Social media is inevitable. Today, the important question is not where you are present on social media; the important question is how well you are present on social media. Role of social media in branding is valuable. For businesses to thrive in a cluttered social media space, it is important to build a strong brand persona digitally. With the abundant availability of multiple social media platforms, businesses are thriving on the emerging mediums to let their voices heard. smm social media marketing is also essential for startups to boost their business growth.
According to Hootsuite, there are more than 70 Million business pages only on Facebook. With this kind of traffic on a single platform, sometimes businesses might tend to lose their share of voice and in the process; businesses divert their focus on building a strong brand. So how does a business build a strong brand on social media? Let’s dive into the topic and analyze key points to identify as the role of social media in branding.
Role of Social Media in Branding | Key Points
1.Defining Objective
The first and foremost step in identifying the role of social media in branding is to define the objective. Defining objective can be lead generation, creating awareness or building loyal customer relationships etc. once a brand gets this step right then the rest of the process becomes clear in the marketing mix cycle. Best social media marketing includes the one where all digital platforms are taken into consideration.
2.Identifying Target group
Once an objective is locked, then comes the next step that determines the role of social media in branding. When choosing the target group, a marketer needs to be very specific. This can be divided into the broad target group and focused target group. While broad target group generally comprises of psychographics i.e.: Age, gender, income group etc. and demographics i.e.: location etc. Focused target group comprises of interest-based targeting. Interest-based targeting plays a very important role when building a brand on social media. For e.g.: If you are trying to promote a gym product/service, you need to target people who are location specific, age group-specific, fitness enthusiast and so on.
3.Choosing the right platforms
Once the objective is defined and the target group identified, then comes the next step of choosing the right platform. Identifying the role of the right social media platform is very crucial in branding. If you are running a contest to trigger engagements, then Twitter or Instagram is a more ideal platform. On the other hand, if you are business-to-business service, then LinkedIn is a more appropriate platform to generate leads. It is, therefore, necessary to identify the right platforms to address the role of social media in branding.
4.Create Relevant Content
As we have already discussed the importance of content here. Let us now understand how content plays a vital role in social media branding. Our agency provides social media advertising services which comes handy in long term. In an online scenario, Content is the king. Content can be images, posts updates, videos, blogs, testimonials or even influencer promotion. You must create content that is relevant to your brand. A content that promises brand values, gives brand experiences and makes customers feel important. According to medium.com, visual content tends to generate more engagement than non-visual content. Some of the good ideas for content can:
- Contests surrounding your brand.
- Product/service information.
- Product/service updates.
- Any new announcements.
- Festive giveaways.
However, brands must remember that too much of anything can be quite disastrous. If you are posting about motivation, that has to be on a single day. There is no point in posting motivational quotes all through the week. It becomes quite monotonous and repetitive.
5.Be consistent
Building a brand is a science in its sense. It is something that doesn’t happen over a snap of a finger. Building a strong brand on social media requires marketers to be persistent and consistent. The role of social media in branding depends a lot on consistency a brand chooses to promote. By consistency, I mean a brand has to follow uniformity across all its social channels/digital platforms. Be it a brand’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or even a company blog. Consistency can be in the form of logo, content, images, videos or blogs. A company’s online presence should be in sync with the brand guidelines. If you like to post #MondayMotivation, then make sure it gets posted every Monday or a #ThrowbackThursday should be posted every Thursday. Best social media marketing companies make sure that all the campaigns are planned accordingly.
6.Share of Voice (SOV)
Share of voice basically comprises of the tone your brands want to communicate, language it wants to promote, visuals your brand wants to depict. Some of the key elements that make up of SOV are:
- Logo: A logo is a first and foremost element in the brand identity. A logo should promote core brand philosophy and values. Also, all the visual content that gets posted on social media should have a mandatory logo on it.
- Tone: A brand must communicate clearly about how it wants to be perceived online. Should it be quirky, serious or humorous?
- Language: Some brands think its cool to use slang when interacting with its users, while others feel that having a professional language helps in building brand awareness more effectively.
- Focus on Human-to-human interaction: You should always interact with your users as if you are interacting with a human being. If a user posts a query or a comment, always address them with their first name. This makes the user feel important and lets them know that their opinion matters.
One more factor, which is vital as a role of social media in branding, is the power of storytelling. Social media gives you a platform to share your most powerful brand stories without any limitations. Everyone loves stories. It is the power of storytelling that has converted some of the great ideas into reality. Engage with your users with powerful storytelling that revolves around your brand.
Final Thoughts | Role of social media in branding
Social media is going to be a cluttered space with more and more brands trying to make their presence felt. Digital marketing and social media marketing works well if everything is incorporated with ease. It is very important for marketers to understand that just building a strong online presence isn’t sufficient; marketers should focus on building a strong brand. The role of social media in branding is definitely taking the upward curve. If you are looking for someone to build a strong brand on social media, you can get in touch with us here. Search for social media marketing agency near me and will be there to help you out.
Great website. A lot of useful info here. I’m sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your effort!