Increasing awareness of your brand & reaching prospective new audiences can be as difficult or as easy as you make it. Here are our 7 marketing tips to acquiring fresh fans and building new bases.
Know your audience
Before you start seeking any new audiences, make sure you have a firm grasp of what your existing audience looks like. Get to know their ages, locations, gender and similar interests. Also make note of any other definable features, such as how they access your content.
Knowing your audience is essential; you can make informed decisions of how to approach new audiences, and where to focus your marketing efforts.
For example, if your audience is primarily young adult males who digest your content largely on mobile devices, you’ll know to:
- Make sure any adverts you make along with your content is optimised for mobile.
- Focus on using the social media platforms that this demographic are most likely to use.
- Consider this demographic’s other interests and hobbies and use this tactically in your future marketing plans.
Facebook/Instagram adverts
The most common way to reach new audiences is run some Facebook and/or Instagram adverts. Facebook Ads Manager has made the process incredibly straightforward so you don’t need any experience in running ad campaigns to get started.
Running an ad campaign is a perfect means to reaching new audiences. As well as showing your ads to people that are similar to your current audience, Facebook also allows you to define your own audience criteria on top of this.
If you’re a musician, think about targeting people that like similar artists (that you can find on your Spotify artist page). Or, if you’re an independent shop, consider targeting people with the same demographics as your existing customer base.
Get involved in your local community
There are plenty of local communities around you, both digitally and physically, which you can get involved in. By becoming part of a community, you can get involved in discussions and networking, all whilst getting your brand name out there and reaching new potential fans.
Examples of communities and how to get involved with them include:
- Online forums – Digital communities such as Reddit are perfect places to connect with likeminded individuals and brands. Get involved in conversations about the landscape you operate in, industry news or simply amusing topics.
- Local groups – attending local meetups or clubs can supply a perfect mix of networking, friendships and learning to independent brands and businesses with an open mind. Check social media or local newspapers to see if there’s anything going on in your area.
- Facebook groups – joining Facebook groups can be another good platform to share your ideas, opinions and like-minded discussion.
Remember, being part of a community isn’t just about shouting about your brand or your products. Remember to give and take and actively involve yourself in discussion and conversations.
Encourage shares & comments
When you’re posting on your socials or sites, always encourage shares and comments of your work/products. A simple share from a loyal fan or a friend will only increase brand awareness and impressions. And, if it interests people enough and catches their attention, there’s a good potential they’ll join your loyal fan base.
Press releases
No matter what kind of brand or content creator you are, getting press releases or reviews of your brand is a sure fire way to get your name out there.
Start by researching magazines, blogs or media channels that your brand or content fits into. Next, approach these platforms with personalised and friendly emails telling them what you’re about and if they might be interested in featuring you.
If you’re successful, your content will be seen by a new world of people which, if they connect enough with your brand, will become loyal followers. Also, don’t be disheartened if you’re not successful, just keep trying.
Make partnerships
As as independent brand or creator, you’ll know how welcomed support is from fans, friends and family. This is why you should always support the independent brands and creators around you and help each other out where you can.
Share posts on social media by like-minded brands, give them shout-outs and regularly interact with their content. The more you do this, the more you’ll see other brands doing the same for you; thus expanding your reach at the same time as being supported by your fellow creators.
#Hashtags
Hashtags are still one of the best discovery tools, especially on platforms like Instagram & Twitter. They are amazing at getting your voice into certain debates, which if done well, can lead to more audience impressions and brand growth.
Remember when using hashtags to not go overboard, aim for up to 10 in posts. Also, make sure your posts still sound like you and your brand ethos rather than an obvious marketing ploy.
Have you had any successes with other tips? Let us know in the comments 
