12 Tips On How To Build Your Brand Through Social Media
- Jenny Kristine Bekken
- Mar 28, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
Do you and your business prioritise and acknowledge the potential and importance of social media? Or, may you think that social media don’t play a significant role in terms of your business’ growth? If so, you might change your mind, and this post will tell you why.
Social media has become a natural part of the branding of many brands as it is a platform where it is possible to be creative, informative and communicate with consumers. Nevertheless, not all companies choose to focus on digital platforms as much as others, and some do not focus on social media at all. They might think that their target audience is not available on social media, or that social media don’t overlap with what they do or offer as a brand. Social media can for many seem tedious if they don’t see any results quick enough and think it is too time-consuming or simply just find it boring.
There are often huge differences in terms of social media prioritisation, regardless of whether it is a small or large company. It seems that brands understand the importance of being available on social media and are willing to try it, but don’t know how to prioritise or work out the digital platforms. They might don’t have enough time or resources to do it properly. That being said, there are many small brands that are exceptional on social media and take full advantage of the digital platforms to build customer relationships and increase the number of loyal customers. On the other hand, there are many grand companies that have great potential to reach a broader audience by enhancing the use of social media, but choose to not do it because they might don’t think it suits them or their audience. In other words, the size of the business does not have to matter whether you have time for social media or not - it is all about prioritising and utilising the time you have available. We can often divide companies into three categories:
Those who are really good at social media
Those who post regularly but can do better
Those who have not started a business account on social media
Taking advantage of social media is therefore more important than ever before, which was something many brands experienced during the Corona-pandemic. New challenges require creative solutions. Many brands relied on sales through social media (such as Instagram Shop) throughout the pandemic, and it was a great opportunity to be visible and communicate with their audience. Thus, the differences between those brands that focused on social media and those that didn’t, became more clear than ever before. Companies had two factors to rely on; to be established and have many regular customers, or to be good at social media (ideally both). It is hard to build a loyal audience during a lockdown, which many companies had to suffer for during the pandemic.
Social media can be looked at as your brands’ online store window. If you feel uninspired, there is always an opportunity to look at other social media accounts to get some inspiration. However, don’t get too caught up in what works for others. The key to success is individual. By knowing what you want to achieve (your goal) and how you want to achieve it (the strategy), it is easier to assess whether you have achieved the desired effect on social media. Nevertheless, it’s a great starting point to form some new ideas for what you can post while figuring out what works for your brand.
Succeeding on social media is an obscure term. What does it really mean to succeed? For whom? Despite the fact that brands have become better at being active on social media, there is not everyone that has a clear strategy. Many companies know that they should be available on social media, but not everyone knows what they want or where to start. Using social media as a part of the branding strategy is, as mentioned, crucial to have the opportunity to reach out to potential and existing customers. This is valuable for the brand as this is a great opportunity to convert these into sales, and even better, loyal customers. To succeed on social media can mean many things. Regardless of what industry you’re in or the size of your business does not have to decide your chances to succeed. It depends on what your company’s goals are. That being said, some brands might have a better starting point than others in terms of what kind of company they are. For instance, a flower shop might have an easier starting point as they have pretty visual content to post in their feed. A plumber company, however, might not see these opportunities. Nevertheless, that is not a good enough excuse to overlook social media.
It can play a decisive role for your company whether you choose to be visible on social media or not. If you use the platforms right, social media is a great tool to keep an eye on for instance your reach on Instagram. If your business gets to know and fully take advantage of these technical advantages, you will over time know when and what you should post to reach your audience. Regardless, it is highly important for your brand to be honest, open and genuine on social media. You have to be aware of what you post.
Presence on social media provides value while building and strengthening your brand. This post will not give you concrete tips on how to succeed - this is something you have to define yourself. However, these 12 tips will hopefully give you the knowledge you need.
1. Have a strategy.
Every business should have a strategy, also on social media. What is your overall goal or long-term aim? When this is clear, clarify work tasks and remember to take breaks.
2. Take a look at the insights
….BUT DON’T GET TOO CAUGHT UP IN IT. One can easily get obsessed with paying attention to numbers, likes, shares and comments. We need a good balance! Who and how many are your account reaching out to? Which posts are the most popular among your followers? These insights can be helpful to know when and how you want to reach out to your audience to get the best possible response.
3. Be patient!
For most people, there will be little activity from potential consumers in the beginning. It is not likely that you will get the results you were hoping for during this early stage, and it is easy to give up. However, this phase is to figure out how you want to present your brand on social media. If you get through this stage, things get easier along the way. Social media is a marathon - not a race.
4. What is your brands’ strength?
As previously mentioned, a flower shop has its advantages in its pretty flowers and thus colourful and inspiring feed on social media. A plumber company, however, probably has their strengths in their knowledge. Instead, think of what your strengths are and focus on those. For instance, post about your product/service and what it can offer the customer and post helpful facts.
5. “The red thread”
If your brand is operating on different platforms, it is an advantage to follow the same thread in terms of how you choose to communicate and reach out to your audience. How would you want your audience to remember you? Set a tone of voice! Too many impressions can seem messy and overwhelming, and it will be harder for the audience to remember you. Think about how you want your audience to identify your brand, through colours, text, images, logo, etc.
6. Communicate and engage with your audience
Connect with your audience! Ask questions, ask for your audience’s opinion and create polls in, for instance, Instagram Stories (which, by the way, is an excellent place to communicate with your audience and create engagement). When posting pictures in your business’ feed, ask questions in the caption to encourage interactions in the comment section.
7. Don’t underestimate your audience
It is easy to think that social media is made for the younger generation and that they are the ones who are the most active. However, this is not given - our grandparents are more up to date than many of us might think! Therefore, don’t presume that your main audience doesn’t use social media or exclude any customer segments.
8. Create value for your customers
Be aware of your brands’ strengths and how you can communicate these to your customers. Why should your customer stay loyal to your brand? What do they get in return? Know your audience and what their wants and needs are. You have to tell them why they should choose your brand and not your competitors. Therefore you have to show them why and how your product or service can make their life better!
9. Tell your brand’s story
Tell your customers (and potential customers) about your brands’ values and mission through storytelling. Be genuine, and tell a story that appeals to your audience. The aim here is to grab the audience’s attention and create human connection. Engage your audience and teach them something about your brand. Stand out by creating your personal story that the audience will remember!
10. Show your brand’s personality and show off your employees
It is easier to create engagement when you show who’s behind the brand. Posting human posts where the customers get to know the people behind the company will lead to better and closer relationships between your company and your customers. People like to see faces on social media. In this way, you will come across as more trustworthy and genuine.
11. Be aware of possible pitfalls
Things spread fast on the internet and you should therefore be careful about what you write and post. If you behave unethically or immoral on social media, it is highly probable that the audience will see right through you. This can damage your brands’ reputation and thus lead to a loss of customers, sales and followers. Follow marketing guidelines, be genuine and ethical. Having the opportunity to reach an audience comes with great responsibility, so be careful about what you write and post.
12. …..BUT DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN
Everything doesn’t have to be too serious and thought through. Regardless of what kind of business you are and what your tone of voice is, create room for having fun with social media. This shines through to your audience as well, and you will draw in the audience. Have fun and stand out from the crowd!
Thank you for reading!
- Jenny K. Bekken
Sources:
Why Small Businesses Have the Social Media Marketing Advantage:
180+ Social Media Marketing Stats You Can’t Ignore (2022)
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