At a glance, brand management on social websites looks easy. All you need to do is put up a Social Media account (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts), use it to aid your entity’s branding, and call it after your company/product’s name.
However, distinct experiences of many advertising campaigns reveal, managing your brand picture goes far beyond sticking its logo to a social media account.
There are particular pitfalls to watch out for. On the flip side, following new management practices can help you optimize the return in your SMM efforts.
And in this digital world, who doesn’t want to optimize their business from SOCIAL MEDIA!
3 Foundations of Brand Management
As per numerous brand management guides that you might have read on the web, the three principles of any branding strategy should include:
- uniqueness;
- positivity; and
- consistency.
One needs to manage their brand online in a way that:
- It stands out among other competitors.
- It’s related to something positive.
- It does not sink into oblivion once your campaign is finished.
Let’s discuss how you will ensure to stick to all three principles?
1. Have Your Brands Social Media Voice
Even though I’d written about finding one’s distinctive voice, I still consider the subject a small gray area. That is because sometimes, this kind of advice does not go beyond “be different from another guy.”
What does locating your social media voice mean?
You might think, how different can make one sound than any other brand, say, on Twitter or Pinterest?
As a company, you must have decided on your unique selling proposal (USP) and also how it ought to be incorporated into your more significant branding program.
With these USPs, you’ve already defined what features or attributes make your brand stand out.
Thus, whatever you do on interpersonal media should be in line with your brand’s attributes for it to have integrity.
For example, the Instagram account of Netmeds, they’re in the process of establishing themselves as a logical continuation of interactive and informative online pharmacy stores. You must check out their social handles.
What can be done to increase brand awareness?
- Brand your social media posts accurately by using the real estate it offers to remind your followers about your brand
- Use a branded URL shortener.
- Brand your pictures as you share them on social websites (not a necessity, but it still helps build brand awareness)
2. Be the Good Guy
Now, being the Good guy on social platforms doesn’t mean that you can’t permit any criticism or negative feedback to show up on your FB page, or Twitter, etc..
What this means is that the total of the positivity and this negativity related to your brand should have a positive balance.
One of the biggest blunders a brand could make on social media platforms are as follows:
- Ignore negative comments
- Respond to negative feedback adversely or in a rude manner
- Falsify or be elusive while trying to come from a conflict
Experienced online marketers know that any battle is to asserting the positive picture of your new gateway – if you understand how to handle it masterfully. However, if you neglect it, this may render all effort you make as an SMM manager futile.
What’s the point of announcing a quiz (contest)on Facebook, if you are going to let any negative comments slide.
Another set of risks lies in covering issues that are sensitive or asking your audiences the wrong sort of query.
Over time, there had been many 9/11-themed tweets and picture uses that incurred backlash from the community. The subject is particularly sensitive, and anyone should make sure it’s utterly devoid of any dubiousness AND doesn’t exploit the topic for promotion.
3. Be a Swiss Watch (Be Predictable)
Last but not least, it’s the consistency principle one should adhere to when promoting oneself as a brand on networking sites. To cut a favorable image for your brand, your SMM efforts ought to be consistent.
This is hard to achieve if your media managers or advertising strategy change. But there’s a way to begin it without losing your followers’ credibility.
Be just where it’s possible to be regular.
It is not advisable to find a Pinterest account just for the heck of it. If you aren’t going to be submitting there regularly, your followers will probably get disappointed in you – and the brand you signify.
Who would follow a social media account that doesn’t add any value to them?
Who would like to Find a Facebook post with just spam in comments?
It’s equally important to be consistent about the kind of posts you create.
Ever heard the name ‘Neil Patel’, if you’re in the field of digital marketing, you must have heard about him. How did he make himself this big of a name? Well, in my opinion, his brand management is incredible. This may be the secret behind his popularity – he is expectedly eclectic.
Summing it up
To sum up this, I’d like to say that, most importantly, for the social marketing efforts to assist marketing, brand marketing, and sales, it has to be an extension of these items.
Make sure everything you do on social media is relevant to the target you are trying to accomplish via branding, adds to increase awareness, and your brand’s value.
All the best with your brand management efforts on social networking!