With the onslaught of advertising in today’s electronic age, we are exposed to thousands of advertising images every single day. And with our attachment to television it’s fairly easy to recognize those companies who have millions of dollars to spend on television advertising.

These millions of dollars of advertising help contribute to the brand awareness of the product. Think Coca Cola, McDonalds, Mercedes Benz. Even these highly successful and very recognizable brands still pay advertising dollars to keep their names foremost in the consumer minds. Familiar branding results in consumer awareness, trust, and increased purchases.

The same is true in the world of internet marketing. Branding plays a very critical role in an overall marketing strategy which is often the same as that of the billion dollar companies: make the consumer aware of your name and develop that trusted relationship. Sales will then follow.

The good news is, becoming a familiar brand doesn’t mean spending millions of dollars on a Super Bowl ad. Becoming a familiar brand simply requires patience and a strategy that encompasses a variety of marketing tools designed to increase brand recognition.

Think this is mumbo jumbo? Let’s think of it this way: if you were in a foreign city where you did not speak the language and you wanted something to eat, would you choose a foreign, unknown burger joint or the McDonald’s on the corner? Probably you would choose McDonalds, simply because you are familiar with the name. This familiarity has a direct result in purchasing behavior.

Do you remember the “Coke versus Pepsi” taste test? Subjects were blindfolded and asked to taste unmarked soda and identify which they preferred. What wasn’t generally shared was that when subjects were told that one of the drinks was Coca-Cola, they were more likely to show a preference for it even if it wasn’t Coke. Interestingly enough the people who were told it was Pepsi, even when it wasn’t, didn’t seem to show any biased behaviors. These results were attributed to Coca-Cola’s branding and the reason Coke generally sells more product than Pepsi.

Branding is an important part of any marketing campaign because of all the competition, both online and offline. Brand familiarity works on all business sizes, all industries, and all consumer types. Familiarity breeds comfort and confidence in a product even when we’ve never tried the product before.

It’s why building large databases and contacting them often is such an integral part of internet marketing. It’s why retail stores create loyalty programs and give consumers little cards to keep in their wallet and it’s why a long term branding strategy adds significant profits to a company’s bottom line.

What are YOU doing to improve your brand?

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