Social Media and Branding

Social media is essential for business these days. Social media and branding go together like peanut butter and jelly.Branding on social media isn’t just about setting up your accounts and getting a pretty design across each one. Every single post you make, every single reply you post, every single piece of content you share is building your brand. Your social media personality should be a reflection of your business personality, and that should stay consistent from day to day (Gilbert, 2014).

Fig 1.1 Brands and Social Media. Clark (2013) Retrieved from  http://bit.ly/1yany89

Personal branding is merely a way of selling your skills, and it’s never been more important, thanks to social media. Social media has given us a platform to broadcast our personal messaging to accomplish our goals. For professional purposes, we have LinkedIn to connect with others in our industry. For sharing with friends and family, there’s Facebook. Pinterest is where we show off our passions. Instagram is for visual self-expression (Gilbert, 2014)

What are the benefits of social media? The first notable fact is the large market share. Social networking websites contain the largest amount of connections and command the most attention from their user-base.

Now, Lets look at some strategies for reaching mass audiences through social media branding: (Carol, 2014)

• Develop a Social Media Platform Strategy: brands should identify which platforms their target audiences frequent most. For example, Pinterest has a predominantly female user base, and therefore, if a brand is trying to attract a male consumer, then a different platform should probably be prioritized.
• Create Captivating Content with High Share Value: Content with high share value is more likely to create a viral effect, exposing brands to wider audiences. Users tend to share content that is less promotional and more personal. Therefore, brands need to look for content inspiration beyond the products.
• Optimize for Mobile: Business should ensure that all content looks great and is easy to share on small screen devices such as iPads and smart phones. The number of people accessing social platforms via mobile devices continues to increase rapidly.
• Get Influencers and Users Involved: Influencers and bloggers tend to have a lot of social clout. Brands should partner with the ones who are on-brand for them, and create interesting content and initiatives, utilizing the influencers’ large audiences to create buzz and awareness. For example, an influencer’s involvement can be extremely helpful in the case of a brand hosting a contest or giveaway around a key sales period (Carol, 2014).

Fig1.2 Personal Brand. Osborne (2014). Retrieved from http://linkd.in/12d49qe

My Experience with Social Media and Branding:

Well, I am a very close witness to a success story about Branding on Social Media. One of my very close friends recently started a start-up.

They work on big-data security. The founder used LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to catch an eye of potential investors. With the strategy they followed regarding branding through social media, they not only were able to get good investments but also to hire top talent.

Gilbert, S (2014, June). 7 Rules for Social Media Branding. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/13D4R0i

Carol, H(2014, Nov). How Older Brands Can Reach New, Younger Audiences Through Social Media Branding. Retrieved from http://huff.to/PtAz9y

Clark, D(2013, June). Open View Labs. Three Tips for Making Time for Social Media. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1yany89

Osborne (2014)(LinkedIn). 5 Tips to Build Your Personal Brand. Retrieved from http://linkd.in/12d49qe