The blue F on your mobile shows a number 15, and while you are at it, the camera icon shows you have been hashtagged 11 times, and the little birdie shows that your business has been retweeted 20 times in the past hour!
You sit back and wonder about the power these digital platforms have today.
Social media is unquestionably the biggest marketing tool of these times. In particular, for small businesses, social media has to be the best place to exist as a brand.
Why so, you ask? Well, let me explain it to you through a story.
Not long ago, my friend launched her startup. It was not a huge business with many resources. Instead, it was only a home-based small business of handmade hair accessories.
Not too fancy, right? But let me tell you how it became a success story, all thanks to a well-planned social media branding strategy.
She focused on two things from the beginning: the quality of the product and a solid social media branding strategy!
From identifying her target audience to using the right social media platform, from creating consistent and eye-catching social media content to communicating with her clients, she ultimately utilized this excellent platform for her small business marketing.
And just like that, her business started rolling!
So, you see how social media branding can make your small business turn into a success?
However, social media marketing is not about building a few profiles on different social media platforms and being an overnight success! No, it is not that easy!
On the contrary, just like any other marketing strategy, social media marketing also requires some well-laid-out plans and tactics.
To make it big on your social media branding game, you must have a well-built and sturdy social media marketing strategy. To make your small business a success on social media, you must know how to make it happen!
So, let’s go forward and delve into the world of social media branding to learn how to use it for the advantage of your small business.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest — the inescapable and prevailing social media world!
We use social media platforms for a myriad of reasons. One of these reasons includes social media marketing!
Social media marketing is when you use social media platforms to connect with your audience to build up your brand. Social media branding involves publishing awesome content on your social media profiles, engaging your followers, communicating with your clients, and ultimately making your business grow.
The golden rule of marketing says to “get people where they already are.” So, what could be better than social media? Everybody is on it! And so, social media branding offers you an incredible opportunity to set sail to your small business.
But how, exactly, do you do that
How can social media marketing help your small business?
Gone are the days when making its place was quite a challenging feat for small businesses. Yes, it can still get scary and overwhelming out there! But luckily, we live in a different world now, and we owe it big time to social media.
Social media has proven to be a shining light for small businesses. Social media can empower small businesses, and that too with minimum resources. It provides easy access to the market, direct link with the customers, and countless marketing opportunities.
Let’s look at some of the ways social media branding can help you take your small business to new heights!
Boosts up your Brand Awareness
What do you have in mind when you develop a marketing campaign for your business? For more and more people to know about your brand! And that’s exactly what you achieve through social media marketing.
People of all ages use social media. From grandparents to kids — everybody is on it!
Social media marketing is guaranteed to deliver you increased brand awareness, all thanks to its huge user database. When more people get familiar with your product, it will naturally lead to a positive influence on your sales. Plus, you are most likely to create a more loyal customer base.
Increases your website’s organic traffic
Without social media marketing, your website’s traffic is restricted only to people who are already your customers. So, not reaching new people culminates in no new customers and no business growth.
On the other hand, every social media post you put up for the marketing of your business acts as a gateway to your website. With increased reach and better familiarity with the brand, more and more people are likely to visit your website. Consequently, your website’s inbound traffic will be at a new high.
Better Customer services
Social media marketing done right means providing a more responsive and interactive platform for your customers.
But how exactly does that happen?
Well, let’s understand that through an example. You visit a store to do some shopping but can’t find the item you are looking for or need some info regarding their products. You look around but cannot find anybody to talk to! How do you feel? Disappointed, right?
That’s precisely how online customers feel when they cannot reach out to you or get an immediate response from you. Social media does precisely that! It allows your customers and visitors to communicate with you. It also enables you to provide a personalized response to each of your customers. If that’s not excellent customer service, I don’t know what is!
Gives your brand a voice and Identity
There is a jungle out there!
Yes, there is! With countless business and brands making their way into the online world, you need a unique voice and identity for your business. And marketing it on social media helps you find that!
When you share your brand’s message as per its voice and tone, you establish individuality for your business. Consequently, it gives more authority and credibility to your brand!
You may find it interesting: How Investing In Company’s Corporate Identity Boosts Business
Helps you build a Community
Now you know that social media marketing allows you to have a more interactive and better relationship with your customers.
But do you know that it also allows you to connect a lot better with other businesses? Yes, you heard it right! You can easily say that social media marketing helps you in building a community for your brand. From interacting with a loyal customer base to establishing a connection with your colleagues — social media helps you through it all!
Improves your online presence and reputation
We have all heard the phrase: “Don’t trust everything you see online!”
But we do! We all look up online whenever we face a hiccup or want to know about something! Hence, having a good online presence and reputation is crucial for businesses these days.
When you stay active on social media, when your customers can talk to you, and when you humanize your business on such platforms, you become trustworthy!
Helps you get direct and unfiltered customer feedback
In my opinion, this is the top advantage of social media marketing. After all, what could be better than getting to know your customers’ expectations by talking directly to them?
When you make your business visible on social media platforms, you give your customers a chance to respond to your brand openly and freely. As a result, you get unfiltered and honest customer reviews.
The outcome: a better opportunity to improve and grow your business!
The Pathway to a Successful Social Media Marketing Strategy
Now you know what social media branding and marketing are all about and how it benefits your small business. Are you now wondering how to achieve that?
