On Wednesday, we discussed “How To Streamline Product Launches“, and the first point talked about was brand awareness. When your audience lands on your social media page be it Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram what do they see? Are you building brand awareness on your social media channels or are you just posting for the sake of posting. Let’s make some business adjustments.
Cohesive Design
As my company goes into a new stage, one of the most important things I have to do is make sure that the design is cohesive across the board. This is very important to your brand’s core values, which in turn, keeps it consistent. Coca-Cola doesn’t just throw some blues or purples in their ads or on social media banners. They stick to red & white with touches of black and grey. Pick two or three colors for your brand. Then hire someone like, Amy of CJW Designs, to make your social media banners, headers, logos, and even Instagram gram cards.
In addition to being cohesive, think about your companies visuals. Investing in styled stock photography and fonts can add layers to whom your brand already is. So that you aren’t just using the same apps as everyone else. You’ve taken it to another level.
Selection Of Platform
One of the main reasons small business owners are ineffectively building brand awareness, is because they are trying to be everything to everyone on every platform, neglecting to leverage their businesses on those social media sites. Is there a chance I’m missing audience members by not being on Snapchat? Yes, there is a chance, but there is also a chance that when I do hop on that platform, I disappear like a ghost or end up misusing it. Two detrimental decisions I refuse to make. Focus on three platforms you like, understand, and know how to use.
Consistent Schedule
When are you posting your content to social media? Have you ever stepped back to check the analytics of what is working and what’s not working for your company on social media? Hootsuite, Iconosquare, Sprout Social, and Google Analytics are just two companies that allow you to measure your reach and other important data. Being consistent with your company’s posting schedule helps ensure that you are reaching your audience and your audience knows where you are. I have heard of big companies scheduling 4 types of post 4 strategic times a day. So they are reaching their core audience in every time zone. In addition, they use url shortener’s to measure which call to action message received more clicks. Hootsuite allows you to create vanity urls when you use their business account. Try Social Media Planner For Small Business to help you with this.
Stay “Switzerland” On Controversial Topics
One thing, I tend to shy away from on social media is controversial topics. It can turn into something bad really quickly. Last year, I saw a plethora of small businesses voice their opinion, only for it to backfire on them. Their core audience basically didn’t agree with their thoughts. People started talking about boycotting. There is nothing wrong with having an opinion, however, it’s better to be Switzerland (neutral) on certain topics. My personal stance is that I try not to talk money, race relations, or religion on social media. You can go from a really successful company to in the red over night. I’ve seen people lose their six figure PR job over a tweet.
Your Brands Message
Who is your company in 140 characters? What kind of lifestyle are you portraying on social media, that you expect your audience to mimic? You need to curate who your company is. Yes, your company can evolve over time, but your core brand message should be the same. Imperfect Concepts’ brand is about helping creative women entrepreneurs thrive on their own terms, with assistance from our content, resources, and insight. I showcase the reality of running a business, even, the non-glamorous part of it. I display all aspects of running a company on social media. I tend to stick to the same color scheme when posting photos, too. The message doesn’t sway. It’s like if Dave Ramsey spent 20 years saying “no to credit cards, yes to living debt free” to all of a sudden endorsing American Express, that would portray a conflict in messages. Stay consistent!
By using these 5 tips you can help leverage your business’ social media while increasing its brand awareness. Your company will be cohesive and consistent in all areas, allowing your audience to connect with your company. What can you do today to help ensure that you are leveraging your social media correctly, to maximize exposure and its revenue stream?