One thing that social media marketing and branding share is that their power is commonly underestimated by small businesses.
A brand is much more than a logo and I urge you to consider this when using social media marketing to grow your business.
A brand is any message that influences the opinion of the viewer about the business, which means that social media is the extension of your businesses brand.
Social Media and Branding
This means that social media should be treated like any marketing communication with careful consideration given to the audience and the message that is trying to be conveyed. A common failure of social media is that it is disconnected from the overall business brand, either targeting the wrong audience or conveying the wrong message. This is common when the social media marketing is siloed away from the rest of the marketing message, typically this happens when entrusted to an intern or non-marketing specialist. The impact of this can be that marketing efforts are negated by negative social media perceptions or wiped out entirely by the negative PR which they create.
How To Keep Social Media and Branding Aligned
To keep the business brand aligned it is important for businesses to create your social media marketing strategy in line with the overall marketing and brand strategy of your business. This should be clearly defined and designed to ensure that all communications deliver the message intended to the right audience at the right time. This strategy must then be implemented by someone who has been adequately trained in both the overall marketing objectives and creating social media content. Without this connection, your business runs the risk of social media undermining the marketing objectives of the business and having a negative rather than a positive effect on your bottom line.
This is a guest post by Kristian Downer of DowSocial, a social media marketing expert in Peterborough who advises local businesses on their social media marketing strategy.
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