Once you’ve made it over the hurdle of launching a business, how do you successfully brand that business on social media? It’s important to take the time to strategize what platforms you want to focus your efforts on, as well as understanding where your audience lives.
In this week’s #SproutChat, we were joined by Sprout All Star Elite and branding expert, Rebekah Radice, who’s offered her insights on social strategy for branding businesses. From content strategy to which social platforms to spend time on, Radice covered a bevy of information for brands.
Claim Your Brand’s Stake in Social
When launching your brand on social make sure that it can be easily recognized by its logo and name. Differentiate your business from others on social and take the opportunity to tell that story clearly in your bio and through the content you publish.
A1) Know What Sets You Apart
– What makes you unique?
– Why should customers care?
– Are there points of parity?
#sproutchat— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) July 12, 2017
A1: make sure you have a good handle & bio with updated & high quality pictures. #SproutChat
— Independent Retailer (@indretailer) July 12, 2017
A1: Get that logo up! A logo & coordinated cover image will help users identify you are and what you’re about. #SproutChat
— Emily Anthony (@__emilymichael) July 12, 2017
A1: Having a name is a good start — catchy, recognizable, and short enough to be a handle #SproutChat https://t.co/fe1rmURZR0
— Metter Media (@mettermedia) July 12, 2017
A1: Claim those handles across all platforms, whether you want to use them now or not. #SproutChat
— Marek Cornett (@marekcornett) July 12, 2017
A1: Also, really think about what you write for your bio/about section. This area can set the tone for your profile! #SproutChat
— Emily Anthony (@__emilymichael) July 12, 2017
A1: Start by documenting a strategy that defines your reason for being on social, audience, tone, messaging–all the necessities #sproutchat
— BrandExtract° (@BrandExtract) July 12, 2017
A1 High res profile photos and cover images, consistent imaging/colors/fonts across channels, proper bio and links! #SproutChat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) July 12, 2017
A1: Understanding who you're speaking to and how the audience differs across platforms is your first step! #SproutChat
— Jessy Herman (@jessyh2609) July 12, 2017
Social Profiles and Websites Should Work Together
Make sure that the information you provide for your business on social is consistent with what you’ve provided on your website. While your business’s website should answer any questions visitors may have that aren’t answered on your social profiles, the two platforms should work in tandem to make important communications visible and accessible.
A2) Both are crucial. They complement and support each other. Lead by conversation and content through their online journey. #sproutchat
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) July 12, 2017
Both. You want to have strong social profiles that lead to a robust website. They go hand-in-hand #SproutChat
— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) July 12, 2017
A2: hate saying 'it depends', but it does. Who is your buyer, where do they gather info, what type of biz are you?. #sproutchat
— Jennifer Daugherty (@GlitterOtter) July 12, 2017
A2 it's more important to meet people where they're at. And know how to send people from one place to other for more info 😉 #SproutChat
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) July 12, 2017
A2: It all has to start with your website. You'll be sending people there from your social profiles, so it's got to be in order. #SproutChat
— Emily Anthony (@__emilymichael) July 12, 2017
A2b: regardless of where your base is, neither should be lacking. Keep them consistent, cross link, etc. #sproutchat
— Jennifer Daugherty (@GlitterOtter) July 12, 2017
A2 I think a functional website would be a priority. Social is part of your comms strategy. #sproutchat
— Nancy Casanova (@nancycasanova) July 12, 2017
A2: Why not have both? You want a strong presence on social media, but you also need a great website to direct them to. #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 12, 2017
A2) Strong social to engage audience and Robust Site to explain more after you’ve piqued their interested #sproutchat
— Stefanie R Kelly (@SRKellyOnline) July 12, 2017
Define Your Brand
Your brand’s voice and tone should be guided by what you’re offering your audience. Having a familiarity with your audience will help you fine-tune how you communicate and help you understand the benefits your customers are looking for, rounding out a better experience.
