How to Use Social Media to Build Your Brand
YOUR EASY GUIDE TO SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Your brand is more than your logo or company value statement. It’s built on everything you do and say as an organization (scary, right?) as well as every interaction a customer has with this content. Every touchpoint an individual has with your company is an opportunity to create a positive interaction with your brand, whether it’s through:
- marketing and advertising
- a sales manager, account manager, or customer service representative
- your website or social media pages
In our blog we’ve focused a lot on how to build your brand through consistent messaging and brand auditing, but what are some of the ways you can build your brand on social media?
Your Profile
In today’s world, social media is no longer an accessory for your brand. It’s often the first place people will go to learn more about your business, so it’s important that your profile pages are up to date.
Each of the major social media platforms has an About section where you can include information about your business. Don’t skimp on this section! Write a concise description of your business purpose and values and include a link to your website. If applicable, add your business hours and physical location. Make it a goal that a customer can understand the main idea of your business from the short bio in the About section.
Organic Posts
Organic Posts, meaning the usual, free posts that you can make directly from your social platform, are the lifeblood of your social pages. They keep your page (and brand) looking alive and give the customer the impression that your business is active, thriving, and ready to serve. Each social platform has a different suggested posting frequency, but if your pages have been dormant for a while, our best advice is to just start posting. Here are some ideas:
- Thought leadership content. Take the pulse of your industry. What’s on the horizon for your customers? Share your own thoughts on the subject in a short video, or link to an expert’s video or article with your own comments.
- Industry-specific memes and jokes. Everyone appreciates a little humor, even in the business world. Just use caution to make sure that what you’re sharing is appropriate for your brand and suitable for work.
- Your story. Tell your followers a little about why you do what you do and how you try to help your customers. Be sincere, be authentic, and don’t be overly “salesy.”
Paid Posts and Advertising
Once you’ve gotten into the groove with organic posts, you may want to give your brand a bit more reach. This is where paid advertising on social media comes in. Each social media company has its own advertising platform, so it will take time to learn the methods for posting on each one. There are many excellent guides to social media marketing and advertising using paid posts, which you can check out here for Facebook and here for LinkedIn.
Paid posts give you the opportunity to boost your posts so even more people can be introduced to and interact with your brand. A good place to start with advertising on social media is to boost your best performing organic posts.
Customer Service
Social media isn’t just for marketing anymore. In fact, it’s growing as a customer service tool. According to a study by HubSpot, 20% of Gen Zers and 25% of Millennials have contacted companies directly on social media for customer service. Often this is done through direct messaging. Make sure you check your direct messages as often as you check your social media pages so you don’t miss the opportunity to assist a concerned customer.
Using social media as a medium for customer support is another excellent way to build a positive perception of your brand. If you find the volume of customer support messages is getting too high to handle on your own, some companies invest in software that helps them manage this.
Pair with Direct Mail
Experienced marketers know that building your brand happens over multiple channels, and the strongest campaigns are spread out over digital and physical touchpoints. In fact, marketing campaigns that combine digital marketing (social media, email, online ads) with physical marketing (newsletters, postcards, direct mail) have a stronger ROI than if just digital marketing was used. So, when you’re building brand awareness on social media, it doesn’t hurt to pair your efforts with a postcard campaign. Xpressdocs allows you to do just that with our subscription service, XD+. You can seamlessly turn your direct mail campaigns into social media posts, getting you more reach and more eyeballs on your campaigns.
3 Tips to Succeed with Social Media Marketing
- Focus on the platforms where you’re seeing results.
Rather than running yourself ragged trying to jump in on every new social media trend across every new platform, zone in on the top two to three platforms where you’re getting engagement and activity. Part of translating your brand to social media is understanding which platforms work best for you and continuing to do what works! Of course, you’re allowed to experiment with newer platforms, but if you find yourself strapped for time and resources, it’s ok if you opt out of the latest TikTok dance.
- Incorporate Video
Short form video, with a duration of just a couple minutes at the most, is extremely effective across all social channels. A plain text post just won’t cut it anymore. In fact, 73% of customers prefer to watch video to learn about a product or service. Worried your video production skills won’t meet the mark? Your videos don’t need to be polished or fancy to be successful for social media marketing, and they can be shot with your smartphone. Additionally, great free templates to help you create effective videos for your feed are just an internet search away.
- Use AI
Using generative AI to help you brainstorm ideas, edit, and refine social posts can help you create more content in less time. However, make sure you don’t lose your brand’s distinct voice when using AI. Picture AI like a virtual personal assistant. You’ll be able to hit the mark if you use it as another tool in your toolbox rather than a replacement social media manager. For tips on how to make AI work for you, read An Introduction to AI for Your Small Business.
Social media ecosystem is always changing, and it can feel hard to keep up. As long as you keep your profile up to date, post helpful content and provide customer service for your followers, and use it in conjunction with other marketing channels, you’ll be able to get a good return on your efforts. Want to learn more about social media marketing? Check out our blog on kickstarting your social media.