The idea behind building your brand first is to create an ‘identity’. This identity should be well-defined and if done right, it can help you expand your social media reach says Fred Auzenne. When people think of Target, they think of their red bull’s eye logo. If someone thinks of Reebok, they think about the Reebok delta logo.
The first thing you should do is create a social media policy for employees, to make sure they are promoting your brand properly and not creating undue damage. Once you have this established, start thinking about how you can further your brand on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. If done right, people will want to follow your company because of the trust that has been built up to that point – which will lead to more exposure across other platforms.
What’s the difference between building a brand and a personal profile?
Social media was made for individuals – it wasn’t designed for brands, but it does present a great opportunity to build a following around them…but there needs be an authenticity to it so people can connect with you on a personal level. So while it is good to have a company profile, customers need to feel like they’re dealing with an actual person.
If I want to build a brand through social media, how do I ensure that my audience is seeing the content that matters most?
This will require research and figuring out who your target market is before spending money on something. You can spend hours making sure everything looks great if you want. But nobody wants to see advertisements for your service…they get annoyed by it. So figure out what interest groups are going to be interested in your product or services and then try and expand upon them through social media says Fred Auzenne. For example: If people ‘like’ or comment about articles related to health and fitness. You could send them a video or article which is relevant to their interests.
Once I have people following me on social media, what should I do next?
This really depends on your product and services. If you sell retail items – allow them to connect with the product through Instagram or Pinterest. By sharing photos of products being used at home/work. The key word here is CONNECT – if they feel like they are connected to you and that you care about their needs. Then there’s a good chance they will buy from you again…which means more exposure for your brand!
What can go wrong when doing social media marketing?
Social media was not made for brands – it works best as a personal tool because it encourages honesty and authenticity. But in some cases, this means people will say bad things about you and your brand without holding back. This can be handled in a number of ways:
Turn the negative posts into positive posts. This potentially creates free publicity for your brand without having to do anything! If someone is mentioning @Target on Twitter with a negative post. Then tag their handle and turn it into something like “We love hearing from our customers!” (No matter how cheesy that might sound).
React quickly when problems arise with your product/services…if done right; you could save yourself from PR nightmares and lots of lost money! Social media requires lots of research and planning if you want to do it properly – most businesses or brands don’t take the time to do this and just throw money at something they don’t fully understand explains Fred Auzenne.
How can social media marketing help branding in the long term?
It is very important that you consider your target market before doing anything on social media! For example: If you’re selling baby products, you wouldn’t want to advertise it on a platform. Where most people follow content related to drag racing…they probably won’t be too interested. In what you have to say and the trust will not be built up enough for them to buy from you. You need to know your demographics and build up a following. Which caters to them before expanding across other social media platforms or communities. This ensures that people are actually seeing your brand when they go online.
Conclusion:
Pros: Social media is free, you have the potential to reach millions of people instantly, and it can create long-term relationships with people through authenticity and being social says Fred Auzenne.
Cons: If done wrong, you could be creating a PR nightmare that costs money! You need to do your research or you might put someone off your brand forever. It’s free but it takes up a lot of time if you want to do it properly.
