Building a Brand through Social Media
How Entrepreneurs can Start on Online Business Campaigns
As the Internet grows older, new applications pop up. Websites and search engines came first, and then the social networks started appearing and attracting users from almost every part of the world. Before social media, businesses can put up a well-designed website and tweak it now and then for updates. Entrepreneurs can tell their customers, “Please look us up in the web at this address…”
Nowadays, it’s not enough to have just a website. You’ve got to have a blog and at least two social media pages. And you have to to update the blog and the pages every three days or at least once a week. The basics of social networking may give you a headache, but you have to understand that the world is becoming a small neighborhood. You can have followers and fans as near as the next block and as far as a country on the other side of the world.
How do you build up awareness of your brand? What do you do to create a good image for it and make people love it?
1. Go where people come together online.
Before you plunge into a social network, think whether it would be suitable for your needs first. According to Phillip Davis, when it comes to business-to-consumer brands, go to Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and other visual content sites. Do you want to cultivate business-to-business connections? LinkedIn is your best bet. For people seeking to spread ideas, Twitter or Quora can be the place for you.
Don’t get excited and set up business accounts in every social network you encounter. You might bite off more than you can chew and be swamped with updates that need to be uploaded to all social media sites. It will be better if you set up one account first. Once you get used to the basics of the first one, you can create another account in a new social network.
2. Choose what voice to use for your brand.
Customers prefer stability when it comes to brands they’ve come to love. Assume a voice suitable for your brand. If you’re a bookstore owner selling old and rare specialty books on obscure subjects, you can adopt a scholarly grandfather’s voice in creating content. A trendy clothing shop? Be conversational and use a friendly voice that speaks to your target demographic.
You also need to use your preferred voice as soon as you start setting up the account. Using a different voice may confuse customers.
3. Focus on writing quality content every time.
What is more important—updating your blog every day with haphazardly written prose or uploading well-done content each week? Quality content is more important than any update released regularly. Readers are more attracted to businesses that provide well-crafted content. An organized written piece shows that a business is committed to providing the best possible merchandise.
Trying out social media for the first time can be an overwhelming experience, especially for those who are not active in social networking sites. It is all right to take small steps first, so you will not make much mistakes. This is better than plunging right in the bandwagon and get confused at what you should try first.
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