Did you know that 90% of shoppers will buy something from brands they follow on social media?
Social media platforms aren’t just for keeping in touch with loved ones, as they’re also huge marketing tools. If you’re a business just starting out on social media, you can use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to build a brand, helping more people become aware of your awesome company.
But how do you go about this? Social media might be fun, but you also need to know how to use it correctly, from a business standpoint.
To learn more, keep reading to learn how to build a brand on social media, even if it’s all new to you!
Work Out Your Goals
Before you go wild on social media, spend some time first thinking about your goals and what you want to achieve. Social media is an investment of staff time, resources, and ad budgets, so you need to be smart about how you’re using it.
For many companies, social media fits within their overall marketing strategy. Brand building via social media can help companies become a market leader in their field, increase website traffic, reach a new audience, and increase sales.
Work out your specific goals. Then, spend some time thinking about your demographic.
Who are they? What are their ages, hobbies, occupations, and average incomes?
This data is important because you want to tailor all of your social media content to appeal to these people, since they’re the ones most likely to buy your products.
However, don’t make the mistake of assuming only young people are on social media! Platforms like Facebook and Instagram went intergenerational a long time ago, so you’ll certainly find adults and even grandparents logging on.
Decide Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for You
Which social media platforms are worth investing your time in? Again, the answer comes back to demographics—you want to be where your audience is!
If you’re not sure, a consumer focus group can help with this. Otherwise, for most businesses, you can assume that plenty of your shoppers are likely to be on the main platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
However, more and more people are also utilizing newer platforms like TikTok, Discord, and Clubhouse, so these might be worth your time.
Remember, it’s better to select a few social media platforms and do them well, rather than trying to be across everything and not using them well.
Create Brand Guidelines
Next, think about your brand guidelines for social media. These will be used by your social media team to ensure all of your content is consistent, professional, and on-brand.
First, make a visual style guide, which outlines your brand colors, use of logo, and any infographics you might use.
You also want to develop a brand tone of voice, so that all of your captions, posts, and comments to users will be cohesive.
Building a brand is all about being consistent. If your posts seem ad-hoc and are all different, your audience is going to get confused, so ensure all of your content is uniform and in line with your brand’s goals.
Be Consistent
Here’s the thing about social media platforms—they want to monopolize your time! Social media platforms want users to hang out on their site, so their algorithms, which determine what you see, are designed to favor users who are on the site daily.
For brands, this means you’ll need to be consistent. Ideally, you want to post daily, as the more you post, the more chances you have of someone new finding your content.
Yes, it can be a lot of work to come up with new ideas and posts, but it’s worth the effort, especially when you’re just starting out.
However, you don’t need to sit around each day, waiting for the right time to post. Instead, many businesses use content automation tools.
These allow you to schedule your posts in advance and will then automatically post them on the date and time you’ve selected. They’re an effective way to save time, so try them out.
You can also research data to get suggestions on the best time to post. If you have an Instagram business account, you can see this data under Insights, in your settings.
Engage With Your Followers
Social media is all about being social, so just coming up with fun and engaging content isn’t enough! To build your brand online, you want to create a community—this means engaging with your audience.
If someone takes the time to ask a question or leave a comment, don’t ignore it! You can like it, but even better, leave a thoughtful comment in response.
Customers absolutely love when a company takes the time to talk to them, so this is an essential way to build up loyal followers for your brand.
Of course, social media has become a massive customer service tool as well. So, always take the time to help customers if they’re having an issue and reach out for help.
Not only will it make your customer happy, but other potential customers will see it and will be impressed by your professionalism.
Be Authentic
Your company is using social media to grow the business and increase sales—however, a hard sell does not work on social media! Social media needs a gentler form of advertising, focusing on storytelling and building a community.
For this reason, you want to be honest and genuine when you create social media posts. If customers think you’re only on social media to get their money, the brand might be seen as greedy and dishonest.
Instead, try to always be honest, caring, and respectful of your audience. If someone posts a public complaint, for example, don’t belittle them—go above and beyond to help them.
Authenticity is key to creating a positive association with your brand in the eyes of your followers.
Hire the Right Person for Your Social Media Marketing
Thinking about saving money by doing all of your social media marketing yourself? This might work if you’re a solo entrepreneur, but most small businesses shouldn’t try to do everything themselves.
It’s easy to think that since you have your own Facebook account, you’re a Facebook expert. However, social media marketing is much more complex.
For the best chance of success, hire a social media marketing expert, even on a part-time basis. They’ll have the most up-to-date knowledge on best practices online.
An expert can also help you run social media ad campaigns, helping you spend your budget in the most efficient way.
Only Post Relevant Content
Always think before you post. Any video, photo, or messaging you put online should be focused and relevant to both your brand and your audience.
Ask yourself–will this post help my audience grow to love my company? If not, save it for your personal profile.
Most social media influencers find success by focusing on a specific niche, so try to approach your accounts in the same way.
Make Use of Each Social Media Feature
For each social platform you’re using, you can maximize its effectiveness by using all of its features. For example, Instagram is much more than just grid posts.
You can also post stories, Reels, go live, and ask questions from your audience. These also create more opportunities for you to connect with your followers or reach a new audience.
The more you put into each platform, the more you’ll get out of it.
Use These Tips to Build a Brand on Social Media
If you want to build a brand on social media, the suggestions above are sure to be helpful. The good news is that social media accounts are free and accessible to all, with even tiny businesses having just as much of a chance of going viral as a large corporation.
Using the ideas above, start brainstorming some ideas for how to approach your social media accounts. Then, work out which employee will be responsible for it.
Once you launch your new social media channels, make it easy for customers to find you by adding your handles to your website, receipts, and shopping bags. It might take some time before your channels begin to grow, but we promise you it’s worth the effort!
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