INCREASING BRAND AWARENESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Increasing brand awareness via social media is becoming the norm. Multinationals and mom-and-pop operations are competing in the same marketplace, using the same tools. Effective social media campaigns don’t necessarily require big bucks. Following the basics can help get your brand global recognition.
IT’S A DIGITAL JUNGLE OUT THERE
In the earlier years of the internet, simply being online was a distinct marketing and brand awareness advantage. The massive drop in cost and incredible rise in accessibility of technology has been a double-edged sword for e-commerce. The good news is that now everyone is online. The bad news is… now everyone is online. Things have taken one step forward and two steps back. When the whole world is online, how do you ensure brand awareness in a truly global marketplace? These 7 tips will help you effectively plan and execute social media campaigns to boost brand awareness.
1: BE INVOLVED
Social media means just that, being social. Interaction with customers and the amiable browser clarifies and solidifies brand personality. You will eventually alienate people if you post nothing but aggressive promotional material without any genuine communication. So make some time to have a chat. One-sided communication means missing out on insights that could move your brand forward.
2: CREATE MEANING
There are many useful social media platforms for brand awareness campaigns. In fact, there are so many that maintaining them can be expensive and time-consuming. Determining time and budget constraints will limit the number of platforms you use. Focusing on three or four that suit your business type gives your brand depth and personality. Spreading yourself too thin over ten or more social platforms will dilute the effectiveness of your campaigns. Of course, if you have the dollars and time, go crazy!
3: GET EMOTIONAL BABY
Mix it up. Part of your brand awareness strategy is derived from the very personality and feel of your company. Promotional material should be interspersed with non-promotional literature that appeals to feelings. Humans are emotional creatures and make many decisions based solely on emotional reactions. In building your brand awareness strategy, leverage social media to evoke the emotions you wish to attach to your brand. Select pictures, videos, and sounds to inspire action, without directly promoting or advertising a product or service.
4: LOUD & CLEAR COPYWRITING
Make sure you say what you want to say. Simply slinging a few paragraphs together and hoping for the best could be a bad move. There are super-talented individuals available to help make sure you are communicating clearly with your audience. Ensure your brand’s message is loud, succinct, and confident.
5: BE GENEROUS
Competitions, giveaways, and raffles can generate buzz for your brand. Unique twists on these tried-and-true promotional themes ensure your brand is remembered. Think carefully; friendly and cute can backfire and make you unforgettable for the wrong reasons. You don’t want a thousand promotional balloons hanging flaccid from powerlines and trees. Being branded as an environmental idiot is on no company’s to-do list.
6: FUN & BUSINESS
Engaging people is great, but business is business; so be sure to dot your promotions with a call to action. Linking to your own blog, for example, not only shows customers your depth of knowledge about the topic at hand, it strategically gets readers onto your website. There is no magic ratio to the mix. Play with it until you find a proportion that suits you. Keep in mind that too many links interrupt the flow of what you are trying to say.
7: YOU TRENDY THING
Leveraging trends or “newsjacking” is creating content that associates recent trending events with your brand. Trending topics on Twitter or Facebook are an opportunity to connect your company to topics of heightened interest. When executed tastefully and seamlessly, increased traffic flows your way. The opposite is true, too. Bad taste and clunky application are never appreciated by anyone.
