How to Use Social Media to Build Your Brand

• Date: 16 August 2019
• reading time: 4 Minutes
• Blogger: Annie Blair

As more businesses turn to social media to build their brand, it's becoming imperative to learn how to use social media to your business's advantage.

Two important facts for businesses:

• Brand awareness is cited as the number one priority for businesses
• Nearly 2.1 billion people worldwide have social media accounts.

When considering these facts, it's not hard to see why businesses and marketers consistently view social media as an integral tool in brand building.

Social media apps like Facebook have added in-app sales features that have persuaded smaller businesses to use their platform rather than build their own website for branding and sales.

Social media platforms additionally have millions of built-in users, meaning that businesses already have their audience, they just need to market.

So, what's the best way to use social media to promote your brand?

1. Develop a Consistent, Attention Appearance Online

A brand's online appearance is crucial to its success. There are guidelines that businesses can follow to optimize their online image that any brand, big or small, can follow.

Your logo represents your brand’s beliefs and ideas – it’s incredibly important to invest in resources to develop a strong logo.

Additionally, the logo should stand out: bold colors create a lasting impression for users that will set you apart from competitors.

Make sure to be consistent with your logo choice – it needs to be the image that users encounter whenever they encounter your company online. Consistency creates a fluid, unified online voice.

Lastly, do not underestimate the power of images. Not only do social media users engage with photos more often than texts, but photo-based marketing allows you to expand into image-based platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest.

2. Establish an Authentic Voice Users Can Connect With

Establishing an online voice for your brand is a pillar of any online campaign. Users like a consistent, reliable voice that roots a brand in place.

Determine the voice of your brand after determining your audience.

Identify the purpose of your social media presence, set a tone of how your brand will communicate, and choose what type of language is appropriate and effective for your brand.

For example, you should treat your social media bio like a pitch: it is often the first thing users see on a profile, so make it memorable.
 

It’s also important to act like a human rather than a corporation – create a relatable personality that people can establish a connection with.

In the same vein, your social media presence should be a platform genuinely interact with your audiences – not every post has to be purely commercial.

1. fact, the best-performing content on social media is often personal, rather than commercial.

Story-telling is also an excellent way to engage users. Stories convince potential customers to trust your idea and view you as a genuine brand.

3. Create an Expectation Among Your Audiences

Once your brand establishes its online image and voice on social, it is vital to establish a posting routine.

You want to create an expectation among your audience that when they log in, they can expect content from your company.

Consistency creates comfort, which is a very positive emotion to have associated with your company.

To achieve this state, be consistent about everything with your social media strategy, including:

• The time(s) you upload posts
• Fonts
• Language (e.g., tone, slang)
• Style
• Graphics

Consistency and expectation of social media create a connection with your brand.

Of course, you also need to ensure your content is relevant, interesting, and easy to understand for your audience to drive them to interact with your company.

• Develop a Plan to Build Your Brand Through Social Media and Stick to It
• Social media is a valuable tool for brands, businesses, and individuals to promote themselves online.
• Too many businesses, though, jump right into social media marketing without a calculated plan.
• Some things to always remember when it comes to social media marketing:
• Be consistent across all platforms
• Establish and reinforce a voice for your brand
• Act like a real human being online
• Focus on consistency and relevancy for your social content

And lastly, remember that it takes time to build your online brand – don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing customers pour in after 6 months.

Over time, though, building a strong brand can translate into strong associations and earn your company meaningful engagement and business.

Do you need help getting started with your social media marketing strategy? Follow SMG Class - Social Marketing and develop fundamental social marketing skills to grow followers, engagement and business results.

We have included here some social media strategy tools to help you so your strategy will work from day one.

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• Blogger: Annie Blair
• Content Writer Intern at Clutch
• Annie Blair is a Content Writer Intern for Clutch, a business ratings and reviews platform in Washington, D.C. She develops content to contribute to the business’ marketing processes.
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