Social Media has become one of the most influential marketing tools used today. Companies market their brands by posting videos, photos and other creative content to drive a consumer market.
Some believe social media branding is as easy as posting photos every once in a while. However, taking the time to develop a social media strategy will help your brand establish longevity and customer loyalty. A consistent social media presence allows you to discover what your followers want and makes them feel connected to you.
Social Media Branding Basics
What Is Social Media Branding?
Social media branding is a combination of understanding what your goals are, who your audience is, and what they want. Social media branding is a way to expand your marketing efforts through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and many more.
To fully achieve this, you must understand the core values within social media branding. eCommerce social media branding is a way to turn your prospects into customers. Whether you are a startup company or a well established brand, creating a social media strategy is essential.
State of the Industry
There are many platforms that companies use to market their brands. These platforms can vary from social, photo sharing or even microblogging. Of course, every platform is different; however, they all serve the same purpose. They all strive to create a strong social media presence to ultimately drive revenue.
For example, Instagram has over 500 million monthly active users. They have one of the highest audiences for engagement rates on social media. It is also important to have an idea of who exactly is using social media. Demographics and psychographics vary from platform to platform. It is important to know your target market so you know how to reach them.
Social Media Fast Facts:
- 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
- 73% of marketers believe social media has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.
- 90.4% of Millennials use social media.
- 77.5% of Generation X use social media.
- 48.2% of Baby Boomers use social media.
Is It Important?
Did you know that 90% of all marketers say social media marketing has increased their business exposure? Social media has become one of the most effective ways to market a brand.
Having a brand strategy shows what you stand for as a company and attracts potential customers. So, yes, social media is very important. Social media posts increase targeted traffic and can boost SEO as well. Developing a brand strategy allows a company to generate long-term business success.
Social Media Branding Tips
As mentioned earlier, branding is about defining who you are as a company and attracting the right prospects. However, it is very important to establish goals such as knowing your brand identity, your audience, your design and your content.
Once you have an idea of those four aspects, you can begin to further develop your goals. Are you trying to increase engagements? Drive more revenue? Or both? Setting social media goals will create a pathway to developing a strategic plan. Once you understand who you are as a brand, there are some techniques you can follow to develop good social media branding.
Be relatable
A common mistake many companies face is creating an unrelatable brand image. Today, many consumers value brands that are humanistic. Followers want to know their favorite brands on a personal level.
Creating content that makes your audience smile is the ideal reaction. This shows that you are just like your audience and that you want to connect with them. Displaying that human connection allows your followers to feel they can relate to you.
Engage with your following
Engaging with your followers helps you figure out what the audience wants and creates a sense of community. Take the time to respond to your followers whenever they repost, tweet or comment on your post. Show them you are listening by answering any questions they may have.
Also, know what to say when you receive a negative comment or a concern. Saying “I’m sorry to hear that” is not as effective as “We are sorry to hear that. What can we do to help?” Other ways to engage with your audience is by letting them join in on the fun. Create trendy hashtags that they can repost on their social media. Being interactive with your followers shows how much you value them and their needs.
It also shows your initiative to seek relationships and not just followers. Many times people focus on numbers. However, having 100 followers who are actively engaging with you is more valuable than 1,000 ghost followers. If you create an environment where your followers feel like community, they will continue to come back.
Find your brand voice
Finding your brand voice can be difficult. Brand voice is not only about how you sound through emails or over the phone. It is about how the company communicates overall. This includes social media.
You are displaying your company’s brand voice each time you post on social media. Brand voice is a representation of your company and a way to identify your company. Having a clear and consistent brand voice will make you memorable.
This can be accomplished by reinforcing your core beliefs. Think about how you want your customers to perceive you. Are you serious or funny? Are you targeting older or younger adults? Knowing these details will allow you to create the appropriate brand voice to reach these audiences.
Be consistent
Consistency is key. Staying up to date with your post is a great way to drive your social media strategy. An efficient way to do this is by creating calendars to organize your social media posts.
Consistent timing of posts will keep your brand relevant. It is also important to remain consistent with your design. Some followers may recognize your brand simply by your visuals. Making sure your colors, images and name remain the same across all platforms will ensure that your followers can identify your brand. A signature color alone can boost brand recognition by 80%!
Post share worthy content
"80 Percent of consumers said ‘authenticity of content’ is the most influential factor in their decision to become a follower of a brand.” – SlideShare
Be sure you are sharing the right content. With lack of content, it can be difficult to brand your business well. Using attention grabbing captions and headlines is a determining factor if someone will click on it. So, creating on-brand social posts are very important.
Content sharing is also important to successfully brand yourself. If your audience knows they will always find useful content on your page, they will continue to come back. Be sure to create authentic content, specifically designed for that particular platform.
Great content is beneficial in many ways. Not only does it increase engagement, but it gives you ideas of what your customers enjoy seeing. This is why it is important to provide content within your niche. Also, providing social share buttons allows your viewers to easily share your content to other social media platforms.
Conclusion
Overall, the culture you create has a big influence on how your followers will react to you. It all comes down to your culture, community and conversation. Investing in yourself and your followers is the most effective social media strategy tool.
Understanding who you are as a brand and what you want to provide to others will help your business grow. Once you have developed this, you will be able to understand how to reach your customers successfully.
If you want to learn more about social media branding, please fill out the form below to get in contact with us. We’d be happy to help!
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