7 Ways to Enhance Your Brand With Social Media

Ten years ago, the world had no idea what social media was. Now, we can’t live without it. Nearly every business, television station, news network, celebrity and business now rely on social media to engage with people throughout the world and delivering powerful content to them 24 hours a day.

As important as social media is, only a small percentage of businesses and brands are doing it correctly. In this article, we are going to break down some of the most effective ways for you to start using social media to enhance the loyalty, trust and power of your brand.

Social Networks Were Built For You in Mind

Let’s face it… while Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn rule the social media world, it’s actually the users of these networks that make the rules. A perfect example of this would be MySpace, the first widely known and successful social network. However, where is MySpace today?

The users lost interest and then Facebook started to take over. The media and entertainment world loves Twitter, which helped kickstart their network to hundreds of millions of users as well.

The bottom line is that social media and networks are all about the end user. This is important to keep in mind because way too many brands are trying to use social media as an advertising platform and just pushing out sales and corporate content, which is the worst thing to do.

Instead, you need to create content that is valuable and connects with your audience. You only have one chance to make a great first impression online and the same holds true for the social networking world. Make sure your brand is actively using the methods below and you will find success in social media.

How to Enhance Your Brand With Social Media

What top brands are you currently following on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Most likely brands that you are interested in, purchase their products and have great content online. These are all perfect examples of brands that are doing it right. Now, let’s break down some great brand enhancement methods for everyone else.

1.)  Create Content That People Want

The majority of people scrolling through their social networks have hundreds, if not thousands, of social updates to browse through. If you are throwing content out there that is useless, boring or way too generic, there is a good chance that the user will actually end up un-following your brand as they have no interest in your updates.

Social content is all about engagement. Before posting your next update, read it again and see if it’s something you would actually click on to read. If you wouldn’t click on it, why would your audience click on it?

2.)  Don’t Leave Your Audience in Silence

Ten to fifteen years ago, the internet was a static world filled with one-way conversations. Blogging and social media has changed the face of the internet and how we engage and connect with our audiences.

This means you need to connect with your followers and fans of your brand. Don’t just push new content out – reply to comments, ask questions and make your users feel like their voice really matters.

3.)  Have a Consistent Brand Across All Platforms

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the top three social networks in the game today. Each of them offers some form of customization, whether it be a header, a background or just a profile picture or logo.

The important thing here is that you take the time to make sure your branding is consistent across all platforms. This includes having the same username/ profile URL when possible. The easier it is for people to find and follow your brand online, the more success your brand will have.

4.)  Keep Your Social Activity on Schedule

Not all businesses, individuals and brands have time for social networking… though it is still very important. If your brand is sporadically posting updates to different profiles, not only can this be overwhelming to your brand but also everyone who is following your accounts.

Instead of focusing on manual social updates, there are plenty of services available that offer social updates scheduling, which can be done in advance and scheduled out over time. If there is room in your company budget, it would be wise to hire a part or full-time social media manager.

While your organization may not feel social media is extremely important, going about it the wrong way can result in chaos for your brand!

5.)  Focus on Mobile Social Activity

Thousands of people are upgrading to new mobile devices every day that offer an amazing online experience right in the palms of their hands. This also means they are tweeting, taking pictures and sending out more updates than ever.

Social updates and links that appear on computers and laptops might not appear the same way on mobile devices. Make sure your brand is sending out the right content and that all of your sites are responsive and mobile-ready.

6.)  Realizing The True Power of Social Media

Everyone is talking about social media, but if you take the time to look at the actual numbers and opportunity behind the 2 billion plus users across the major networks, then you can truly see the potential for branding your business.

There are currently over a billion users on Facebook, another 600 million on Twitter and nearly 300 million more on LinkedIn. Making sure your brand has exposure across all of these networks is one of the best ways for your brand to not only grow but also connect with individuals throughout the world in a way they appreciate.

7.)  Targeting Your Audience

Since we are talking about numbers, it would be a mistake to not talk about social network ad targeting. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all offer online advertising, which allows you to target your audience based on interests, full demographics (age, location, etc.) and more.

With such amazing targeting abilities available, you no longer need to waste money on branding and advertising that is going to the wrong audience. Build your brand by connecting with new audiences based off demographics of your existing customers and fans.