If you’ve been in business for years, you probably have more opportunities to build brand awareness than you realise.

When people talk about brand awareness, the conversation often jumps straight to marketing. More content. More advertising. More social media. More events. And if you’ve got limited time and budget, that can feel like a very long shopping list.

But established businesses have something that newer businesses don’t. History.

You’ve already built relationships. Delivered work. You’ve already solved problems. You’ve probably got customers who’ve been with you for years, people who refer you, industry knowledge, expertise and stories that demonstrate what you’re good at.

So before spending money trying to reach more people, I’d look at three things.

Firstly, I’d look at your existing relationships. Who already knows, trusts or has worked with you?  Past clients, suppliers, professional contacts, partners and people you’ve met through your industry can all be part of your awareness network. Not as a sales list, as a network of people who already have a reason to remember you.

Secondly, I’d ask what do you know that other people don’t? Established businesses often have years of experience sitting inside the business. Think about that interesting client problem you solved, mistakes you see businesses making repeatedly. The thing you’ve learned after doing something 500 times. That’s valuable, and it can give people a reason to remember you without you constantly trying to promote yourself.

Finally, I’d look at where could other people introduce you? This is one I think businesses often overlook. You don’t always need to reach your audience directly. Think about who you are already connected with. Maybe you know someone whose audience overlaps with yours but doesn’t compete with you. An industry association or professional network you could join or maybe even a supplier you’ve been using for years.

Sometimes the most useful awareness opportunity isn’t another marketing channel, it’s an existing relationship you haven’t thought of as a marketing opportunity.

Building awareness with limited resources isn’t necessarily about doing more, it’s about recognising the attention, trust and credibility you’ve already built and finding ways to make it work harder and making use of the connections and experience you’ve already earned.

See you next time for Squark Design’s Branding Bites.