The world is driven by social media today and the companies who do not realize that are going to be very quickly left behind in a swirling mass of electrons. Social media branding brings customers and by proxy, success to a business. As the new buzzword, older, established companies struggle to put their products and services on social media while younger, newer companies do not exist outside of it. In fact, newer companies have teams specifically for creating a social media buzz.
How to use it?
It does not take much to create a social media explosion. It can start with a simple Facebook page and go from there. Social media as a branding tool is build around a concept and the people flock to the concept. From there, the people take it to their own social media and the advertising expands on itself.
This is a multi-fold process to develop a proper marketing strategy. Firstly, look into what the company is after with social media and determine a theme. This is normally the role of the creative team. Next, look to the specific image to develop. A group that is developing haute couture will certainly not seek tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians for their brand. Building on the theme of haute couture drives the marketing research into correct channels and venues, thus the company can determine what is and what is not working for the theme. From there, the team builds its social media platform.
Starting with a Facebook page, they begin to condition their customer base to the social media. Photos of terrific looking young people in the best clothes possible with the ubiquitous ‘Like’ button nearby is a great way to start. Putting the same people in a hot nightclub in designer club wear with a special for anyone who tweets a picture to Instagram or comes up with a clever name for a drink will get a special table for the night or an article of clothing. There are several ways to develop a theme from the initial starting point.
Engagement & interaction
“Engagement through investment, investment through interaction,” is the mantra of social media. A company trying to brand themselves with social media must have people invest time into the product and media. Without investment, there will be no interaction. This requires a team to make the constant changes necessary in social media, a plan that builds from the initial idea and a strategy that is both engaging and precisely targeted to the core audience. All aspects of the plan are necessary for a company to survive and be successful with social media today.
About Author
This post was submitted by one of our prominent readers Mo Raja. He currently works in online marketing at a mobile phone, laptop and gadget specialist insurance company Protect Your Bubble. Mo occasionally writes blog posts on technology, gadgets, mobile phones and online media. This post however is solely the opinion of Mo and not endorsed by any other individual or organisation.