A3) Determine what benefits your product or service provides. Now clearly articulate who that person is that benefits the most. #SproutChat
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) July 12, 2017
A3 community defines it as they see it. You can just strive to be as honest/transparent as possible, be the best brand you can b #SproutChat
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) July 12, 2017
A3: For us, it's all about tone. We did a lot of exercises on brand voice when I started and that was really helpful. #SproutChat
— Emily Anthony (@__emilymichael) July 12, 2017
A3 Through Social Voice & Imagery. #SproutChat https://t.co/20StoV1A6n
— Martin Michaud-Couch (@WebCouchDesigns) July 12, 2017
A3: one big step is knowing your audience & what they'll best respond to #SproutChat https://t.co/hn9hEkSQ1W
— Travis Gendron (@travgendron) July 12, 2017
A3) Knowing audience and consistency. @Arbys social media team does an AMAZING job at this. #SproutChat
— Newmark Halakar (@nkfhalakar) July 12, 2017
A3. If you are true and authentic in real life, it will flow in your brand persona online #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) July 12, 2017
Meet Your Customers Where They Are
It’s easy to say that your brand should be on every social network, but it’s best to do a little research and put your time and effort into the platforms that you know your audience is spending time on. This makes working toward business goals more manageable.
A4) It's important to align the platform with the type of content you share. e.g. video vs. text, link or visual. #SproutChat
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) July 12, 2017
A4. It depends on where your audience or prospective customer is at and also what fits your business #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) July 12, 2017
A4: Totally depends on where your target audience is & what your goals are! #SproutChat https://t.co/Msdc8Tj8Bs
— Travis Gendron (@travgendron) July 12, 2017
A4: The trifecta of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (but it really all depends on your brand's voice) #SproutChat https://t.co/PAXMSIT0Ne
— Metter Media (@mettermedia) July 12, 2017
A4: Starting out, take a look at your personas and see what channels make the most sense for those demographics. #SproutChat
— Emily Anthony (@__emilymichael) July 12, 2017
A4: Where your audience is & where related conversation is.
Period.#SproutChat— Jeff Higgins (@ItsJeffHiggins) July 12, 2017
A4: The social media platforms you dedicate your time to will depend on where your audience is. Be where they are! #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 12, 2017
A4: Depends where your brand is seeing the most ROI. #SproutChat
— Emily Andrus (@EmilyPizanie) July 12, 2017
A4 Definetly Depends on your target market 🤔 #SproutChat
— Jan Barbosa 🐝 (@JBarbosaPR) July 12, 2017
Metrics Tell the Story
Create goals to track and allow for time to analyze how your business is performing on social. Every journey is different, so if engagement is a key performance indicator for you, be ready to test and learn along the way.
A5) Engagement is the first place to start. Is your audience interacting with your brand? If not, your brand isn't memorable. #sproutchat
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) July 12, 2017
Q5: ENGAGEMENT! It's the top metric for showing people know and care about your brand #SproutChat https://t.co/BoYTKl3dwQ
— Metter Media (@mettermedia) July 12, 2017
A5 First and most obvious: lift in sales. Second and third: traffic to website and social engagement #sproutchat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) July 12, 2017
A5: Engagement that turns into trackable revenue. Likes don't pay the bills. #SproutChat
— Newmark Halakar (@nkfhalakar) July 12, 2017
A5 Test. Analyze. Report. Rinse Repeat. Consistently. #SproutChat https://t.co/4sbYEOhmzf
— Martin Michaud-Couch (@WebCouchDesigns) July 12, 2017
A5: Set goals so you know what you're trying to achieve. You can then measure results and tweak accordingly. #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 12, 2017
A5: Set sales, conversion, traffic and engagement goals for your business to see how your brand is resonating with your audience #SproutChat
— BrandExtract° (@BrandExtract) July 12, 2017
A5: Growth in interactions, community size, engagement. Measurements are bounce, conversion and retention rates. #sproutchat
— Gary McIntire (@garymcintire) July 12, 2017
A5: Listen to what folks are saying beyond your handle or hashtag. Proactive social listening, ftw. #SproutChat [TK]
— ModSquad (@modsquad) July 12, 2017
Join #SproutChat next Wednesday, July 12, at 2 p.m. CDT, to chat about advancing your career in social and digital conferences. Until then join our Facebook community to network with other folks in the industry and stay up to date on #SproutChat events.
This post #SproutChat Recap: How to Brand Your Business on Social Media originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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