10 Ways to Use Social Media for Brand Awareness

Whether you’re a startup orchestrating an iconic launch or an established brand wanting competitive advantage, using social media for brand awareness is not just a great move; it’s imperative. 

Why? Because over five billion people worldwide are on social media. That’s more than half the planet! 

But merely being on social media is not enough. The days of creating a weekly social calendar and hoping for the best are gone.  

Harsh but true, 90% of brands fail to leave a mark on social media. While some of them get buried under the algorithm, others get lost in oblivion due to classic social media mistakes.  

However, there’s no reason to think that your business would end up in the same pile.   

This article will give you a brand awareness strategy for social media without spreading yourself too thin – because we know you’ve got 50 other things to do. 

Social media for brand awareness: Why should you care? 

You might want to stop and look at these stats. 

The average user spends about 2.5 hours daily on social platforms. This could mean mindless scrolling or engaging with their favorite brands or both. 90% of users say they follow at least one brand on social media and 76% say they’ve made purchases based on something they saw on social media. 

Whatever the case, it's fair to say that social media has become a parallel reality for businesses and consumers alike. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn offer brands a direct communication channel for real-time interaction with their audience, content sharing and even feedback.  

Besides, 75% of marketers get profitable ROI from social media; hence, the hype. 

What is brand awareness? 

In its simpler form, brand awareness is how familiar your target audience is with your brand. But it goes beyond mere recognition; it’s more about the association.  

When your brand is associated with something—be it high-quality products, innovation or unwavering customer service — you’re on the right path. High brand awareness means that your brand is top-of-mind for consumers when they need a product or service in your niche. 

But here’s the bummer: brand awareness doesn’t happen overnight, especially on social media. That’s because the social space is inundated with brands — small and big — all competing for limited audience attention. Nonetheless, building brand recognition via social media is a long game – one that’s worth playing, since the stakes and the wins are so high. 

Brand awareness and social media: How do they add up?

Brand awareness is the inevitable outcome of social media marketing done right. Through consistent content sharing and engagement, your brand can connect with your target audience and amplify your social media presence to a broader demographic. 

Strike the delicate balance between the quantity and quality of your social media posts, and in no time, you’ll be sitting on a goldmine of qualified leads and genuine brand advocates rooting for your product/services. 

However, it is better to manage your expectations than to get disappointed after putting in all the hard work. According to Blogging Tips, it can take anywhere between 6 months and 2 years to build a considerable following on social media organically, given that you post at least 3-4 times a week. 

Apart from posting consistently, there are several other factors that drive awareness on social media. Let’s dive right into them. 

1. Content quality 

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) tells us that 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers consider content marketing a key part of their overall strategy.  High-quality social content is like crazy office gossip — everyone wants to share it. When your content provides real value, whether in the form of DIY tips, entertaining stories or industry-specific trivia, people are more likely to notice and pass it along to their friends, putting your brand on their radar. So, try to create content that people can’t resist sharing.  

2. Influencer collabs 

According to the latest influencer marketing statistics, 61% of consumers trust recommendations from social media influencers. Partnering with social media influencers within your niche is like getting a celebrity endorsement for your brand — minus the exorbitant Hollywood price tag. With an organic, storytelling approach to brand incorporation, these social media stars can make you look credible by association. 

All you have to do is find influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand values and have the right followers and then allow them to weave their magic. The result? You reach large elusive communities of potential followers and buyers that were inaccessible earlier. 

3. Paid advertising 

While social media advertising might seem like an additional expense, especially when you have pocket-change for a budget, the returns are worth every penny. According to Marketing Tech News, more than 38% of shoppers discover brands and products via social media ads. 

Paid advertising gives your brand the extra push it needs to zoom past the competition and land right in front of the people who matter most.  

Key metrics to track brand awareness on social media 

When it comes to building brand awareness on social media, metrics are your best friend—assuming your best friend is really good at telling you what’s working and what’s not.  

