Think like a buyer — which of these two brands will you trust more, remember more, and consider more?

Brand A, which sends you a sales email every fortnight.

Brand B, which you see posting insightful content on LinkedIn, which always seems to appearin your Google searches, which sends you interesting newsletters, and which is always answering questions you find yourself asking.

We know intuitively that the answer is B, and the data bears that out.

So what does it take to be Brand B for your target market? Here are the principles and strategies that build a brand that people see often, and trust always.

Make your brand(ing) unforgettable

Making sure your brand is memorable is a matter of curating what people see, and how much the see it.

What people see in your brand

If you want to make a lasting impression, then you should pay very close attention to the visual elements of your marketing.MIT research quantified the impact of design on recall.After three days, people remember on average 10% of written content, but 65% of visual content.

Additionally:

• The use of colour can boost brand recognition by 80%
• The presence of faces results in 38% more content engagement
• 95% of B2B buyers want shorter, visual material

Also, be aware that people also make up their minds about a brand in about 50 milliseconds. You need an identity that communicates instantly communicates authority, or you risk losing prospects in less than the literal blink of an eye.

How often people see your brand

It typically takes 5-7 impressions for a new prospect to remember your brand. Given it takes that much effort just to be recognised, it takes considerably more impressions to stay in people’s minds. 

That means a lot of consistent output, published and promoted strategically where your prospects will see it across multiple channels. That joined-up marketing approach is very labour-intensive, but as well as securing your brand in people’s minds, it reinforces its credibility. Feeling like you see a company everywhere adds to the overall impression that it is influential, active, and committed to its purpose.

Braze compared single channel messaging strategies to multi-channel strategies, and found that on average:

• Engaging across multiple channels increases the likelihood of purchase by 73%
• Multichannel messaging increases customer lifetime value 4.2 times

The other consistency you need is visual. If your appearance in those first 5-7 impressions does not look like the same brand, then you are not building any familiarity — it is more like your prospects are seeing a selection of different brands for the first time than seeing your brand several times.

Complex as that might seem, it is rewarding, because consistent branding has been found to boost revenue by 23%.

Stay top of mind by demonstrating and offering value

Your prospects owe their attention to many different people, and you are not one of those people. Here is how you earn their time.

• Empathise
• Get to the point
• Speak their language
• Tell them something they don’t know

Demonstrating empathy with your prospects means when they see your content, they are more likely to stop and pay attention because they see the issues they encounter. Plus, you seem more likely to be a credible partner who can fix their problems, because you show that you genuinely understand thoseproblems.

Getting to the point means you reduce the risk of an ‘I haven’t got time for this’ response. Like you, your prospects are time-poor, and if they don’t quickly see why something is worth their time, they won’t be able to justify spending it.

Speaking your prospects’ language shows them that you belong in their world, and obviously using terms they recognise makes communicating value much easier. Buzzwords and sector jargon are unproductive and off-putting, but clear, relevant terms, references, and concepts are essential.

If you can’t tell your audience something they don’t know, then you are by definition not an expert, and you are easy to dismiss. However, if you do make them think, make them realise, or make them reconsider something, then you can impress or intrigue them enough to keep them engaged.

When your prospects see your brand often, and every time they do, it is sharing expertise or giving the impression of an authoritative partner, then your business will make and keep a strong impression in their minds.

Building a strategy to clam your share of the market

Competition is growing, budgets are tightening, and without a clear strategy, businesses risk spending time and resources on marketing that fails to deliver results.

We have published a guide to the structured, practical approach to marketing that delivers genuine business impact. It covers every stage of building brand authority, engaging decision makers, and converting interest into commercial success.

Download your copy and take control of your growth.