What do you think of when you hear the words Nike, Redbull, Tim Hortons, West Jet and others alike? These words often provoke a particular set of emotions we have towards that company. Emotions are going to differ from person to person. But that depends on who your target market is and how you want to identify with them. All the companies listed above have a great sense of identity and harness why social media is important. They work to making their identities seamless and as transparent as possible for the consumer. This identity is referred to as a company’s brand, what the company stands for and how they relate back to their customers.
The world is in constant motion. We’ve gone from a time where a clever television advertisement was all it took to get customers through your door. The importance of social media and its role in your company’s identity can help extend the reach of your business and invite a larger potential market.
Painting a Seamless Image
Your brand goes much further than just the product you are selling; it goes into how the public perceives your company. This message should be as clear as possible. Make sure the customer does not get your message confused on your company’s product category. Think back to RedBull and their first campaigns that can be found online today. Their slogan,”RedBull Gives you Wings” and clever ad campaigns were eye-catching. They insisted that once you engage with their product, it would enhance your performance. This brand then grew and got into extreme sports and pushing the limits with sponsoring events such as “Crashed Ice”, which is a downhill skating obstacle course, and the space jump, where skydiver Felix Baumgartner performed a jump from 39 kilometres through the stratosphere, landing safely back on earth.
Eight million viewers watched live as Baumgartner successfully made his jump, with the only RedBull advertising being clever shots of the brand’s logo. After the jump, viewers could jump online a see that over multiple platforms the company was into adrenaline-pumping, extreme adventures.
The importance of social media is that it allows the target market to engage with the brand in a whole new way. A strong image should make your consumer feel connected with your brand and seek more ways to experience it. The customer will know what to expect from your company, and when he or she is seeking information about your product category, can easily access it through any means.
Your Brand and Different Platforms
Getting your message and product out there is arguably the most important part of running a business. If consumers cannot find your product, they will not buy it. However, posting the same material across social media platforms is not going to accomplish educating your target market.
Each platform serves its purpose, be it sharing news, pictures, promos, videos, or stories. Understanding that one advertisement is not going to work among all platforms is essential. The most efficient way to use social media is to integrate your content appropriately. Instagram, for example, isn’t a place to share a report or ground breaking story. It’s an excellent way to capture your audience’s attention with a relevant image and guide them closer to a purchase.
Though the purpose of the platform varies, it is important to note that the content should not be entirely different. You do not want to confuse what you are offering to the consumer by overwhelming them with non-specific content; it should be seamless.
Building a Community
Use social media as a tool to bring like-minded folks closer together. Branding can be problematic because you are not just building what is important to your company but what the consumer will also deem as necessary.
Here is where you have to remember that social media is not just what you are saying about your brand, but how others are interacting with you. The community you build should reflect positively on your company, and offer feedback on how to enhance a future engagement. Using the tricks of designing a clever hashtag— the identity of a particular topic — can control how a customer can express their thoughts and attitude towards your event, product or message.
If you have built a successful identity, your community should be your target market, which will help you better understand their needs as consumers. This community will most likely come out to events as well as try new products because they are along for the ride with you.
Branding creates a sense of oneness, and the importance of social media cannot go ignored.
Taking the time to establish an identity, stay consistent and run campaigns can be daunting and overwhelming. For assistance with keeping your brand active and online, book a consultation with Edkent Media today.
