Social media is the best thing since sliced bread for businesses when it comes to marketing. Especially small businesses that can’t compete with the big ones when it comes to the marketing budget. ”Go where your customers are” is the name of the game as it just so happens to be that your customers are on social media platforms!
That’s why everyone is talking about social media branding nowadays. It’s the way to reach more customers and grow your business. And we’re here to help you take your social media branding to the next level!
#1 Know Who You Are (And Know Your Grammar)
The number one tip is the one you need to figure out on your own. So, know who you are as a company, what you stand for, and develop your brand’s voice. How you create content and communicate with your audience is important. It should represent who you are as a business.
It’s also extremely important to know your grammar. No matter how cool or relaxed your social media brand voice is, you should sound and look professional. Mistakes do happen every now and then but try your best to have a great command of grammar or hire people that do. Otherwise, your social channel will look sloppy and unprofessional.
#2 Maintain Consistency – It’s the Way to Win the Algorithm’s Love
One of the best pieces of advice you can get if you decide to get on social networks is to be consistent and present. ALL THE TIME. Post frequently – it is your way to win the algorithm’s love and that of your followers. It’s the best way to get more engagement and with it, more exposure and more customers.
Let us let you in on another industry secret – no one has time to post in real-time. Not even us, marketers! That’s why we have social media management tools. These tools are amazing for scheduling relevant content when and where you need it.
#3 Choose Your Social Network (s) Carefully
Naturally, it would be best if you could be present on every major social network and adapt your content to each one. However, that’s not really easy to achieve if you are doing your own social media and running a small business on your own.
A youtube channel will require a lot of time, work, filming, and equipment. In other words, things you just don’t have if you are a small business owner handling your own digital marketing. And doing it in a mediocre way will just lose your time and get you nothing. So, it is better to evaluate solutions and choose one social platform or a couple you can really focus on and reap all the benefits.
When choosing the right social media platform, you must first know your customers and audience. Different solutions will work for a mechanic shop, restaurant, or fashion brand. So, think about where your customer base is and go there. And adapt the right tactics and techniques for the network you choose.
#4 Make a Logo and Brand Image
Having a logo is crucial – that’s how people will recognize your brand. You should invest in a designer that can create an amazing logo for your business that reflects who you are and what you do. You don’t have to use the same content on all social channels, but you should definitely use the same logo as a profile picture on all your social channels.
#5 Focus On the Visuals
Content may be king, but engagement is queen, and we all know that the lady rules the house. And how do you get more engagement? Did you know that visual content gets 94% more views than content without images? That’s a great example of just how important these pretty pictures are in digital marketing.
And, it makes sense considering how fast people scroll down their feed. Whether it’s Facebook ads, Instagram posts, or blogs, visuals are a sure way to capture the attention of social media users. You hook them with a nice picture and keep them with great content.
The more views you get and the more time people spend on your posts and content, the more likely they are to engage. If you keep them engaged, you keep them interested, and that’s how you get conversions and sales. Bottom line – beautiful design and pretty pictures matter in the same way great content does.
#6 Engage in Influencer Marketing – It’s the New Gold Rush
Did you know that influencer marketing is a $13.8 billion industry? There must be a reason why brands and businesses invest that much into these social media personas.
Take Instagram for example. That’s the perfect influencer network. Influencers have a strong fan base that feels like they know them. People trust the famous people they follow and they will also trust their recommendations and buy the stuff they promote. This is not just a guess, this is backed up by statistics and sales.
An influencer promoting your brand can do wonders for your business. All you need to do is find the perfect influencer for your brand. Knowing your ideal customers and who they follow is imperative. You don’t want to waste money on a famous name if their audience is not your audience. So, do your research before you commit.
#7 Collaborate With Other Brands
Brands work together in every way, shape, and form. Whether it’s influencer marketing, sponsorships, or shared projects, co-promoting is very important. If you don’t have it within your budget to pay for ads or your content to be shared by the big names, don’t worry – there’s other stuff you can do.
If you can’t afford to work with other brands, that doesn’t mean you can’t be in their digital circle! Follow all the important names in your industry, like and comment on their posts so their audience can notice you. You can also share the relevant content they post and add your input. Interesting comments will surely get you the attention and people will want to know more about you.
#8 Don’t Just Wing It – Know What You’re Doing
There’s a lot of consistent work and careful digital strategy planning behind every successful social media channel. No company just goes viral overnight and neither will you. Know what your brand stands for, these branding tips and tactics, and how each social network works. Then develop a social media marketing campaign.
Make short and long-term goals you want to achieve when it comes to branding. Break it down into more simple goals and reach them until you reach the bigger ones. And take all the time and work you need (and you’ll need a lot) to achieve your goals.
#9 Be Patient – The Results Will Come
Mahatma Gandhi said ”To lose patience is to lose the battle”. While we are sure he wasn’t referring to social media branding and success, his words can be applied to the world of social media and the battle of branding and social media success.
No business becomes viral on social media with just one post. That’s just a fact of life. Any marketer that promises you that is a charlatan. It will take a lot of work and even more time before you establish your brand, gain followers and customers, and become a big name.
