Social media offers businesses the opportunity to exponentially grow their brands or causes. But figuring out how to harness this opportunity isn’t easy. In fact, it can be stressful. What type of content will get the best feedback? How do I get people to promote my brand? What if someone mocks my company’s products and services on social media – how do I respond?
Getting Your Brand Noticed with Social Media
Don’t worry! There is a simple process to solve this problem. The first step is finding research on all the platforms to see which relevant keywords and hashtags are trending. Analyze what people are saying and find the most influential users of those accounts. Those users with large followings tend to be the best influencers because they have the potential to share your brand or cause with a larger audience.
Too often, social media marketing is built on faulty assumptions and myths. Many organizations assume that because a user mentions their brand positively online, the user likely follows them on social media. That’s not necessarily true. Ninety-six percent of individuals who discuss a brand online do not follow that brand on social media. That’s a major lost opportunity.
Cultivate Engagement to Harness Social Media Power
Sixty-two percent of millennials say they are more likely to become brand loyalists if they are directly engaged with that brand online. Therefore, being mentioned on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is not sufficient. This is where hashtags come in handy. They allow you to effectively navigate the inner workings of social media to find those that, through direct one-on-one engagement, can become your brand advocate. Seek direct, one-on-one engagement with users through relevant hashtags and allow current and prospective customers to feel like they have a say in what your company promotes.
However, not everyone mentioning your brand or cause is mentioning it in a way that aligns with your organization, and hashtags can’t make those distinctions. Pay attention to the user’s overall message, not just the hashtags they use. Directly engage with those whose message aligns with yours and encourage them to share your message.
Make Social Media Marketing an Ongoing Relationship
Finding the most influential people is just half the battle, the other half is figuring out how to get them to pay attention to what you’re saying. What is the most effective lead to grab someone’s attention, especially when you only have 140 characters to do so? It’s not always about flash and razzle-dazzle. Often, asking a user simple, straightforward questions about your brand allows the user to engage with your business and to feel like his or her voice is being heard on a broader scale.
Once you have opened a dialogue with your influencers, activate them as part of your crowd. Post content that they can share with their followers, and continue to interact with them to let them know that their voice is still being heard.
Where is Most of Your Audience Found? Start There …
When getting started with social media marketing for your brand the important thing is to take it one step at a time and not get overwhelmed. You don’t need to be on every platform all at once. Start where the majority of your audience is and build from there.
What helps you get your brand noticed on social media? Share with us in the comments below.
