How to Build a Powerful Brand on Social Media

If you’re like most people, you probably hear about branding on almost a daily basis. But do you understand what it means and why it’s a key part of a successful social strategy?

A brand is defined as a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies an entity as distinct from other entities. It’s everything you or your company says, writes about and looks like. A brand is the emotional connection you create with your audience; it’s what others think of when they hear your brand name. Think of powerful brands and how you feel when you hear their names: Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks, Donald Trump, Microsoft and so on. In each case, something specific comes to mind.

Whether it’s your personal career brand or your company brand, social media is a critical factor in creating a distinct message, staying top of mind with your audience and showcasing your value added expertise. Here are three key ways to market your brand on social media:

1. Use your social backgrounds as a business card

As businesses or professional people, we are continuously relaying messages and content to our followers, but often forgetting the fact that social media also allows us to customize graphical backgrounds to showcase our brand story. Use the real estate on your sites to engage with your clients through powerful visuals and messaging. It is one more point of reinforcement for your brand when people are viewing your profile.

2. Do more than post

Social media is all about engagement—not about the volume or the push. Yet a common mistake made by many is using social platforms to post news and nothing more. By retweeting, reading, commenting, mentioning and messaging, you create a pull with your audience—and with this, another opportunity to personalize your brand. Remember, social media is not to be used as a selling platform. It’s an opportunity to brand yourself as a value added expert by sharing news, happenings and informative content. When you find the right balance between posting and engaging, you unleash the true value of social media. And don’t forget to answer questions or concerns; this is point of engagement that should not be ignored.

3. Communicate consistently and frequently

Your followers are looking for value and consistency. What’s in it for them? Recommended frequencies include up to three times per week for a LinkedIn personal or company page and several times per day (don’t’ forget to change up the copy with each post) for the much faster-moving Twitter feed. Use Facebook to post interesting, visually rich posts that have meaning, including company events, new blog entries, awards, internal happenings, training opportunities and more. How many times per week? The key is relevance; post only when you have information that provides value, strive for at least 2x/week. Don’t have the bandwidth for this level of activity? That’s okay. Simply choose one platform and post to it consistently.

Useful Tip: Manage all of your social online activity with one social app that offers a Dashboard, such as HootSuite. Install it on your desktop or phone and you will be able to schedule posts, monitor when you are mentioned and engage with those whom you are following. Your brand will reap the rewards!

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