Social Media Branding and Advertising: A Practical Guide for Brands

Businesses of all sizes need a social media strategy. It’s where people are. Companies have to meet the target audiences, and the best way to do it is through social media. It doesn’t even matter which target group. There’s a social media platform for all ages. The key is to find out how to stand out from a sea of competitors who also have their own social media advertising strategies. 

It might seem like creating a social media brand is easy, but it’s not. It also takes time and effort. Here’s a practical guide on how to win the social media battle. 

Utilize all available platforms

It doesn’t take a lot to open a social media account and use it for advertising. Most of them are free anyway. While not all social media platforms appeal to the target audiences, there’s nothing wrong with using whatever platform is available. For instance, TikTok appeals mostly to younger audiences, but some seniors use it too. It’s a waste of opportunity if not harnessed. 

Hire a social media manager

With the effort to advertise across platforms, it would be easier to have a social media manager. It helps to have someone who will ensure a coherent strategy and maintain a strong brand presence on all platforms. Find a reliable person with years of experience in social media management. 

The posts represent the brand

It should also be clear to anyone with access to the social media accounts that each post represents the brand. It doesn’t matter who has access to the accounts. Everyone should understand the need to be careful in posting anything online. Once posted, people will talk about it. A mistake can damage the brand. Recovering from a gaffe takes time. In some instances, the reputation damage is permanent. Apart from the company’s posts, the likes, shares, and retweets also require careful consideration. The company doesn’t want to have anything to do with businesses or individuals with a terrible reputation. Take time to go through the posts before taking any action. 

If there were terrible posts or likes, release an immediate statement to explain what happened. Own up to the incident and promise it won’t occur again. Don’t blame anyone, including interns and employees. Even if it’s true, the company is still at fault for letting them handle the social media accounts. It’s better to be straightforward, and allow people to decide if they will believe the statement. 

Be active

The key to doing well on social media is by staying active. Respond to people who sent private messages. They might have questions, and it helps to redirect them to the right website. If they have complaints or suggestions, they also need to know that the company hears them. Being active also means having regular posts and interactions with the target audiences and followers. Otherwise, people might think that the social media account is active. They might also believe that the company isn’t operational anymore.

There are many ways to stay active. Start by launching a fun competition. It’s a cool gimmick that many people can be a part of. Offer prizes to the winners and thank them for participating. Another strategy is to request the followers to share the post. In doing so, they’re eligible to win a certain amount. 

Use advertising tools

Managing social media accounts can be a daunting task. The best way to make the job easier is by using appropriate tools. Some of them help in organizing information. Others provide notifications if there are recent brand mentions and reviews. The tools are free in some instances but with limited features. Advanced software might cost the business a few dollars each month. It’s still a reasonable amount.

Be consistent with the message

Regardless of the platform used to know more about the business, followers should receive the same message. It helps maintain the brand. Suppose the company wants to showcase itself as a top-tier company that won’t settle for anything less, repeat this message. Find ways to stand out from a sizable number of competitors. Even in the same area, there will be dozens of businesses competing for the same people. The right messaging strategy helps to stand out. 

Keep trying and identify the best social media advertising strategy

It’s not easy to determine which social media strategy would work. Some of them might appeal to a few people, but others won’t. Learn from the experience and keep trying. Social media will always be a challenging field. It’s also evolving quickly. Trends today might not be relevant tomorrow. Failure to keep up with the competition will leave the business behind. If the strategy didn’t work, look for alternatives. There might be other ways to capture people’s attention and ensure brand loyalty.