Take a page from Netflix’s playbook. It’s a master of using social media analytics to figure out what content gets people hooked and what makes them reach for the remote to turn it off. 

To understand how well your brand awareness strategy for social media is performing, keep an eye on the following metrics: 

1. Impressions 

Impressions denote the number of times your content is shown to users, regardless of whether it gets clicked on or not. Every time your content shows up on a user’s feed, story or explore page, it counts as an impression. Think of it as the number of people who see your party invite— even if they don’t RSVP. A high number of impressions indicates that your brand is getting noticed, which is crucial for brand awareness. Even if people are not engaging and just scrolling by your visibility and recognition are improving. 

Also Read: Social Media Reach vs. Impressions: What's the Difference? 

2. Share of Voice 

Share of voice (SOV) compares how often your brand is mentioned in relation to your competitors in conversations relevant to your industry/market.  In terms of brand awareness, SoV is calculated using the formula: 

The higher your share of voice, the more your brand stands out in the crowded social media space. 

3. Engagement rate 

Engagement rate is the percentage of interactions (likes, shares, comments, clicks) your content receives relative to its reach.  Engagement rate can be calculated using the formula: 

This metric indicates how compelling your content is and if it prompts users to take action, rather than just scroll by. 

4. Virality rate 

The virality rate quantifies the rate at which your content is shared by users, relative to the total number of views or impressions it receives.  It is typically calculated using the formula: 

A high virality rate means your content resonates with people so much that they want to share it with others. As a result, your brand’s reach and visibility benefit significantly.  

5. Follower growth rate 

This metric tracks how quickly your follower count increases over time. A steady rise in followers suggests that your brand is attracting new interest and expanding its audience, which is key to building long-term brand awareness. The formula to calculate the follower growth rate is: 

6. Brand mentions 

Brand mentions track the number of times your brand is referenced on social media. This metric is a direct measure of how much people are talking about your brand. An increase in mentions usually signals that your brand is gaining traction and sparking conversations – whether in a positive or negative context, it’s incumbent upon you to find out. 

Knowing about these metrics is one thing but tracking them is a different struggle altogether. But not for Sprinklr users. With Sprinklr Insights, you can get real-time consumer, competitor and market insights with 90% AI accuracy.  

Leverage the powerful combination of Sprinklr's AI and generative AI to spot trends, identify patterns and find the underlying reasons behind them. This helps you get clear recommendations on what actions to take next. 

Sprinklr scours over 30 channels to gather unified data that you can use to optimize your brand awareness strategies for better outcomes. Discover what customers really want and turn those insights into impactful business decisions that drive growth. 

10 ways to build brand awareness on social media 

Today’s cut-throat competition has made it quite difficult for a brand to grab eyeballs on social media. However, with the right strategy for building brand awareness on social media, you can effectively stand out and connect with your target audience. 

1. Use relevant platforms 

Not all platforms are created equal, and each one attracts a different crowd. For instance, if your brand caters to a younger audience, platforms like TikTok or Instagram might be your best bet. On the other hand, if you’re targeting professionals, LinkedIn is where you want to be. You can post on multiple platforms as well but switch the content format to appeal to each social media platform’s algorithms.  

For instance, Airbnb uses Instagram marketing to showcase stunning travel photos and videos that appeal to wanderlust-filled scrollers. On the flip side, it utilizes LinkedIn to share company news and engage with the professional community.  

💡 Bonus tip: Fish where the fish are. Focus on the platforms where your target audience is most likely to be active and tailor your content to fit the platform’s strengths and shortcomings. 

2. Create channel-specific content 

Each platform has its own vibe, audience and content preferences, so it only makes sense to tailor your content accordingly.   

• What works on Instagram might fall flat on Twitter or LinkedIn.  
• Your Facebook audience probably isn’t interested in the same content as your TikTok followers.  

Channel-specific finds favor with the host platform’s algorithm which bumps up the content organically, increasing your social brand awareness manifold.

Let’s look at how Nike does it.  

