Social media is great news for businesses and brands, and the best part is, both big and small brands can benefit from it. When you know the figures, it's easy to understand why business and consumer marketers almost unanimously believe that social media is crucial to building a brand. So, when it comes to your social media branding, it's essential to invest some thought and resources into it. But also remember it isn't free. Though you may only need to use man-hours to do it, the time that needs to be invested in creating a great social channel can be a job in itself. Worse yet, if done wrong, it can be a detriment to your brand.
Brand awareness is cited as a top priority for marketers across all industries. Social media channels have become the one-stop-shop for getting the word out about your products and services. By creating a strong brand presence on social media, you can reach a broader audience than you may have with traditional marketing.
So, where to begin? Well, let's talk about social media branding, then we'll jump into some easy ways to build your brand.
So... What is branding Anyways?
Branding isn't just about your logo or being a multi-million dollar company. Your brand is how people perceive your product, business, or even who you are. The goal with branding is to make sure the perception people have is the one you want. I have learned the hard way that even if you aren't actively marketing your brand, people gain a perception, or worse, won't know you exist at all. Hence, it's up to you to shape how you want people to see the brand.
Decide What You Want Your Brand to achieve?
It's human nature to want people to like you, but being liked doesn't always convert into anything tangible. A like or a subscribe is excellent for some metrics and building your audience. Still, if they don't always translate into sales, sponsorships, or greater exposure, interaction can be very superficial. Be clear on your branding goals and how they can help you succeed in building your brand.
Some Brand Goals Include:
Generating sponsorship through new leads
An increase in sales
An increase in customer loyalty
Creating higher brand awareness
How to create a strong brand identity
Before anything else, you need to define your brand. Every day, people are exposed to so many brands through social media, tv, internet, radio, podcasts, etcetera. The brands that can cut through are the ones we instantly understand. We often talk about the elevator pitch to simplify complex thoughts. So imagine you're in an elevator trying to persuade someone to engage with your brand here is what they need to know.
What is your brand called?
What is your brand about?
What makes your brand stand out above the rest?
If that took longer than 15 seconds to answer, go back and repeat the exercise. In reality, we live in now. The attention span to understand a brand isn't much more than a couple of seconds to click follow and make more investigations. Social media is no place for long-winded discussions. Make it catchy and make it brief.
Rules of social media branding
You don't need to be on every channel. It's better to choose one and do it right. Don't water-down your reach because you're spread too thin! This is something I have learned first hand and have implemented at companies I have worked with in the past.
Post frequently. If you're not posting, you're not visible, so focus on the frequency and consistency. This means posting at least once a day during the best times for your target audiences. But don't over-post, you don't want to become a feed-clog and have people unfollow and annoyed with your brand.
You don't need thousands of followers. 10 followers who buy your product are better than 1000 followers who don't buy your product. Don't get caught up in follower figures. You need an engaged audience rather than a huge superficial one.
Know your tone of voice and brand writing style
Your product or service, and the demographics of the target audience will determine the voice and style on social media. Remember, your brand or company has a personality associated with it, so consider what language it would use. The first is your tone. You need to be clear to followers about what and how the brand will communicate online. The second is the language. What type of language will your brand use online? A young and hip brand might get away with more slang, or a niche brand may use more acronyms and industry-specific jargon. Lastly, what is the purpose? Identify the main reason the brand is on social media? Is your goal to educate or entertain?
Finally, you should put together a social media style guide that outlines your tone of voice. It is a useful reference document for anyone in the company who may use social accounts to keep a consistent tone moving forward.
Hashtag like a Genius
Hashtagging is the best way to get seen when posting on social platforms. This is because of the search algorithms in place across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that help people find the right content. I know for my personal Instagram. I use many geotags and hashtags to reach far beyond my own network of followers. This easy step can help boost not only post-interaction but also overall extended reach. If you are having trouble with hashtags, start simple, there are apps out there like Ritehashtag that can give you a start. If you say a food blogger looking to build an audience within your city, province, or country, make sure you are hashtagging the areas, such as #vancouver or #vancouverfoodie. This helps people in your area find you. This can also be very useful for local businesses. Most people are now looking at social media platforms to see where they will go for specific products in their area.
Don't plug, converse!
Focus on building a two-sided relationship with customers by conversing, interacting, and caring. Don't solely plug products or services. People want to make a genuine, two-way connection because, at the end of the day, people need to inherently trust a brand, and that values them.
Be a Story Teller
Who doesn't love a good story? Storytelling is central to human existence. In fact, telling someone a story can have the powerful effect of getting them on board, as it causes the listener to turn the story into their own idea and experience. Involve customers in a brand story, and they will engage. If you're an influencer, involve some personal stories or events in your life to make people feel more connected. If you're a brand, tell them about something that your company has done to change a life or make things in the world just a little better. People will resonate, and it will gain you a lot of goodwill.
Make it visual
Users engage with posts that include images, more than those that don't. Add infographics, photographs, and other visual images, taking advantage of Pinterest and Instagram, which can store and share visual content.
Change Layouts to make it enjoyable. There are plenty of apps out there to help with this, some free, some come with a small fee. You don't need to be a graphic designer to make a photo pop while highlighting any text you want to throw in there. This is especially useful for sharing stories on Facebook and Instagram. Apps like Canva or Unfold can boost the visual appeal of your post by a lot.
You're Ready, Let's Go!
Social media can be a great tool to increase your online presence. Still, as more brands jump on the bandwagon, marketing clutter can make it hard to compete. Be sure to not only use social media as a branding tool but also to use it effectively to stand out and keep customers engaged and interested.
You've got this!!!
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