Branding through social media is an interesting concept that gives you a direct line of communication with your audience, giving you both a head start and a competitive edge. The problem is, however, is the fact that with so many possibilities, there’s always a threat that you’ll miss out on a great opportunity, simply because you didn’t know it’s there. There are so many social media branding tips that you haven’t heard so far, some of which may turn out to be pivotal in your future branding efforts. Here are five of them worth considering.
1. Focus on the right networks
Each network has its audience and once you figure out that this audience aligns with your target demographic, you’ve found the most relevant network for your business. For instance, Instagram is favored by millennials, Snapchat by teens, while Pinterest has a predominantly female audience. Other than this, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B outreach and so on. The problem lies in the fact that, although you know where to focus the bulk of your efforts, you can’t ignore other networks either. Still, some focus and the ability to make priorities can make a world of a difference.
2. Visual is important
Even though it takes place on social media, branding is still branding and, as such, it needs to rest on the same principles. Speaking of which, the visual markings of your brand such as corporate colors and logo are pivotal for your success. First of all, people are known to register visual information 60,000 times faster than a verbal, which means that these visual markings give a massive boost to your brand recognition. Visual is incredibly important, which is why you should also consider switching to more visual content like infographics, comics or memes. Not only are these formats more immersive but they’re also more attention-grabbing, which is exactly what you need.
3. Develop a social following locally
One of the most underrated social media branding tips is ignoring the importance of the local market for your business. You see, as long as you have a brick and mortar presence in the local community, developing a social following locally will be an important tool for driving sales and gaining return customers. Needless to say, if you plan to outsource this, you should look for a local company to help you out. For instance, your Victoria-based business needs assistance from a branding agency in Melbourne and looking further away might not be as effective. This kind of insight into the local market could turn out to be game-changing, at one point.
4. Maintain consistency
When it comes to choosing a business partner or a company to do business with, people are looking for someone they can trust. The best way to boost and establish this trust is through consistency of your content and your overall marketing efforts. So, if it’s written content that we’re talking about, you need to get the same contributors to produce the most (if not all) of it. If you’re producing your own content, you need to find a voice and a tone that suit both you and your demographic. In a way, it might also be a good idea for you to write somewhat of a manifesto and try to stick to it as much as humanly possible, later on.
5. Influence is a metric
Perhaps the biggest mistake that inexperienced digital marketers make is choosing which influencer to contact based on the number of followers. Sure, the number of followers decides the reach but they’re called influencers for a reason, and that reason is the fact that social media influence is the most important metric at their disposal.
If a person promoting your brand addresses their audience directly, how likely are they to listen? Why? If not, why not? Think about it, a renowned medical expert, praising a medication or a piece of medical equipment does it a far greater service than a movie star, even though the expert in question may have by a tiny fraction of following. Measuring influence, on the other hand, is not an easy thing, but there are some platforms dabbling in such matters. Consulting them first might be a good idea.
Conclusion
While these tips may sound quite specific in some aspects, they still give you the freedom to customize your brand in any way that you see fit. Keep in mind, nonetheless, that if you want a loyal audience, you need to develop a brand that will speak to them on a personal level. Share their values and use your social media the way in which they would. This way, you can’t miss.
