Building awareness is the number one priority for new businesses. Generating buzz, getting people interested, and building excitement and curiosity can help build momentum in establishing your brand. This article focuses on how to create a brand awareness campaign using direct marketing techniques. You’ll learn practical strategies like cross-promotions with established brands, participating in trade events, sponsoring local causes, and other real-world tactics that generate attention and build trust within your community.
Step 1: Set a Clear Goal
The first step in how to create a brand awareness campaign is defining what you want to achieve. Do you want more foot traffic? Are you trying to establish your brand in a new neighbourhood? Are you promoting a new product or service?
Your goals should be specific, measurable, and tied to real outcomes. For example:
- Increase first-time customer visits by 20% over the next 3 months
- Get 500 people to sample a new product at an in-person event
- Partner with three other businesses for co-branded promotions this quarter
Once you know what you’re aiming for, you can choose the right strategies to support your objectives.
Step 2: Understand Your Local Audience
Next, identify who you’re trying to reach. Your brand awareness campaign won’t work if you’re not targeting the right people. For local businesses, this often means understanding the community and its demographics, interests, routines, and values.
Consider:
- Which neighbourhoods or districts are you targeting?
- What are the popular hangouts, events, and routines in the area?
- What local concerns or causes matter to your target audience?
Knowing your local audience will help you decide which events to attend, where to set up promotions, and what kind of messaging will resonate.
Step 3: Use Cross-Promotions with Established Brands
One of the smartest ways to get attention quickly is to collaborate with businesses that already have an established audience. Cross-promotions allow you to leverage another brand’s trust and visibility while offering something of value in return.
Examples of cross-promotions:
- A new fitness studio partnering with a local juice bar to offer discount coupons for each other’s customers
- A boutique clothing shop teaming up with a nearby salon for a “Style + Self-Care” in-store event
- A dog grooming business collaborating with a local vet clinic to share referral cards
The key is to find partners with complementary services and shared customer values. These partnerships can drive real foot traffic and awareness, often at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.
Step 4: Join Trade Shows and Local Events
Participating in trade shows, markets, and community events is one of the most effective face-to-face marketing techniques you can use. These events allow you to connect directly with potential customers, share your story, and showcase your brand in a high-energy environment.
Tips for success:
- Set up a visually appealing booth that reflects your branding
- Offer free samples or demonstrations to attract interest
- Train your staff to be friendly, informative, and approachable
- Collect contact info for follow-ups with consent
- Use branded swag or giveaways to keep your name top of mind
Whether it’s a local farmer’s market, industry trade show, or street festival, showing up where your audience already is can make your brand feel accessible, relevant, and involved in the community.
Step 5: Sponsor Community Advocacies and Local Causes
People love supporting businesses that support their community. Sponsoring local charities, school programs, clean-up drives, or neighbourhood beautification projects helps you align your brand with meaningful causes while gaining positive exposure.
This strategy does more than just get your name on a banner. It builds goodwill, trust, and emotional connection. People are more likely to remember and support a business that actively contributes to their local environment.
Ideas for community sponsorship:
- Fund a community garden or public art project
- Sponsor a local sports team and provide branded uniforms
- Provide food or products for a charity fundraiser
- Support a school program with supplies or scholarships
These efforts naturally tie into community engagement tips that make your brand visible and valued beyond just commercial interactions.
Step 6: Run In-Store Promotions and Referral Programs
Sometimes the best awareness starts right at your front door. In-store promotions and referral programs turn your current customers into brand ambassadors.
Ideas for in-store promotions:
- “Bring a Friend” day with a discount for both parties
- Free samples or service trials on select days
- Limited-time offers exclusive to walk-in customers
- Event nights like tastings, workshops, or Q&A sessions
Pair these efforts with a well-designed referral program. For example, give loyal customers a branded card they can hand out to friends. If a referral results in a sale, both the new and referring customers get a reward.
This direct interaction creates buzz and encourages repeat visits, helping your brand stay top-of-mind in the community.
Step 7: Train Your Staff as Brand Ambassadors
Your team is often the first human touchpoint with potential customers. They need to not only understand the product or service but also embody the brand values in their interactions.
Train your staff to:
- Greet people warmly and authentically
- Know your key messaging and elevator pitch
- Handle objections and questions with confidence
- Suggest additional services or promotions when appropriate
This level of professionalism and consistency builds trust. When customers feel genuinely cared for, they’re more likely to return and recommend your brand to others.
This is a direct application of how to create a brand awareness campaign that depends on people, not pixels. Every team member is a marketing asset when trained well.
Step 8: Track and Measure Your Campaign
Even the most hands-on campaign needs to be measured. Set up simple ways to track your results, especially in-person interactions.
What to track:
- Number of people who attend your events or promotions
- Number of referral cards redeemed
- Sales lift during the campaign period
- Customer feedback and testimonials
You can use manual tracking methods like tally sheets, printed coupons, or sign-up lists. The goal isn’t high-tech data analysis; it’s being able to determine what worked and what didn’t, so you can refine your approach next time.
Community Engagement Tips for Long-Term Impact
Short-term campaigns are great, but true brand awareness is built over time. These community engagement tips will help you maintain momentum even after your campaign ends.
1. Be Present Regularly
Don’t just show up once. Attend local meetings, volunteer, and maintain a presence at community events. People will begin to associate your brand with reliability and involvement.
2. Offer Educational Value
Run free workshops, how-to sessions, or Q&A events related to your business. For example, a gardening store could host “Beginner Gardening 101” in spring. This builds trust while subtly marketing your expertise.
Learning how to create a brand awareness campaign isn’t just about advertising. It’s about building authentic, memorable, and local experiences that make your brand visible and trustworthy. When done right, face-to-face marketing is one of the most powerful tools in your toolbox.
By showing up, giving value, and engaging in the community, you create more than brand awareness; you create relationships. And in business, relationships are everything.
Arora Growth Solutions specializes in direct sales and marketing strategies that connect consumers with reliable products and services through meaningful face-to-face experiences. We develop solutions tailored to your specific market, audience, and growth stage, backed by data and frontline experience. Book a consultation to learn more about our services.