You have to be prepared for that, so don’t lose hope, and keep a positive attitude throughout the process. But, if you apply all the tips above, set your budget and strategy accordingly, results WILL come.
Social Media Branding and Marketing Myths
We’ve given you some useful tips on how to create a strong brand identity. Now let’s take a look at some of the most common social media marketing myths.
Myth #1 Your brand can become popular overnight
We’ve already mentioned this one – it just doesn’t happen for brands like that. Have you ever heard of a company going viral and suddenly gaining clients because of one post? That’s because it never happened.
And think about it – even if you do have that one post that goes viral and attracts some following, how much will it really mean to your sales and business? Not much. The key is to have carefully run and beautifully designed social channels so you look presentable and gain the trust of your clients over time.
Myth #2 You have to be on every network
You really don’t. Especially not if you don’t commit to each one. A hairdresser doesn’t really need a LinkedIn account. Of course, the more you put your brand out there, the more chances of people noticing it. But choosing one or two social platforms and doing them right is always better, especially when on a tight budget.
Myth #3 Likes and Followers = Sales
Likes, shares, and followers are important, don’t get us wrong. But, there are not the most important thing nor do they guarantee sales.
Just think about it, when was the last time you liked a post of your favorite clothing brand or the grocery chain you regularly visit? But how often have you bought something because you saw it being promoted or went to the store because you saw there was a discount? Exactly.
A lot of followers and exposure are a great way to put you on the map and give people a chance to meet your brand. But, gaining the following that is generally interested in your brand and industry is far more important than amassing random likes and followers that won’t buy your product.
Myth #4 It’s Tacky for a Brand to Try to Seem Relatable
It is not! Hey, social media is just that – social. And people are there to socialize and connect. It’s natural that they’ll react better to things they can relate to.
They actually want to know more about your brand, your story, and the people behind it. Just give it a test drive. Share the story of your beginnings or congratulate your top employees. Share their success stories within your company or wish them a happy birthday. You’ll see that people will react positively.
Myth #5 Social Media Is Free Marketing
Joining social media is free, that’s true. But, there are expenses connected to it. For example, you will need to pay a designer to design your logo. Maybe you’ll need a photographer to take some photos or videos of your production or place of work. Someone’s going to have to write your posts if you don’t, and so on.
Even if you don’t invest money in it and do it all on your own, you will need to invest a lot of time and call in some favors. Much like any other business venture, you need to invest to earn. So, be prepared for that. It is, however, true that social media marketing is the most cost-effective marketing there is out there.
Most Common Questions About Social Media Branding Answered
What Is Social Media Branding?
Simply put – social media branding is how your business looks and behaves on social media platforms. Your logo, your tone of voice, your style, your content, and how you interact with your target audience are all a part of your social media brand. It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
But wait – there’s a whole science behind it as everyone is also trying to do the same. And we all know that social media users have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. So, it can get more than a bit crowded on any social media platform and you want the attention of your target audience on your social media posts!
How Can Social Media Be Used to Brand?
What does any business need in order to grow and improve? Social media followers!
Clearly, there are many other things you need if you want your business to grow. But brand building on social media is definitely one of the most important ones. Major social media platforms are how you will learn what your customer base and audience members want, how to improve your products, and how to get more customers.
That’s where you’ll introduce your brand name and products through visual content and blog post content. And that’s where you will find your target audience and form a relationship with them.
With a great social media branding strategy, that relationship will convert into sales and brand loyalty before you know it!
What Role Does Social Media Play in Branding?
Social media presence will increase your brand exposure so your personal brand will become a recognizable brand online. That’s why even the big whales that spend millions on traditional marketing, like Coca-Cola, have social media accounts.
You get to really form a connection with your customers to the point that they feel like they know you. That’s the best way to build brand recognition.
What Is the Aim of Social Media Branding?
The aim of social media branding, much like other marketing efforts, is to sell your products, of course.
First of all, your customers will expect you to maintain a social presence on major social media channels so they can easily reach you and get more information. And you will want your customers to have easy access to your products so you can reduce customer retention and grow more customers.
Why Bother With Social Media Branding Efforts?
Around 70% of Americans go to social media to find information about products or shop online. Another aim of having a popular social channel is to make purchases easier for your target market with some powerful tools.
These AI tools can connect your Instagram account, Facebook page, or Twitter account to your website so your target market can make a purchase with one click!
How Do You Introduce Your Brand on Social Media?
Before you can start posting on your social media platforms, you need to set clear goals and determine a social media marketing strategy. You need to know the answers to these simple questions:
What’s your brand identity about?
Why is your brand different?
Why should people buy your products/services?
If you know and love what you do, the answers to these questions will be easy. Then you can get on to creating your brand image, logo, setting up social media networks, determining the voice, and everything else.
Good Luck With Branding on Social Media!
And that’s about all we would like to share with you on this topic for this article. We hope you enjoyed reading it and that you’ve gathered a lot of useful info that will help you with your social media branding strategy. If you want to know more, head on to our contact page and reach out to us so we could help you out. And we heartily wish you good luck!
