because their are trustworthy, not to mention their excellent customer service. Many companies like to attribute their problems to factors like world economy, lack of cash, lack of resources, etc. It all comes down to one question: do people know you?

In the era of social media and other innovative communication platforms, it is hard to believe that business can fall into obscurity and oblivion.  Yet, it happens all the time. Companies that were once hailed as the ‘next big thing’ are now part of the history books. The reasons behind their collapse may be hard to pin down, but one common mistake has to do with how marketing is done. Traditional marketing tools like TV/ newspaper ads and banners not only are expensive, but they also treat people are they were the same. They are generally impersonal, out of reach for most businesses and don’t provide any added value to their targeted audience(if they have one). If there was one commandment in marketing, it go would go like this: make it personal.

You might be wondering: “this is all good, but how can I turn my company into a brand people love and trust?” To start with, you have to make identify your audience. Once you find your audience, produce fresh and relevant content. Remember, the content has to answer your audience’s questions, solve their problems. Find out what they want from you. Do they want to be informed? Entertained?  Give them what they want, listen to them, speak to them. That’s how you can build close and deep relationship with your customers, that’s how you can make people trust and love your company. Yes, it takes time. It takes deliberate effort to turn a random visitor to your website into a brand advocate. But it is possible. If other companies have done it, your company can do it, too.

You can use email marketing and marketing automation tools to increase brand awareness and recognition. Being permission-based, email marketing can help you speed up the brand recognition process. If you add a marketing automation tool, email marketing becomes even more powerful and effictive. The  right technology to make your email marketing campaigns even more powerful is a a Customer Relationship Management(CRM) system. Used the right way, a CRM can help you build brand awareness and recognition. In Flexie CRM, you can nurture leads with fresh and personalized content. Moreover, you can create custom reports to see what’s working and what’s not. This way you can make better decisions.

In addition to email marketing and customer-centric content, there are lot of other things you can tinker with in order to increase brand awareness among people. You can use infographics, conduct surveys on social media, give out free e-books and much more. You have to engage your audience, you have to make people feel part of your company. How do you achieve that? By being honest, authentic and open to healthy criticism. Instilling trust in your customers may take time, but it pays dividends in the long run. Furthermore, you can use all the data you generate to assess current trends and predict future ones.The more you know your audience, the more effective marketing campaigns you can launch. The more you interact with your customers, the more likely are they to spread the word about your company. Don’t ever underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. As the saying goes, “there’s something worse than being talked about in a negative light: not being talked about at all. ”

Just like anything that really matters, speeding up the brand recognition process is something which takes a lot of time, perseverance and doggedness. With so many tools you at your disposal, there’s no excuse for not taking your company where it should be. Brand awareness and recognition is found in the little things: college students talking to their friends about your company, kids who draw your logo, teenagers who find happiness in using your product, mothers and fathers who find meaning in your service, or philosophers who take your company as an example of moral integrity. That’s brand awareness in its purest form. Can you do it?

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