Marc L. Goldberg
On the list of questions every business owner asks these days is “How can I use social media to position my business and build my brand online?”
Much has been written on this topic, but all advice is not created equal. Remember your brand consists of your image, mission, values and ultimately your vision. Dorie Clark defines it as: Your brand is what other people say about you when you leave the room. It’s your professional reputation.
Some tips rise to the top. Here are the best ways to build your company’s brand on social media.
Apply your branding consistently
You’ve (hopefully) already spent resources creating a good brand for your business with a logo, tagline, color scheme, messaging and other elements. The first thing to do on social media is to apply your brand elements faithfully and consistently across every platform you join. Design the header of your account using your logo, company colors and images that match your branding.
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Create a brand voice and tone
Writing for social media is somewhat different from your usual business writing. You will write cards and you are expected to have a personality. Bland corporate communication finds little social acceptance. Think about how to adapt your brand approach to a voice and tone that will engage people on social platforms.
Choose your platforms carefully
Find out where your target customers get their information and be there.
Trying to create content for accounts on all social media platforms will quickly become a full-time job – and then some! A better strategy is to focus your attention on a few platforms where your audience is most likely to be active. Figuring out which platforms are best may require some market research, including seeking feedback on social usage from your current customers.
More:Business tips from SCORE: Being nimble in addressing ever-changing trends
Jump on popular topics
Social media runs on trends, so you’ll be far more likely to gain traction and attract attention if you stay up-to-date and find brand-appropriate ways to engage with these topics. Which trending topics you comment on and what you say depends a lot on your brand’s tone and voice, but the goal is to make sure what you post adds something new to an ongoing conversation.
Share content regularly
In the early days of social media, the formula was the more you posted, the more engagement you would receive. But consider over-posting dividends to viewer fatigue and possibly becoming an annoyance. If you find and join groups where you can participate in discussions, share content and thus show your knowledge leadership, your brand takes on another dimension.
Keep writing day in, day out
Social media is like a ravenous beast that will keep eating and eating. The need to keep posting day in, day out is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for businesses trying to build their brand on social. Anticipate this relentless need and put resources in place to ensure your business can meet it. This probably means assigning a specific employee to create social content and giving them enough time to generate it, or delegating the tasks by outsourcing it. Also, build in time for them to actively engage your company’s audience on these platforms. A rule of thumb might be 3-4 times a week to create and maintain top of mind awareness among your goals.
Engage with your followers
Social media is called “social” for a reason – it’s about interacting with others. This gives you a golden opportunity to speak directly to your audience and build their trust in you. Make sure you don’t think of your social accounts as message boards where you post your messages and go away. Instead, think of them as dynamic portals into the world of your potential customers – the more you reach through that portal, the more interest you will attract.
Work with influencers
Influencers constitute a completely new niche in the marketing industry. They cultivate high levels of trust and have remarkable persuasiveness in their followers. By working with influencers, you can reach a highly invested audience in your niche and immediately increase your exposure exactly where you need it. The catch is that working with these online professionals is typically expensive, so this opportunity should be a carefully considered part of a larger social strategy that you invest in.
Know and use your metrics
Before you start posting on social media, create a plan that outlines the metrics you’ll measure to judge how your brand-building efforts are progressing. Learn how to track these metrics, then consistently assess how you’re doing so you can change your strategy to improve. Metrics can provide insight into areas where developing your social efforts is likely to be most effective.
Following these top tips will help you jumpstart your progress in building your social media brand. Consistent application of these tips over time is guaranteed to help you make great use of this powerful digital marketing avenue.
Contributed by Marc L. Goldberg, Certified Mentor, SCORE Cape Cod & the Islands, www.score.org/capecod, capecodscore@scorevolunteer.org, 508/775-4884. Sources: ASK Score 2023, SCORE Association, 10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media, Digital Marketing Institute, Updated September 2021.
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