The importance of top-of-mind awareness (TOMA) is unquestionable. Thanks to top-of-mind awareness, brands such as Nike and Coca Cola are considered to be top in their respective industry.

For clarity purposes, top of mind awareness is a measure of how high your brand ranks in the consciousness of consumers e.g., when it comes to your niche, is your brand/business the first that comes to mind? (your target audience should answer this question).

Whilst not everyone will think of the same brand, it does give an indication of which business/brand is popular in that industry.

TOMA is usually a big plus but bear in mind, that sometimes people may first think of your brand if it previously faced a crisis or maybe if they dislike the brand.

Why is TOMA important? Clearly, if your brand/business is the first one people think of, they will instinctively search for your products/services when they need them. Here are a few more benefits:

– Your Marketing will become more effective. If the public is already familiar with your brand/business, your campaigns will be more meaningful and when your competitors advertise their products, consumers may think of yours.

– Public Relations is a breeze. When your brand is a household name, it’s easier to attract media coverage.

– Your search ranking will skyrocket. If many people are Googling your brand, the search engine will boost your site’s position for related keywords.

– With top-of-mind awareness, you command more trust and can charge higher prices.

One sure way of measuring top of mind awareness is brand recall. Market research surveys can be used. Ask open ended questions about the first brand that comes to mind for a particular niche.

Your top-of-mind awareness score is determined by whatever percentage mentions your brand first. Ask respondents to identify other brands within the same category. Without any prompts, they recall as many brands as possible. Once your brand/business is mentioned, delve deeper and ask what they remember about your brand; this can reveal traits and experiences that tend to increase awareness. If your brand isn’t mentioned at all, it means you need to work harder to increase TOMA.

Candice Sealey is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Ignite! a Full-service Marketing and PR Consultancy that helps businesses/brands to stand out and communicate the right message to the right people at the right time through Strategy, Marketing, Media services and Design solutions. She is also a freelance content writer, advertising copywriter, voiceover talent, media personality.
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