Levels of brand awareness
- Recognition: people recognize your name or logo when they see it.
- Recall: people think of your brand unprompted when they think of your category.
- Top of mind: yours is the first brand they think of.
How to build brand awareness
- Publish useful content that ranks in search and gets shared.
- Be present consistently on the social platforms your audience uses.
- Run display, video and social ads aimed at new audiences.
- Earn mentions in the media, on podcasts and at industry events.
- Collect reviews and encourage word of mouth.
- Keep your visual identity and message consistent everywhere.
How to measure it
Look at branded search volume and clicks in Google Search Console, direct traffic, social reach and mentions, and your share of voice compared with competitors. Surveys that ask people which brands they know give the most direct measure.
Brand awareness example
A new running shoe company wants more people to know its name. It starts a blog with training plans, partners with two local running clubs, sponsors a 10 km race and runs short video ads for runners in its region. Six months later it checks branded searches in Search Console, direct visits and the share of customers who say they heard of the brand from a friend or a club.
How to measure brand awareness
- Branded searches: searches that include your name, in Search Console.
- Direct traffic: visitors who type your address (see direct traffic).
- Surveys: ask a sample of your target audience if they know the brand and what they think of it.
- Social reach and mentions: how often people see or discuss the brand.
Brand awareness mistakes
- Judging awareness campaigns only by sales this month.
- Running ads with no clear message or no recognisable look.
- Reaching the wrong audience, which adds reach but not customers.
Brand awareness FAQs
What is the difference between awareness and brand loyalty?
Awareness is knowing the brand exists. Brand loyalty is choosing it again and again.
Which channels build awareness fastest?
Paid video and social ads reach people fastest, while search and content build awareness more slowly but last longer. See top-of-funnel marketing and brand.