With over 72% of US adults using social media regularly, social media is essential to business marketing. Many people now use it not only to get information and connect, but also to make decisions.
To compete in today’s market, your business needs a strong social media branding strategy. Otherwise, you’re probably missing out on a lot of business.
However, developing a social media marketing strategy doesn’t have to be difficult. Read on to find out how to create one in a few simple steps.
Choose Your Social Media Platforms
The first step in your social media strategy to increase brand awareness should include figuring out which platforms are best for your brand. This means that you need to know which platforms your customers are on. You should tailor your social media marketing strategies to the audience you want to reach.
You should begin by developing a buyer persona. Learn about your target audience’s demographics, including:
- Location
- Age
- Interests
- Gender
- Typical income
- Occupation
You can match the audience demographics of social media platforms with a specific buyer persona that you have in mind.
For example, if your target audience spends more time on Facebook than on any other platform, then you should focus all of your efforts on Facebook marketing.
You may need to create multiple brand personas if you are targeting different kinds of people across social networks. You should also make your social media updates appealing to each section of your audience. Defining your audience’s characteristics helps you plan your social media strategy and post the right content.
Here is a list of major social media platforms, along with their user demographics, provided by Pew Research Center, so you can decide which platforms to choose for your social media marketing plan.
Optimize Your Profiles and Be Consistent
After you’ve targeted your audience and chosen your platforms, you need to optimize your profiles. Fill them out fully and leave nothing to chance!
Be sure to update your social media profile regularly (cover photo, profile pic, bio, website link, etc.) and treat it as your resume. It will help potential customers see a clear picture of your business reputation and reflect professionalism.
While performing social media for brand building, make sure you remain consistent across all of your social media profiles. Your customers appreciate this, and the facts show it. 60% of millennials expect a consistent brand identity across all platforms.
For example, you should have the same profile picture and/ or logo on both your Instagram business account and your Facebook business page. This will also make it easier for your customers to find you and recognize your brand, giving you a stronger presence.
Staying consistent includes your business bio as well. When it comes to writing your bio, keep it short and sweet. Stay original and true to your brand, and speak to your target audience.
Define Your Brand Voice
Your primary goal should be to engage users and to make sure they become customers through your digital sales funnel. But if you want to grab the attention of your audience, your brand must stand out.
So what can give you a competitive advantage on social media? It’s not as complicated as you might think. Stop sounding like a salesperson and start sounding like a human.
Imagine your brand as a human being, keeping your company’s mission in mind. If you want to take it a step further, use adjectives to describe how your brand should sound. Here are some examples:
- Enthusiastic
- Quirky
- Genuine
Every social media platform serves a different purpose. Sharing the same content on all social channels can appear lazy and will not get a good response.
As an example, Snapchat content should have a real, raw feel. Videos (shot from mobile phones) of people on the go are particularly popular on the platform.
In the same way, Twitter users expect messages to be shorter than 140 characters. As for Instagram, viewers prefer filtered or unfiltered photos and short videos.
Create a Posting Strategy and Content Calendar
Once you’ve got your profiles optimized and ready, you’re ready to start posting. But you can’t just expect hundreds of people to see your content right away when you have no following.
Some services can help you get started on social media with a following and engagement to boost your brand. When social media platforms see that your content gets engagement, you will show in more people’s feeds. Here’s where to buy IG likes if you’re ready to get started.
Now you need to decide when and what you will post for your audience. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for this. It depends on your business, brand, audience, etc.
You should experiment to find out what works, and research your competition. Try posting different types of content at different times for 2-3 weeks at a time and keep track of the posts that are generating the most engagement.
A social media calendar is a vital piece of your strategy and will help you keep your branding consistent. During the week, post a variety of content on social media, and then focus even more on content that drives engagement.
Experiment and Analyze
You will become more familiar with your social media platforms as you post more often, so you can see what’s working for you. Social media analytics help you keep a detailed track of your performance. In most social media platforms, analytics are inbuilt into the site, however they tend to be pretty basic. Fortunately, there are a number of online tools to help track social media performance.
You can use these tools to analyze your posts and gain valuable insight into how users are engaging with them. You can then use these insights to enhance your social media branding strategy to attract more customers.
Get Started With Your Social Media Branding Strategy
Now is the time to put your social media branding strategy into action.
It is important to remember, a well-thought-out strategy won’t bring business growth unless it is executed effectively. When you’ve got the framework, start putting it in place.
Looking for more tips and tricks for business branding and marketing? Check out our blog!