A strong brand can both withstand the test of time and yield some immediate results. However, if we’re talking about a social media brand, you need to change the way you look at these things by quite a bit. First, you need to know exactly who you’re talking to. Second, you need to find an angle that will allow you to portray your brand as unique. Finally, you need to keep measuring, testing and tracking everything in order to ensure that you’re on the right path. If not, this will give you an opportunity to pivot in time. So, here are several tips you need to keep an eye out for.
1. Looking out for metrics
When it comes to building a brand, it’s all about awareness and relevance, which is why even vanity metrics matter. However, you need to ask yourself whether it would be better to focus on those metrics that really help your business make that extra step. We’re talking about the duration of visit, engagement rate, conversions, activity and reach. Some of these metrics can be tracked quite effortlessly. However, there are some that might require a specialized tool. We’re talking about brand mentions and similar, a tad more abstract terms.
2. Include user-generated content (UGC)
The ultimate goal of every brand is to make a buyer feel like the member of the team. We all know the “Is Pepsi ok?” meme, which is a unique case where the consumer is so loyal to a brand that they tie their identity to the product. In fact, they are even ready to get offended if someone suggests they should try something else. The online beef between Android and iPhone users is another great example of how this works. One of the best ways to get there quickly is to allow users to become an active part of your campaign. The simplest way to achieve this is to include UGC in your marketing campaign.
3. Entrust this to professionals
The next thing you should consider is the idea of leaving branding to a professional branding agency. This is particularly true if you have a specific market in mind, instead of just working on a generic global presence, like it happens most of the time in the field of e-commerce. For instance, if you’re looking to start a business based in Victoria, looking for a brand agency from Melbourne would speed up the process. Why? Well, because they already know all there is to know about the local market and will have a lot easier time processing all the vital information.
4. Go through influencers
Another thing you need to understand is the psychological benefit of using influencers. Sure, it’s more than obvious that these people are promoting your brand because they have an agreement with your brand, nonetheless, it’s still easier to trust their praise than a brand that’s shamelessly self-promoting. This alone would be a reason enough to hire influencers. Aside from this, you also have to keep in mind that people who have a certain reputation in the business world aren’t too eager to get associated with a brand that’s going nowhere. This comes as a form of affirmation, on its own.
5. Reviews and ratings
Finally, give your users a reason to leave reviews and ratings. Remember, even the most illiterate, poorly written and vague reviews still get seen as more credible than paid ads. Of course, no one states that they’re more effective, that they give you bigger reach or that they give you a superior ROI. Nevertheless, they do give you that extra bit of legitimacy that you just might need.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you need to understand that brand recognition and brand awareness aren’t one and the same thing. Brand recognition comes down to people just recognizing your brand name and logo, while brand awareness consists of a bit more knowledge about your business as a whole. For the time being, any of the two will do but in the long run, you should always aim for awareness.