Social Media Branding

 

Social media branding, what is it and why is it important? 

When first opening a business, it is important to understand your company’s brand. A brand is a window into the soul of your business.  Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to market your business and increase brand awareness. Brand awareness allows you to connect with your consumers and helps them understand who you are and what your company offers. It is being able to be identified, quickly— allowing your audience to connect with the personality of your company. Social media branding is about being consistent, persistent, and continuous with your marketing efforts. Whether you are looking to increase your brand awareness personally or for a business, it is important to identify who you are early on. We will discuss several social media branding strategies, that will help you increase your brand awareness. 

 

Key areas to improve your social media branding

1.     Identity

2.     Visual branding 

3.     Content

4. an Action plan

 

1.     Identity

If you are reading this, then you may be interested in building your brand identity. It is important for a business to invest in its brand identity at the beginning to sustain long-lasting success. The clearer you are with your identity, the easier it is to craft the right message to your audience. Social media is a tool for you to build a relationship with your customer. Your customer should be able to recognize your brand immediately, they know who you are and what you stand for. Your brand is the personality of your business. What is your tone? What message are you trying to convey? Branding is about being consistent and true to your mission.  

 

2.     Visual branding

It only takes a few seconds for a person to decide whether they would like to follow the account they are viewing. Colors and texts play a crucial role in how followers perceive your brand. Your brand should have recognizable elements when your audience is viewing an ad, story, or feed post; they are easily able to recognize what company it is associated with. Your visual branding must be consistent with your business personality. Early on, it is suggested to hire a graphic designer to develop a branding kit. The branding kit will include a color pallet, text options, logos, and other elements that can be used in marketing efforts. The kit is used to help the company to remain true to its brand. This will eliminate the guesswork that is associated with posting content which we will discuss next. 

 

3.     Content

For lasting benefits, it is important to set your branding efforts ‘compass’ in the right direction. Be intentional with your content. Ask yourself, how will my audience perceive this? Am I sending a message that aligns with my mission? A company will receive a loyal following when its audience believes and trusts in its vision. Do your posts reflect your brand in the right light? Are your brand-building efforts directed in the right direction? It is important to know your customers and speak their language. Your content should tailor to their needs and wants. Earn a following of real people by posting value-based content. Value-based content is content that your audience finds important, it's content that they may want to share or save. If you don’t know where to start, work with a graphic designer and photographer to create high-quality posts. If you do decide to ask for assistance, ensure your marketing budget can sustain this quality of posting when hiring outside resources. Consistency is key when posting, when you are staying true to your branding kit, posts are seamless. Use a content calendar to help you with your material, there are great apps like Plannoly that assist can assist with posting. The app reminds you when to publish your content, at the most ideal time.  Another great way to build a long-term customer is by telling stories, when your audience can connect with your brand on a personal level, they are more likely to purchase from you than someone else who is offering the same good or service. 

 

4. an Action plan

Identify your brand, write down the mission and vision for your company. Hire a graphic designer to help you visually identify your company. Work with industry leaders to create high-quality content to sell your product. Lastly, work hard, be consistent, and be relentless in your pursuit of success. It isn’t if your business will succeed, it's when.