Brand awareness is crucial if you want your business to stand out in a highly competitive atmosphere. Here’s why: the more people who know about you and your brand, the better your products will sell. One way to boost your brand awareness is by harnessing the power of social media.
According to forecasts by Statista, there will be more than 3 billion social media users worldwide by 2021. Given such a staggering number, how can you make sure your brand gets seen? More importantly, how can you engage and capture the attention of the right people – your potential customers?
Choose The Right Social Media Platform
There are many social media platforms out there that can help you connect with your target audience. However, the challenge is finding the right platform to help you achieve that goal. When it comes to social media marketing, “more” doesn’t necessarily mean better. Be picky in choosing the right platforms that you can build your brand with.
To help you get started, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. Consider the demographics of its active user base and how easy (or difficult) it will be to get your content in their feeds. Decide which one could most help you build an active community of loyal customers. Make that your starting point, then continuously develop your brand by adding more social media platforms as you go.
Here are five of the most popular social media platforms to start with.
- FACEBOOK. There’s no denying it – Facebook remains one of the biggest social media platforms with 2.23 billion monthly active users in 2018. While Facebook’s advertising industry is continually growing, its ads remain affordable for brands of all sizes, making it an attractive entry point for building your brand.
- TWITTER. Twitter is a great platform for sharing snackable content and sparking lively conversations. Customers can easily connect with your brand by tweeting about their experiences. Because of this, Twitter is a convenient place to provide always-on customer service, by replying to customers’ tweets and messages as soon as you can.
- INSTAGRAM. Another popular platform and one of the most promising – especially for brands and business owners. Because Instagram is a visual platform, it’s a creative way to build your brand’s personality, promote your products & services, attract interested leads and connect with loyal customers.
- PINTEREST. Pinterest is a stunning visual library where you can find ideas & inspiration for virtually anything – DIY crafts, fashion, quotes, recipes, design, home decor and more. Pinterest can be highly efficient at increasing brand awareness if you create stunning visuals to drive audience engagement.
- LINKEDIN. LinkedIn is all about building vital networking connections, especially for B2B brands. On this platform, it’s not just about who you know, but who your contacts know. Content on LinkedIn usually centers around work – career advice, professional anecdotes, company culture and more.
Create Authentic, High-Quality Content
To thrive in today’s marketing world means continuously producing high-quality, engaging content that stands out from the rest. In other words, come up with something authentic that will resonate strongly with your audience.
Start by focusing on topics closely related to your particular niche. Use compelling visuals to attract your target audience. Follow an up-to-date guide to social media image sizing so your content looks great on your preferred social media sites.
Make An Effort To Post Regularly
An irregular, inconsistent posting schedule kills your social media branding efforts. If you’re not active on social media, your followers will forget about you. (Conversely, your absence and lack of posts might even make them think you’ve forgotten about them, too!)
If you can’t post consistently on a regular basis, try using scheduling tools. Schedule your posts at peak times – that is, post when your followers are most active. This will give your content the best chance to gain visibility and momentum.
Give Your Brand A Persona
Your brand personality is an indispensable part of a solid social media strategy. So, develop your brand voice. Visualize what your brand should sound like. After you determine who your target audience is, it’s easier to develop a brand persona that will resonate with them.
However, if you have multiple audiences, then you’ll have to develop a more flexible brand voice that can speak to them. You might also consider using different social media channels to target different audiences.
Collaborate With Influencers
To boost your social media branding efforts, consider investing in influencer marketing. In its most basic form, influencer marketing is when a business or brand collaborates with an influential person on social media to promote a brand, product or service.
Instagram is the most popular platform for social media influencers today. In fact, a staggering 78% of influencers identify Instagram as the best platform when it comes to collaborating with different brands.
There’s no doubt that partnering with an engaging influencer will boost your brand’s reputation online. It also gives you the opportunity to reach more leads, acquire new customers, and amplify your overall conversion rate.
Interact With Your Audience
To build brand awareness, you have to interact regularly with your audience. Initiate interaction with your followers. Be a great storyteller – don’t just use fact-based content. Instead, use strong emotional elements in your stories to show people what your brand is all about and what it truly represents.
Be personable by injecting a little fun whenever you interact with your followers. Use emojis, texts, trending hashtags, and language that’s popular with them. You can also set up surveys and polls to gather information – such as your audience’s preferences, likes and dislikes. Not only is this fun; it also gives you valuable insights about your customers.
Key Takeaway
Building a trusted brand will help your business thrive. That’s why it’s paramount for your followers & customers to know and trust your brand. And when you amplify that brand via social media, you can grow your customer base and boost sales along the way.
originally posted on lucidpress.com by Andi Croft
