How Graphic Design And PR Can Aid Small Businesses Build Brand Awareness

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Brand awareness should be at the top of your priorities when building a business. It is how people learn about your business in the first place. It piques potential customers’ interest to know more about your products or services. Without it, how can they be aware of what you’re offering, let alone you exist?

There are lots of elements involved in growing your business. Your logo and catchy taglines are notable examples, to name a few. But, graphic design and public relations, in particular, are essential for small businesses to gain recognition and a steady customer following.

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Why Is Brand Awareness Important for Small Businesses?

Larger businesses have already established brand awareness. It means they don’t need to aggressively market their brand as much because people already know about them and their products or services. For instance, big brand names like Hershey’s Chocolate or Amazon don’t need to convince people to buy from them or introduce themselves.

When looking at their product or service offerings, you don’t need to sift through reviews because you already know they can be trusted. Simply put, those brands need no introduction.

Unfortunately, it is not the same for small businesses. You have to work hard to get customers to notice you. Building brand awareness is essential if you want your business to be at the top of people’s minds. It is the first step in gaining customers.

Suppose people get to know your brand and become comfortable with it. They can gain confidence in your product and service, which allows them to repeat purchases. It enables you to establish a relationship with them.

Created by Gabriel M. Ramos | https://www.behance.net/gallery/108565927/Eletromidia

All About Graphic Design and Public Relations

Graphic design is one of the many brand identity elements. It is how your brand comes across visually to the customer. It is part of what comprises your brand’s identity along with its other elements, such as your business’ logo and colors.

It is usually presented in printed media like flyers, posters, or even images in your social media feed. 

Meanwhile, public relations (PR) entails managing how people perceive your business. Therefore, you want to aim for people to view your business positively.

Businesses do PR campaigns to boost their brand’s image. Although nowadays, social media is the primary channel seeing as a lot of people have some form of social media account. Thus, you could reach many people in a short period.

Created by Marina Coll Puchol | https://www.behance.net/gallery/136854439/XEIC

How Can Graphics and PR Build Brand Awareness

1. Establish Brand Identity and Personality

Most people think the logo is synonymous with the brand identity.

However, brand identity is how customers perceive your business. For instance, people associate McDonald’s with fast food, or owning an Apple product equates to luxury.

Conversely, small businesses aren’t on that level of recognition. They have yet to establish their identity because people don’t know anything about them yet. Using graphic design and PR campaigns can entice customers to check your business out. For example, a developing business uses vivid neon colors as part of its visual designs. It will catch people’s attention.

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2. Name Recall

Big brands are easily distinguished by their iconic graphics that encourage brand recall in customers. It is why aesthetically appealing graphics attract customers and give you an advantage over other brands.

In addition, given how people live in the digital age, it makes it easy to spread PR campaigns. It drives up brand visibility. The more customers encounter you, the more it tickles their curiosity, which kickstarts the process of the social media marketing funnel. PR your brand’s story in an engaging and easily digest graphic design.

Created by Stefano Iorio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/98417139/Exposito

3. Improve Credibility

Appealing graphic designs engage customers and make your brand look professional, even if it is a startup. It makes your brand’s image look good. PR campaigns strengthen this image by establishing credibility. Using the right tools like promotional posters and video marketing campaigns, the brand can also showcase its identity and values.

It demonstrates a layer of transparency that makes your brand appear trustworthy. It is imperative because nowadays, consumers are pickier in supporting businesses. They want to know if a brand aligns with their values and morals. If a brand isn’t transparent, people find it hard to identify with them and may have difficulty supporting them.

Created by HuskyFox | https://www.behance.net/gallery/89254603/KakaoM-1theK-Brand-Identity

4. Cost-Effective

Small businesses have limited resources. That is why you have to ensure you allocate them appropriately. It includes investing in an excellent graphic design and PR team. Investing in them now means fewer chances of redoing your posters and campaigns because you got it right the first time. 

Doing PR campaigns aren’t expensive, but it can be time-consuming. With the advancements in technology, you can reach a wider audience, especially now that almost everyone uses some electronic device like a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. 

Once you have these down pat, it is easier to promote small businesses by engaging with your local community, vloggers, etc., to create an organic following. For instance, word of mouth is still an effective way of spreading the word about your business.

Created by Deyda Aminda | https://www.behance.net/gallery/98450079/Plantery-Hydroponic-Care-App

5. Increase Viewer Interaction

People’s attention spans are getting shorter given the available information online. Not to mention, the world moves at a faster pace with each passing day. They want the information to be quick and convenient.

Well-designed graphic materials catch your viewer’s attention. Graphics are more effective in conveying information than written words because they are much more compact. It improves your content’s readability, and customers can also feel the brand’s identity in a single photo or poster. At the same time, PR promotes that image to reach as many people as possible. High-quality graphics and an effective PR campaign work hand-in-hand to increase viewer interaction and your website’s traffic.

Created by Jules Tardy | https://www.behance.net/gallery/60007239/Dropbox-Rebrand

Conclusion

Eye-catching graphics and strategic PR campaigns are some of the key factors in building brand awareness. It engages potential customers, draws their attention, and leaves a lasting impression.

These two elements work best together in boosting your brand’s visibility. That way, you can create a brand that is not only visually appealing but also trustworthy and credible.

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