Well, to tell you the truth, it is not difficult, and you don’t have to be Einstein to have a successful social media marketing strategy. All it requires is some keen attention to detail and some careful planning.
Here we will simplify the whole procedure for you so that you can embark upon your social media branding journey right away!
Set your goals and Strategize!
Before you dive right into the social media marketing world and start publishing stuff online, take a step back and ponder!
It is best to plan and strategize before starting with social media marketing. After all, every good business decision starts with a good plan. And without a plan, you will only end up having chaos and haphazardness.
So, identify your goals, assess your competition, make a schedule for your posts… well, you get the idea!
Rest assured, this beforehand planning will definitely make a world of difference to your overall marketing campaign.
Go with the Platforms that are right for your brand
There are oh-so-many social media platforms available now, and choosing from them can be quite a task.
But it can also be the making or breaking point of your social media branding campaign. The platform you choose may decide the success or failure of your social media marketing strategy.
The reason being that each of these platforms is used by a different set of people. You must be aware of your branding goals to know which platform can help you reach your target audience.
For example, if you want to brand your business to Gen-Z, you have to go on Instagram or TikTok. Similarly, if you have a B2B model and want to interact with other businesses, you should opt for LinkedIn.
Always remember: do not spread yourself too thin by going on all the social media platforms. You will not only be putting in unnecessary efforts and resources, but you will also be compromising on the quality of your content. It is best to find those most relevant networks to your business and just stick to them!
An essential read for you: Your marketing collateral is important. Here is why you shouldn’t take it lightly
Identify your Audience
You would not want to advertise combs to a bald person, right?
That is the reason why knowing your target audience is critical to having a successful social media marketing strategy. It is best that you learn as much about your social media audience as possible.
Your target audience includes people who are most likely to take an interest in your brand. Social media is a place where you can target your audience specifically, making it one of the best marketing tools.
Establish your brand’s voice and individuality
Like every human, every brand also has a unique personality! No, I am not kidding!
Each business has some unique features and qualities that set it apart from others. In order to inspire your audience and to have a better relationship with them, you must be aware of your brand’s voice.
You have to make sure that the voice and tone of your brand are evident in all your social media content. It might be a bit time-consuming to find your brand’s voice, but once it happens, your social media marketing content becomes a lot more effective and relevant.
Build a Connection
Unlike conventional marketing tools, social media marketing is not all about advertising your product. Product advertising is just one part of it!
Social media branding is so much more than that. It is about forming a relationship with your clients. It is the only place where you can directly link with your clients, interact freely and openly with them, and get to know about their expectations and thoughts.
So, rather than making an upfront sale, try to build a relationship with your clients. Create a community and let them be a part of it — the outcome: Increased and loyal customer base.
Stay updated with Social Media Trends.
Aah.. the trends, the hashtags, the viral posts!!!
We have all seen them and survived them! No, I am not telling you to jump on every social media trending bandwagon. Please don’t do that!
I am telling you that if you are running a social media branding campaign for your small business, it is a good practice to stay updated with all the latest trends. It will help you create time-appropriate content, which is always better content than an outdated one!
Create more Visual Content
Visual memory is the strongest memory
It is harder to forget or overlook something that you have seen as compared to something that you have not! That is why it is best that you keep creating regular and attractive visual content.
Trust me when I tell you that pictures and videos amp up engagement like crazy. Visual content does not only grab your audience’s attention, but it also stays with them for a longer time.
Stay Consistent
If I have to choose one factor of social media branding that is the most important, it would be consistency! I just cannot emphasize enough how important consistency is!
Inconsistent branding can be quite confusing! Imagine a customer comes on your Facebook page to find your brand style different from what he found on Instagram, or Twitter, or Pinterest, or Snapchat…
Well, you get the idea! The customer would certainly get confuses. He will question if they are all one and the same. He will doubt your brand’s quality and integrity.
Thus, having such a puzzling and chaotic social media branding can negatively affect your customer base, your online reputation, and your overall branding strategy.
Most Common Social Media Marketing platforms and choosing the best one
There are currently many different social media platforms available out there! So, how do you choose the best one to have a successful social media branding strategy?
when you are considering the different social media platforms to set out on your social media branding journey, it is best to find answers to these questions:
- Who is my target audience, and on which platform will I find them?
- What idea do I want to communicate to my target audience?
- What are my social media branding goals?
- What story do I want to tell?
- What are my aims regarding my business, my products, or my services?
- What kind of social media content do I want to produce?
- How will social media branding support my website?
Once your find the answers to these questions, you will know right away which social media platforms gels best with your needs and goals.
You should also read: How Does Branding Empower Small Businesses?
Bringing it all together!
Well, that is it! Now you know how to play the social media marketing game to turn your small business into a success story.
I know that every small business aims to make it big! And social media branding provides you with an incredible opportunity to achieve that! So, why not use it?
All you have to do is use the correct platform and apt strategy for your social media branding to reach your desired outcomes. Following a well-planned social media marketing tactic will give a voice to your brand, help you reach more people, and ultimately make your business grow!
So, what are you waiting for? We have shared the best route to make your small business win over the social media branding game. So, get on with it and start your journey on making it big!
Originally Published at Fullstop360.com/blog.
