What is name recognition?

Name recognition makes people know you and think of you. You no longer have to explain to anyone what a Ferrari, Coca-Cola or a Big Mac is. Almost the whole world knows those brand names. Of course, you want that too. After all, name recognition is often the first step toward a paying customer. And you’re in luck, because name recognition is not just for the big boys.

How do you create brand awareness?

After all, name recognition can be achieved in many ways. Large billboards, TV commercials, or a strong PR stunt can all contribute to awareness of your (brand) name. Moreover, with the advent of the Internet, the playing field has expanded tremendously fast.

Nowadays, it seems that anyone who shouts loud enough on the Internet gets his or her 15 minutes of fame. Such a viral hit can be positive or negative, but almost always has a short life. This is not the fame you want to pursue. You always want to be top of mind with as many people as possible. Lasting brand awareness should be the goal.

However, if you are smart about the possibilities of the Internet, you can also use this channel to build brand awareness. It’s also a lot more accessible than old-school media. You can write exciting blogs, post spectacular videos and build a tremendously strong social media presence. But if you really want to build brand awareness among your target audience, there’s one corner of the Internet you shouldn’t skip: the world of influencers.

Boost your brand awareness with influencers

Is the influencer a direct product of social media and online culture? Yes and no. Today, it is easier than ever to reach and influence a large audience. An example: Charli D’Amelio is an American girl of 16 who within one year amassed more that 80 million followers and 6 billion(!) likes on TikTok. When she does a new dance, the world dances along. The old media could learn a thing or two from that.

Yet the modern influencer has its origins in the distant past. For example, Roman orators – people who could shape public opinion with their speaking style, voice and posture – were influencers avant la lettre in ancient times. And what about the pop stars who dictated what clothes and hairstyles were in in the 1950s?

The modern influencer

Still, the modern influencer can be called a new phenomenon, if only because of the channels he or she uses. The modern influencer is someone with many followers on social media. Thanks to his or her reach, that person can reach, convince, enthuse and activate a specific target group. No wonder, then, that companies like to use modern influencers as ambassadors of their brands and products.

A few years ago, anyone with a good camera, pretty face and quick chat could enter the world of influencers. Dutch TikTok-er Antonie Lokhorst even earned a nice penny by filming himself mafiaing under the banner of “sleeping rich.

But the business has professionalized.

Niches

It may not look like it on the average Insta story, but many influencers are shrewd business guys and gals who run their own businesses behind the scenes. A good influencer knows what they know and, more importantly, don’t know, and capitalizes on it.

Therefore, most influencers focus on specific niches. From tech to fashion, and from metal to gardening, influencers can be found in every niche. They don’t have to have millions of followers anymore. They know their target audience so well that they know exactly how to address and influence them. That makes them very good way to boost the brand awareness of your business.

Finding the right influencers

If you can find the right influencer with the right audience, you can make a deal with them. They can promote your product in many ways. If you design shirts, a fashion influencer can wear them. If you make indie games, a gaming influencer can play them. If you’re an aspiring poet, a poetry influencer can review your work.

Because your name keeps popping up in the influencers’ posts, you automatically build brand awareness among his or her followers. To do this, however, there must be a good match between your product or brand and the influencer. But how do you find the perfect influencer to bring you to the attention of a large audience? We list a few tips to help you separate the wheat from the chaff:

Shared values

A good match starts with shared norms and values. Quite apart from the product you sell, or the niche you focus on: if your norms and values do not match, it is better not to work together. If inclusivity is your top priority, it’s not wise to choose an influencer who makes bad jokes about Black Pete as a partner.

Similarly, you are better off partnering with an influencer who drives sports cars and takes plane trips all the time, if sustainability is important to you. This would only make your collaboration look implausible, putting your name in a negative light. That’s just not what we want, right?

Interests and perceptions

An influencer’s contributions must match your target audience’s perceptions and interests. If you sell travel to people who are primarily interested in the culture and history of a region, you’ll hit the mark with a travel vlogger who only shows followers pearly white beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Are you a camera retailer targeting aspiring nature photographers? Then choose an influencer à la Freek Vonk who actually gets captivating critters in front of the lens in his contributions (fluffy laughing faces like the Australian quokka always do well). In short: choose the right niche within your niche.

Authenticity

Without a certain level of authenticity, influencer marketing is counterproductive. Does a beauty blogger pop up “out of the blue” in a car commercial? Or does the lion’s share of his or her contributions overwhelmingly consist of sponsored content? Wrong! Followers expect an influencer to be true to their niche and also possess authority and expertise within their own field. After all, that’s what makes influencer worth following.

Authenticity

Even within the influencer world you will find fraudulent practices. After all, behind some comments and likes are robots or bought followers. Are comments full of grammatical slips, embarrassing spelling mistakes and crooked sentences? Or are there suddenly comments in Chinese, Swahili or another unusual language under a post by an influencer who normally only communicates in Dutch? Then you’re probably dealing with a robot.

Bought followers are flesh and blood, but only post a positive comment under an article, blog or vlog if they are paid hard cash for it. There are complete click farms where young people do nothing but like and share posts all day. They don’t even read the posts and therefore have no value to your brand awareness campaign.

Finding the right influencer: easy with Hulc!

The army of influencers has swelled considerably by now. Just pick out the right person for your business. At the end of the day, the mailbox of every influencer is full. And once you have found the right man or woman, you have to find a place in his or her busy influencer life to make a deal that will benefit both of you.

Through Hulc, finding and hiring the right influencer becomes a breeze. That’s because we have a network of over 3,700 publishers and influencers. Through growth hacking, we make your business grow fast. How? By carefully and experimentally testing which influencers, content, marketing techniques and campaigns suit your company and activities. Curious? Feel free to let us know!