The internet gave rise to endless possibilities and social media is perhaps one of the greatest creations to ever come from the internet. The internet has evolved into a thriving ecosystem giving rise to multiple new technologies which are paving the way for the future. However, when social media came into existence it was for the simple purpose of staying connected with friends and family and to get in touch with acquaintances and lost friends. However, when businesses and corporations realised the wealth of user data they were sitting on, social media changed forever because everyone realised that social media is the single most powerful marketing tool going forward into the future.
There are 335 million users on Twitter, 1 billion users on Instagram and a whopping 2.23 billion users on Facebook– and these are just the mainstream social media platforms. There are many such platforms but on a smaller scale like Quora, Reddit and Pinterest to name a few. Looking at the number of users on social media it makes sense for brands to push their products via social media. However, it is not an easy job considering the huge number of users, it is easy for a brand’s message to get lost in the clutter or even worse finding a wrong target audience. So it makes sense to develop a social media presence organically so as to ensure a brand is reaching the right target audience.
Here are some of the best practices for building a social media presence for your brand to get maximum outreach.
Using the right tools:
It is important to identify which tools to use so as to post on social media. In order to do that one needs to identify which social media platform to use out of the available ones like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Google or Pinterest. However the real work begins after identifying these tools. One must lay down clear goals and objectives to make sure what you are after and in order to do that one must understand how each platform works. For example, Twitter has a word limit which means it is important to put across a message in as few words as possible, or for Instagram which is a picture sharing platform, it makes sense to put content in the form of images or videos.
Understanding Needs:
A brand needs to know to whom they would like to cater in order to sustain the brand value. That is possible by making and posting meaningful content which would let the target audience interact with the brand. Interacting with their audience will let brands make their audience understand that they are human as well. This is possibly responding to comments or queries in inboxes. Some interesting examples here would be how essential service providers like Dunzo and Swiggy are interacting with their audience by providing daily updates on how their logistics are faring and in which areas they would be operating. This came on the backdrop of the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Simple design changes like a face mask on their app logos in smartphones made their audience understand that they care.
Having a social media plan:
Before posting content on social media, brands need to plan and develop a social media strategy based on their goals and targets. This would let a brand understand what is working and what is not working leading them to tweak their strategy accordingly. As a brand you may not have time to constantly be logging in to all your social media accounts. Using tools to schedule posts will help you stay active on social media and save you time. This lets a brand create a time buffer between post and also to post at preferred times when most users are likely to see them.
Promoting social media accounts:
While customers will come to your site by searching for themselves, there is a high likelihood of losing a lot of prospective customers because your page or website does not have the necessary outreach. So as a brand it is your responsibility to let them know that you exist and this is possible by promoting your brand. If you make it easy for customers to follow or like your social media profiles, they’ll be more willing to take action. Another way this can be achieved is by posting content with a redirect link to your page on relevant groups on social media platforms. For example, if you are a business owner who supplies wind turbines, it makes sense to promote your business or brand in renewable energy and wind energy groups.
Pay attention to trending topics:
The world is moving at a fast pace with trends emerging and dying on a daily basis. However, making use of those topics while they are still trending is likely to increase the chances of your brand reaching out to a wider audience. Twitter has a section which shows trending topics while Google lets you search for trends on various topics by searching in Google Trends. One of the best examples for a brand which uses trends to their advantage is Amul Dairy. They use cartoon pictures and deliver a message by using clever puns via Amul Topicals. Check out their amazing posts here.
https://www.amul.com/m/amul-hits?s=2020
Focusing on eye catching visual content:
In today’s fast paced world, the audience attention span is mere seconds which means a brand needs to catch the attention of their audience in a few seconds. The best way to do it is by having eye catching visual content. Try to avoid using too many boring stock photos. Instead, focus on sharing images that will connect with users. Share high quality behind the scenes photos and people using your products. You can even share your customers’ photos of themselves interacting with your product, with their permission of course, which also creates social proof. Zomato’s online campaigns are full of eye catching images and funny yet witty content which highlight their vision.
By practicing these simple steps and making these a routine it will be helpful for a brand to get their message out on digital media and increase their visibility. There is no special solution for making social media work for a brand and the best strategy is to execute the basics and stick to the strategy and at the same time keeping out a keen eye to the ever changing demands of their audience and tweaking their strategy to match up with the demand.
