Increase Your Branding With Social Media

Increase Your Branding With SOCIAL MEDIA f You Tube Practically every brand going today has some sort of social media presence - usually a bland, half-baked Facebook & Twitter account that no-one in their right mind would want popping up in their feed. In order to succeed in the social media game you have to be interesting, entertaining and bring something new to the table that people will want to see. Here's a few tips on how to make that happen: Engage Your Audience Social Media is a two-way street, and it's important to let your audience know that you're listening to them. Make sure you try and respond to every query and question posted on your page, even if it's just a quick acknowledgement - Customers like to feel that their views and feedback are valued, and by building a dialogue with customers you're helping to increase their brand loyalty and inject a bit of personality into what can seem like a faceless organization. Crowdsourcing User-Generated Content is a good way to build brand loyalty and engage directly with your customers. Ask customers to post pictures of their purchases, share their memories or create some content relating to your business - You can offer sweepstakes and prizes as incentives and help foster a community spirit amongst your customers. in Your clients, customers and users are incredible people, and when you identify like-minded folk, encourage them to interact with one another, over and over again. You will birth relationships that will always reference you as a common interest, reinforcing their love for your company's brand. f When requesting replies, nudge your followers into a certain mind-set. An open-ended question without any guidance on your part may result in only a handful of canned replies. By suggesting a certain format for responses, you'll see how creative the responses from your followers will become, and if you're lucky, they'll also be thinking about you and your company. Be Interesting Don't forget that Social Media is just that - "Media". And like TV, Films and Newspapers, if what you're consuming isn't sufficiently entertaining or educational people are going to tune out. You need to create and share quality content if you want people to follow you, engage with you which in turn grows your branding and exposure. Play to your companies strengths - if you're an expert at something share tips and ideas on that topic for example. Bottom line is, if you don't give people a reason to talk about you then they almost certainly won't. Don't be afraid to be a little bit weird and self- depreciating. Playing it safe guarantees nothing, and being able to roll with the punches and laugh at yourself is a lot more endearing than being stuffy and deleting every dodgy tweet and on-the-nose criticism. People admire authenticity, and are more likely to share something that seems real rather than another thinly-veiled press release If you're commenting on current affairs, try not to become part of the internet outrage mob. Try and put a positive spin on issues your audience cares about People respond more favourably to a bit of optimism, and users are more likely to follow you if you share things that make them feel good. Emotions are contagioUS, and a bit of positivity can spread like wildfire Stand behind your actions. Don't be the person that claims they were 'hacked' every time they post an unpopular opinion. People admire integrity, and even if a particular post or decision doesn't go down well, if you stand behind your personal values and explain your reasoning in a polite but firm manner you'll garner a lot more respect than if you try to weasel out of it. Market On Many Platforms Convert Facebook fans into Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections into contacts that circle your profile on Google Plus. Then by regularly sharing on every social network, you (and your company) will forever be top of mind among your followers. Y! Don't forget to play to the strengths of each social network either- all major ŚM platforms have different unspoken codes and conventions when it comes to posting, and what works on one may not work on another. t For example, longer, wordier posts are encouraged and well-received on Google Plus, which encourages more in-depth discussion. However, trying the same thing on a more causal, image-based site such as Tumblr is likely to yield a much poorer response. Likewise, signing off a Facebook post with a couple of emoji is a good way to endear yourself to your followers- Try that on Linkedln however and you'll be greeted with more than a few raised eyebrows! digg For more help with branding and online promotion, contact The Mauve Group for all your Marketing needs. http://mauvegroup.co.uk/ :0