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Many businesses put effort into their offline brand, but don’t focus on their social media brand quite as much. It’s relatively easy to build your brand on social media, and here are four tips to get started.
Stay consistent- One of the most important things you can do when you’re managing your brand on social media is to post consistently. You don’t have to post several times a day, but you should be posting several times per week. For even more success, post the same time every day so your users know when to expect. Use a social media management system like HootSuite or Sprout Social to help you schedule your posts, follow, and monitor your conversations- that way, if you get busy or forget, your posts will still be going out to the masses. One of the worst things you can do for you brand is to tweet too much, too little, or inconsistently. A user who sees a blank account or an account with months between posts won’t think highly of the brand.
Design your accounts- You most likely have billboards, brochures, letterheads and websites with consistent colors, fonts and logos. Why wouldn’t you do the same with your social media accounts? Social media is an extension of your traditional media brand and should be designed the same way. Although you won’t have total control of your Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other accounts, you do have the flexibility to add cover photos, profile images and backgrounds to make your accounts look consistent with your business brand. Facebook gives you the option of adding a large cover photo (the cover photo must be less than 20% text and can’t have a call to action) and a smaller cover image, plus you can customize your “buttons” on your business timeline. Twitter offers similar options, plus a background image for even more consistency.
Use your voice- If corporate speak works on your website or marketing materials, you’ll have to rethink your content strategy on social media. Typically, users of social media are accustomed to much more transparency and unscripted, honest content from brands in their feeds. Plan the voice of your content at the beginning of your social media marketing journey, and stick with it throughout. Stay away from pre-planned corporate speak, and let them know there is a real person behind the social media persona. If there are several people managing your social media, make sure they are all on board with the same voice. This is especially important when you are using a third-party, who may or may not fully understand your business strategy and goals, to assist with your social media accounts.
Engage your audience-Social media without engagement is the same as airing a commercial or placing an ad. Don’t neglect the social aspect of this marketing platform. You must engage your audience regularly. Follow back relevant followers, retweet interesting articles and share commentary on others posts. Start conversations or jump into topics that apply to your industry. Engaging your audience gets you out in front of them in a more powerful way and extends your reach. Don’t start out on social media with spammy messages or sales pitches- it will turn your audience against you before you even start.
Guest Post by:
Denise Wilson is a marketing professional specializing in brand development. Visit Cloverleaf Innovation to learn more.
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Building a brand has never been so important as today and Social Media has allowed all businesses to have a voice. Social media makes us “real” to consumers. If you want people to follow you don’t just talk about the latest product news, but share your personality with them.
In the cyber world, building a real connection with the people is a must. Thanks, Allen!
Social media is undeniably the powerful advertising tool in today’s world. However it also has its downside so it is necessary to have strategies in place to protect brand identity . Salutary share.
Thank you for this great and concise eye opener. You have delivered great steps to build a stronger brand identity in the world of social media.
It’s quite important to maintain a solid name or brand online. With the market being anyone’s game, your could lose your status if you let yourself grow weak.
Engaging with your audience is probably the edge smaller companies have since they are able to do this on a more personal level. Large corporations hire people to have that done but they come off sounding scripted.
With social media constantly changing as the days goes by it’s definitely important for us to keep our brands constant.