On Instagram, it posts visually striking images and motivational quotes, while on Twitter, it engages in real-time conversations, promotes sustainable initiatives and displays solidarity with a social cause. On LinkedIn, it focuses on company culture and corporate news. 

💡 Bonus tip: Repurpose your social content to save time and double the impact. For instance, turn a blog post into a Twitter thread, a LinkedIn article or an Instagram infographic. While the content remains the same, the presentation is altered to suit the platform. 

Learn more: Posting to All Social Media at Once 

3. Use the storytelling approach 

Humans are hard-wired to respond to stories, especially the ones that are memorable, engaging and relatable. When you tell a story that your audience finds interesting, you forge an emotional connection with them. And emotions are powerful drivers of brand awareness. 

Take Northwestern Mutual, for example. By partnering with Sprinklr, they crafted and shared stories that highlighted their commitment to helping clients achieve financial security and reach their dreams.  

💡Bonus tip: Use social media stories to share real-time updates, behind-the-scenes content, customer success stories or your brand’s origin story. The volatile nature of stories allows you to share minute-by-minute updates, multiplying your impressions and eventually your brand awareness. 

4. Use visuals 

A picture on social media is potentially worth a thousand likes—well, at least it gets more engagement than text alone. From eye-catching images to bite-sized videos, visuals can convey your brand’s message loud and clear and stop your audience mid-scroll. To ensure your visuals render perfectly across platforms, make sure they adhere to platform-specific media specs.  

Brands like Apple excel at this with their spectacular product designs.   

Apple’s social media is a sight for sore eyes as it demonstrates visuals that are sleek, minimalist and instantly recognizable. They tell a story of innovation and design that aligns perfectly with Apple’s brand identity. 

💡 Bonus tip: Invest in high-quality visuals that truly stand out in a crowded feed. Make sure they are sharp, memorable and unmistakably you. And while you’re at it, use video content for product demos, interesting scoops from behind the scenes and how-to guides. 96% of marketers claim online video is the best tool to spread awareness of your products/services. 

5. Utilize user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content is free publicity and probably the most credible one. 79% of consumers believe that their buying decisions are largely influenced by UGC, and they find UGC 9.8x more impactful than influencer content. 

People trust other people more than they trust brands, so UGC, such as testimonials, product reviews, unboxing videos, etc. can be vital for increasing brand awareness on social media. 

For instance, GoPro’s entire Instagram feed is filled with incredible shots captured by their customers.    

By featuring user-generated content on its Instagram feed, GoPro turns its customers into brand advocates who inspire others to capture and share their own epic moments. 

💡 Bonus tip: Ask your followers to share content using a branded hashtag and feature the best posts on your social media pages to encourage more user-generated content. Your employees can also pitch in, sharing company culture and fun moments at work appended with your branded hashtag. 

Read more: Turning Employees Into Your Best Brand Advocates 

6. Run social media contests 

Everyone loves a contest, especially when there are prizes for the winner. To run and manage your social media contests, you can either use third-party apps like Woobox or Shortstack or handle it manually for smaller-scale campaigns. Here are a few contest examples to help you get started: 

• Sweepstakes-style contests are excellent for generating leads, especially when you ask participants to sign up on your site or follow your page or tag their friends or reshare the contest post on their feed or story. 
• Caption or creative answer contests are ideal for boosting engagement.  
• Photo contests are perfect for increasing awareness and generating authentic UGC. 

A great example is Starbucks’ #RedCupContest, where users were encouraged to decorate a Starbucks red cup and share it on Instagram.    

The contest generated thousands of entries and eventually increased Starbucks’ visibility during the holiday season. 

💡 Bonus tip: Keep your contest simple and ensure the rules are easy to follow. The easier it is to enter and complete, the more participants you’ll have on board. 

7. Create shareable content 

What’s the point of creating content if it doesn’t spread like wildfire? The truth is, not everything you create will reach millions, but a little optimism never hurts.  

While no one can predict what will go viral, certain qualities make content share-worthy. Content that educates, entertains, relates or inspires is more likely to be shared. The more your content is shared, the more people become aware of your brand—especially visual content, which is 40 times more likely to be shared than text-only content. 

