Once you have a top-notch product on the market ready for purchase, you naturally want to make people aware of it. Attracting attention for your brand and products is the role of marketing, and you can’t get far without it.

Even the most amazing, cutting-edge brands won’t last long if enough people aren’t aware of you.

While you can always put large or small amounts of money into Google Ads or sponsored posts on Facebook or Instagram, that’s just one approach, and it’s not always effective.

The important consideration is to reach your target audience where they are with a clear, simple message.

There are a number of marketing levers you can pull to help strengthen your brand equity and raise your profile with your audience.

The good news is that using these more affordable options, you can gain all-important market traction. 

Leveraging Influencers

Social media influencers can be a highly cost-effective way to get your name out there. Some will promote your brand simply in exchange for free product to try, while others charge a fee (sometimes a healthy fee).

You don’t have to focus your efforts on influencers with huge audiences, either. The primary consideration is engagement.

An influencer with an audience of 10,000 and 20% engagement is a better bet than an influencer with an audience of 100,000 and 1% engagement.

Once you’ve identified a handful of potential influencers to partner with, follow them for a few weeks to see if they’ll be a good fit with your brand. Finally, make sure their audience matches your target audience.

This thorough blog post is a good place to start your research on working with social media influencers.

Meet The Press

Getting your brand or product in the news through public relations is known as “earned” media, meaning you don’t pay for it. If you work with an agency, you’ll certainly be paying for their services, but if the media is interested in what you’re sharing, there is no cost when they feature you in a story.

Companies like Apple and Amazon get all the press they can handle, but you’ll need a hook—you need to be newsworthy, and launching a product is usually not newsworthy by itself.

It’s also easier to be newsworthy on a smaller scale. In other words, getting coverage through your local news is easier than getting a story in a national newspaper like the New York Times.

When pitching a story to reporters, be sure to explain why their readers or viewers would be interested. Reporters look for “firsts”—the first product to do X, Y, and/or Z, for example.

They like stories that are “hot.” If Emma Stone or Zendaya or Bradley Cooper is in the news and there’s a cosmetics or personal care angle, you might be able to piggyback on that story.

For example, if the story makes hyaluronic acid a household term and you have a great hyaluronic product, jump on that!  

Reporters also like local impact. With that in mind, one of your strongest angles to start with could be showing how your company is a benefit to the local economy. Once you’ve established a working relationship with a reporter, you can continue to share company news with him or her. Two rules to never break when dealing with the press: don’t lie (or stretch the truth), and don’t miss a deadline. 

Get Pats on the Back

There are dozens—actually, hundreds—of awards for which you can nominate your brand and products. From packaging, videos and other collateral, to the product itself, you shouldn’t have any problem finding suitable awards. Entry fees are generally modest at around $500 per category, but that can add up.

Awards that some of the formulas we have developed have received include Pure Beauty Global Awards, Beauty Choice Awards, Global Makeup Awards, Cosmetic Executive Beauty Awards, and Beauty Industry Awards. You may want to consider the Stevie Awards (with numerous programs).

Once you win an award, make sure you share the good news! To be totally obvious: Your local media outlets will, usually, be impressed that you’ve garnered an award. Be sure to add award details to your website, especially on the page of the winning product (where applicable).

Rub Elbows

No, we’re not talking about lotion on dry skin (but go ahead if you need it). Participating in industry conference and expos is a great way to raise your profile and get noticed. True, this kind of attention will not usually be from customers, but it still helps establish you as a player. Events like these can help you connect with people who can help you grow and strengthen your brand.