Raising Brand Awareness In 2026: Tips & Tricks

Standing out in a crowded marketplace packed with competitors is the top challenge for brands, according to a 2025 survey published by Forbes. Raising brand awareness plays a critical role in helping you attract customers, generate interest, reach new audiences, create leads and build relationships, but what are the best ways to create a buzz around your business? In this guide, we’ll discuss some effective steps you can take to get your brand noticed in 2026.

Base your marketing strategy on market research and data analysis

Raising brand awareness is one of the first goals to work towards when drawing up plans for a new campaign. It is part of the top of the funnel phase of marketing.

The first thing to do when focusing on top of the funnel marketing tactics is to carry out extensive market research and data analysis. Your research should provide valuable information covering which methods and channels are most effective among your target audience, how your ideal customers respond to different marketing materials, approaches, techniques and promotions, and how they choose brands or products. Encourage your customers to share ideas and give feedback on marketing campaigns and analyse data linked to different elements of your strategy. If you’re sharing promotional posts on social media to introduce your brand to new customers, for example, monitor engagement rates, see what types of posts have the most impact and track sharing metrics. You can use data and feedback to build on successes, improve engagement rates and address weaknesses.

Take advantage of social media

Social media has evolved from a communication platform for friends and acquaintances to a powerful business tool. Accessing quick and simple ways to engage with customers, target new audiences and provide information about your business are among the top reasons to embrace social media marketing to raise brand awareness. Using social media apps, you can promote and sell products, but crucially, you can also showcase your brand’s values and unique identity, encourage followers to get to know the people behind the business and share your backstory. More than 85% of consumers want to buy from brands that share their values and 90% of users buy from companies they follow on social platforms.

Leverage word-of-mouth marketing

Word-of-mouth marketing has been influential for decades. It may have evolved as technology has advanced, but there are few marketing methods more impactful than recommendations from others. Today, business owners can benefit from traditional referrals and reviews as well as online ratings. Over 90% of consumers use online reviews to make decisions. Positive reviews can help you draw in new customers and encourage them to choose your products or visit your website or store rather than a competitor. Key factors to consider to maintain high scores include customer service and support, product quality, communication, customer experience, value for money and the ease of the shopping and buying processes.

Standing out in a crowd is one of the toughest challenges facing business owners and marketers. Raising brand awareness is all about introducing your brand, giving people insights into what you do and why you’re unique, reaching out to target audiences and creating a buzz around the business. If you’re launching a new venture in 2026, or you’re on a mission to boost sales or improve lead conversion rates, key steps include basing your marketing strategy on market research and customer feedback, capitalising on the power of social media marketing and leveraging word-of-mouth marketing.