BuzzFeed’s Tasty videos are a prime example. These short and crisp cooking videos are designed to be shared. Each share increases the exposure of the Tasty brand and reels in a new demographic.

💡 Bonus tip: Create high-quality infographics or short videos that are easy to understand and share. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an extravagant affair. Use AI-powered content creation tools (like Canva) that can convert text prompts into visuals with one click.  

8. Use paid advertising strategically 

Let’s face it: Social media platforms are no longer handing out engagement like Halloween candies. You must ‘trick’ or ‘treat’ the algorithm to gain visibility for your brand. 

Since tricking the algorithm isn’t a sustainable method (we don’t recommend it either), using paid social media advertising is the best way forward, as it allows you to target specific demographics based on locations and interests. This hyper-targeted approach ensures your content reaches the right people at the right time. 

Take Spotify, for example. It uses targeted ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote personalized playlists and new music releases based on users’ listening habits and preferences.   

It’s a great strategy for brand awareness as it deepens user engagement and positions Spotify as a go-to platform for music lovers around the world. 

💡Bonus tip: Use A/B testing to find out what types of ads resonate best with your audience. Here are six easy steps to get started with it: 

1. Define your A/B testing goal  
2. Choose what to test 
3. Create your variants  
4. Set up the A/B test  
5. Run the test  
6. Analyze the results  

Read more: Social Media A/B Testing: Best Practices and Tips  

9. Collaborate with other brands 

What happens when Deadpool teams up with Wolverine? It’s sure to be a blockbuster. The key is to find your Wolverine—a brand that not only complements what you offer but also shares the spotlight equally. 

By partnering with a complementary brand, you can access its network and expand your reach organically. 

A successful example of social media collaboration is the collaboration between Nike and Apple. By integrating Apple’s innovative products with Nike’s fitness philosophy, both brands were able to reach a broader audience and reinforce what they stand for.    

💡 Bonus tip: A mismatched collaboration can do more harm than good. When picking your collaborator, evaluate the compatibility, influence, expertise and reputation of all your shortlisted brands. Seek partnership with brands that are responsive and committed to the alliance. 

10. Invest in AI and automation tools 

Creating brand awareness campaigns can be time-consuming, unless you can churn out posts in bulk or gather relevant social insights in seconds. Given the sheer volume of content, interactions and data flying around, AI tools are the saviors we secretly wished for.  

AI and automation tools can help scale social media marketing efforts, optimize campaigns and produce useful insights without breaking a sweat. In addition, AI can help you with: 

• Content generation  
• Social listening 
• Predictive analytics for targeted marketing 
• Influencer identification 
• Real-time trend monitoring, and more. 

You might wonder, “where can I find AI tools that can save my time and effort without compromising the quality of outcomes?” For starters, ChatGPT is not the answer to every question. But we’re not leaving you high and dry either!  

Conclusion 

Building brand awareness on social media is a long-term endeavor. It requires creativity, consistency and a keen eye for analytics. But when done right, the results can be rewarding and sustaining, manifesting itself in the form of deep customer relationships, competitive advantage and conversions. 

As stated, AI-based social media management tools can give your brand awareness campaigns the boost they deserve. Sprinklr is a pioneer in this space, with an AI engine that can process terabytes of social data into comprehensible insights and recommendations, by using: 

• Consumer and competitive intelligence 
• Real-time monitoring of brand sentiment 
• Trend detection 
• End-to-end campaign monitoring 

All of it within a unified platform. With broad channel coverage across 30+ digital channels and the flexibility to add new ones within weeks, you'll never miss a customer interaction.  What’s more, Sprinklr integrates natively with popular generative AI models like OpenAI and Vertex to give you scaled up, humanified campaigns that social media users crave. 

So, are you ready to take your brand awareness to the next level? Start your 30-day trial of Sprinklr Social or schedule a demo to see how it can help you achieve your goals.