Branding is such a major facet of marketing and brand recognition. It’s about keeping a consistent and recognizable identity and ensuring the customer that they are getting what they have come to expect from such a great company. So how can social media help with such an important endeavor?
The following is five steps to keeping up with consistent branding throughout the world of social media, accompanied by some examples of brands that do it best.
1. Tone
Social media is all about communication between person and person, or brand and customer. As such, a company needs to ensure their message’s integrity is upheld, but also their voice.
Nike is a great example of keeping a consistent tone. Their message of empowerment and striving for success resonates with its copy, and customer relations. Powerful, short, and punchy vocabulary led to an identity we all recognize.
2. Imagery
When you think of a company, you might think about their logo, products’ packaging, or an iconic color. All this is relatable when creating a loud and recognizable voice on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other platforms.
Chic-fil-A is very meticulous when it comes to their branding. They rarely waver from their signature red, their unmistakable logo, and their bovine mascot. While it may seem to some like they are being sticklers, this level of consistency helps them stand above their massive competition.
3. Product
What do companies expect when they think of their brand? Is it a specific product? Maybe it’s your signature service? Put your thinking cap on and explain what it is that people love about your company. Then, utilize it in marketing and make sure it’s a central element to your tweets, posts, snaps, etc.
What is Disney’s spotlight product? Movies, right? Nope. It’s the characters. They harness the power of their characters’ iconic designs with every social media post. The reason why it’s not just movies is that Mikey, Minnie, Buzz Lightyear, and all those other memorable faces go way beyond movies. They are in books, on posters, in our children’s toy boxes, and so much more. While you will have to work pretty hard to beat Disney’s popularity, you can most certainly take a note from their marketing book and push what people know about you!
4. Customer Service
Branding is all about reputation. Well, you can have a good rep without providing excellent customer service. Take pride in how you handle your customers’ issues and what you do for them, even if it doesn’t directly affect your bottom line.
Zappos’ claim to fame is their crazy fast shipping times. Often, they will upgrade a customer’s order to next day delivery without issue. Because this is something they’ve become known for, they often talk about this on their social media channels. It’s not bragging if you’re doing business right!
5. Be Human
This is where social media changes things in the marketing world. Yes, we’re promoting products as marketers always have, but a big part of branding now is humanizing your brand. Talk about things that a person would talk about- holidays, weekends, fun times in general. Tap into trending topics and continuously pop up on your users feed with more than just promotions.
For this example, we’re going to spotlight a local hot spot – Datz in Tampa, FL. Datz is a young and hip restaurant where you can find the latest dessert craze while sipping on some local craft beer, all while getting the most unique flavors you can find. On Twitter and Facebook, Datz continues to shock and wow with new concoctions the locals can enjoy. But it goes beyond that. They talk about holidays, trending topics (at the moment, their logo has been changed to match Wonder Woman’s tiara in honor of the hit film) and shares things that you would expect a friend to share.
How do you create a dynamite social media marketing branding strategy? It’s simple- be yourself! Present your brand in a real, organic, and smart fashion that upholds everything your customers expect from your brand.
Looking for some help with your social media? Contact us! We’d love to help.
