How to Increase Brand Awareness: What Really Helps a Business Become Memorable

Some businesses are recognized literally at first glance — by their packaging, colors, atmosphere, or even a push notification on someone’s phone. And then there are companies that seem to be doing everything right: ads are running, social media is active, promotions are launched — but the brand still remains “just one of many.” This is exactly where the conversation about brand awareness begins. And it is relevant not only for big companies. For a coffee shop, vape shop, beauty salon, or clothing store, brand awareness also plays a huge role. Because familiar brands are chosen faster.

What Does Brand Awareness Actually Do?

In short, it shortens the path to purchase. When a person has already seen a brand before, they:

• have fewer doubts;
• make decisions faster;
• return more easily.

That is why the goal of brand awareness is not just “to make people know about you.” The main task is different: to make the brand familiar and understandable to the customer.

Which Brand Awareness Tools Work Best

There are several main methods businesses use most often.

But it is important to understand one thing: simply “being visible” is no longer enough. People forget ads too quickly. That is why today, the combination of awareness and loyalty works best.

Why Does a Loyalty Program Affect Brand Awareness?

Many people think that a loyalty program is only for bonuses. In fact, it also works very well for increasing brand awareness. Why? Because the brand starts appearing regularly in the customer’s life:

• a card in Apple Wallet;
• push notifications;
• bonuses;
• personalized offers;
• promotions.

People see the brand again and again. And gradually, they begin to remember it.

Example: a Vape Shop

A small vape shop launched digital loyalty cards. What changed:

• push notifications started getting opened more often than SMS;
• some customers started returning specifically because of accumulated bonuses;
• the brand started being mentioned more often in local chats and Telegram channels.

After 4 months, the loyalty program for the vape shop showed the following results:

This is how the combination of brand awareness and loyalty works.

Social Media and Visual Brand Recognition

This is the foundation. Especially for:

• beauty salons;
• fashion stores;
• hookah lounges;
• coffee shops.

But what matters here is not just activity. You need a recognizable style. When a person sees a post and immediately understands whose it is, that already works toward building brand awareness.

Example: a Beauty Salon

The salon started creating content in a consistent style:

• the same colors;
• branded stories;
• short videos of the specialists;
• push notifications with personalized offers.

After a few months, customers started to:

• tag the salon in stories;
• recommend specialists more often;
• return without additional discounts.

In other words, not only brand awareness increased, but trust as well.

Collaborations and Partnerships

This is an underestimated tool. When two businesses with similar audiences join forces, they essentially exchange customer attention.

Example: a Hookah Lounge + Vape Shop

A hookah lounge and a local vape shop decided to run a joint promotion for their audience. The logic was simple: the businesses had overlapping customers but had not worked directly with each other before. What they did:

• guests of the hookah lounge received bonuses for buying liquids or accessories at the vape shop;
• vape shop customers received free tea or a discount on hookah at the lounge.

In addition, both sides periodically mentioned each other in stories and push notifications. In a month and a half:

And what is interesting — advertising was barely used. The main effect came from audience exchange and regular contact through the loyalty program. This kind of brand awareness promotion usually feels much more natural to customers than standard banner advertising.

Push Notifications as a Brand Awareness Tool

This is one of the most underestimated channels. If a push notification is done properly — without spam or aggressive sales — it constantly reminds customers about the brand. And does so softly.

Example: a Hookah Lounge

With the help of a loyalty program for a hookah lounge, notifications were sent only about events:

• new flavors;
• parties;
• private events.

No endless discounts. The result:

• guests started returning more often;
• the number of weekend bookings increased;
• the brand became more recognizable among competitors in the area.

Advertising and Brand Awareness

Yes, advertising still works. But now it rarely creates a long-term effect on its own. If a person sees an ad just once, they will quickly forget it. That is why a good brand awareness strategy usually looks like this:

1. Advertising attracts attention;
2. A loyalty program maintains contact;
3. Push notifications and social media sustain awareness.

And only together does it start working consistently.

What Brand Awareness Goals Does a Business Most Often Have?

Usually, a business wants to:

Conclusion

To be honest, brand awareness growth rarely happens because of just one tool. Today, what works best is a combination of:

• visual presence;
• a loyalty program;
• personalized communication;
• constant contact with the customer.

That is why many companies are starting to see loyalty not only as a way to retain customers, but also as a tool for increasing brand awareness. Because people choose familiar brands much more often.