Ever heard of the Keith Lee Effect? Let’s get into it. Keith Lee is a social media influencer and amateur food critic with over 20 million followers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube combined. He seeks out little-known restaurants in cities around the U.S., orders from the menu anonymously, and reviews his meals, rating them from one to 10. At the end of each video, he asks his followers to visit the often struggling restaurant he’s reviewed and help support the business. Within no time, the restaurants he reviews are swamped with customers and have lines out of the door—the Keith Lee Effect in action. He says that most of these restaurants just need increased brand awareness and that once people know these spots are there, people will love them just as much as he did. 

What makes the Keith Lee Effect work is pretty simple. He uses his platform to let his followers know that the small restaurants he visits, which typically don’t do much marketing, have location challenges or are surrounded by competitors, exist because if no one knows you’re there, it’s next to impossible to sell your products or services or spread your message. Brand awareness is everything. 

Understanding Brand Awareness

Think brand awareness is just having a good logo or a recognizable tagline like Nike’s “Just Do It?” Think again, my friend. Brand awareness is way more than that. It’s being recognized as a brand and it’s how people think and feel about the brand. Establishing a positive brand presence is, without a doubt, the key element of any brand’s success. 

1. It Sets You Apart From the Competition

The number one reason brand awareness is essential is because it sets one brand apart from the next. The number of coaches, consultants, authors, and entrepreneurs of every kind grows every day, which means the people you want to use your products and services with have nearly unlimited options. You have to stand out as the best choice among them all. Brand awareness makes this possible by making your brand recognizable and easy to remember. When people know who you are, they will likely choose your products and services or support your cause over others.

2. It Builds Trust

It seems like anyone who can has hung their shingle out and declared they’re open for business. You’d be shocked by the number of “brands” taking people’s hard-earned money, sticking it in their lint-ball-filled pockets, and giving their customers products that are mediocre at best. As someone who’s building an upstanding and reputable brand, you’ll need to show people you’re someone people can trust. By consistently delivering valuable content and maintaining a transparent online presence, you can tear down the walls of skepticism, and as you do, you’ll gain credibility, be viewed as a reliable resource and build a brand your potential customers and clients feel comfortable engaging with.  

3. It Amplifies Your Reach of Social Media

When you consistently share high-quality content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, you’ll reach a broader audience. Using these platforms can help you amplify your brand message and engage with people who are interested in what your brand has to offer, exponentially increasing the number of people who know about and interact with your brand. 

4. It Requires Building an Online Presence

Back in the day, people would walk past your storefront, look in the window for a bit, and then decide if they wanted to come in to browse. In the digital age, your storefront is everywhere you build an online presence, including your website, social media pages, Amazon store and anywhere else you’re online. Your brand needs a cohesive online presence, which includes maintaining consistent branding elements, messaging, and visual identity across all channels. This unified approach enhances brand recognition and reinforces your brand’s image in the minds of your potential clients or customers.

5. It Has Good Content as Its Foundation

Content is the key to building brand awareness. Blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and other types of content can be used to communicate your brand’s values, mission, and unique selling propositions. When you produce content that is engaging, relevant, valuable and resonates with your target audience and post it consistently, people will remember your brand and seek out your products and services.

6. It Needs Constant Updates & Monitoring

What draws people to your brand one day may not the next, so it’s important to remain aware of changing content trends and update your approach to building brand awareness as needed. Monitor the effectiveness of your brand awareness strategies using analytics tools to track metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and audience demographics. This data tells you what’s working and what isn’t and can act as a guide as you make adjustments.

Unlike the Keith Lee Effect, which can take a business from near death to thriving overnight, building brand awareness takes time. But, if you remain consistent, have a deep understanding of who you want to reach, and provide valuable content, your brand will begin to stand out and become a trusted resource or the go-to spot people think of first, which lays the foundation for your success. 

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