Build Your Brand through Social Media – Branding #5
Social Media Is a Good Branding Tool
Build your brand through social media. Be seen – be known – establish yourself (your business) in a positive way. If you don’t, others may do it for you – especially if they have a negative experience with you or your product. Don’t open the door for that to happen. There is a book titled, Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000. . . and that 3,000 could easily be 30,000 depending on the angry person’s social media network, which leads into the topic of this post.
There are many social media platforms that you can use to build your brand, but there are at least six that you must use.
1. Blogging
Having your own blog is very important. Post quality posts (written in your voice) at least twice a week – stay connected with your subscribers. Engage in conversations with your readers. Invite them to leave comments; and then, respond to each one.
Guest Blogging – There are mixed views on this, some say yes, some say no. You should decide for yourself which is better for you. In the early stages, it is usually a good way to get exposure for your brand. As a guest blogger, you post on another blogger’s site – writing for his/her audience and establishing your brand with his/her followers. As with your own blog, it is important to invite comments and to respond.
2. Niche Forums
Forums provide great opportunities to brand yourself online. Introduce yourself and participate by posting valuable, helpful commentary. Don’t waste your time if you do not plan to be active. Passive “me too” type posts add no value and will serve no purpose. They are a waste of your time, as well as the time of the other forum participants.
Be sure to create and use a signature file with your site links and your tagline. This is part of the branding process and is an instant message about your business and how you want people to remember you.
3. Twitter
Branding on Twitter has two prongs.
• Your background image and header profile graphic on your Twitter Page.
• Your “TWEETS” where you can share messages in your unique “voice.”
4. Facebook
Facebook offers the same two branding opportunities as Twitter, except that your posts can be much longer – and you can use larger images.
Facebook’s organic reach has been declining for quite awhile; but, it has significantly declined since the fall of 2013. However, it shouldn’t be written off quite yet.
The general consensus seems to be that you may have to spend money with FB in order to engage more people – at least for the time being. However, there is still one school of thought that claims more engaging posts will still lead to a larger reach (when people share, like, or comment on your posts). Facebook is supposed to view an “engaging post” as a post of interest and allow it to come up in more newsfeeds.
My recommendation at this point is to stay connected with people in the know and continue to post. If you can find the magic formula for engagement, it will pay off – especially when viewers share your branding message with their own contacts.
5. YouTube
YouTube is still an excellent choice for branding purposes. Of course, you can use other video platforms, as well; but, YouTube is the most popular.
This can be done with a camera for a live visual, or use a screen capture with a live recording of your voice.
Presenting yourself to the world on live video can be an extremely effective branding strategy. A live voice and a visual of a real person conveys much more than text on a computer screen will ever be able to do.
This is branding at its best (or worst). If you speak in a monotone and deliver a boring, message of no value, it could damage your brand, rather than help it, so be careful. Be sure to practice, get feedback, and make the necessary changes to your presentation style before you go live.
6. Google Plus
Google Plus is relatively new on the scene, but growing more and more popular all the time. The platform is perfect for branding. You can post (in a similar format to Facebook), and you can also use the “Hangouts” – a live video feature (which automatically posts to YouTube). This is a huge advantage for branding. It can be used for interviews, webinars, and live Q&As with guest experts, customers, and/or prospects. Don’t miss this one!
Want to read the entire series on branding? Start with the first post: Building a Brand.
Leave a Reply