We all can agree on one thing – social media is an effective marketing tool to reach a large scale audience for minimal cost. All the top brands are doing it but who is making the most of their social presence? When it comes to embracing the changing digital world, many brands have jumped on the social media bandwagon to create a quick and necessary presence for themselves. But how can top executives use social media to create strong, quantifiable business connections?
- Learn from the best: There are many great examples of executives who have built their brands and ultimately business utilizing social media.
There is no question about it – when you think of brand building, increased revenue and ultimately success using social media one immediately thinks Zappos! The company has not only used social media to build its brand, but has made its brand synonymous with the term “social media.”
Another great example of a brand built by social media is e.l.f., a cosmetics line, that’s singular focus on social media interaction has allowed them to avoid traditional advertising and find success in the consumer world. e.l.f built their brand on the cheap by reaping the rewards of socializing their brand.
- Remember it’s not all about you: Some executives think social media is a soap box to spout the latest information about their brands. Unfortunately this is not the case.
Remember “content is king,” your interaction with a target audience should be thought out and beneficial to your followers. Social media is a great ways to position your industry knowledge to discuss news, trends and competitors. By starting and engaging in conversations brands can build up industry connections, media connections and most importantly new business connections
- There are going to be some growing pains: Branding is about creating a relationship with a particular audience. Traditionally, interacting with a two dimensional print advertisement has made the difference in company sales. Social media is taking that next step to build the brand bridge to reach your developing audience.
All brands can benefit from social media when utilizing a particular platform properly. It is an important rule of thumb to remember not EVERY brand finds success on Facebook, in spite of this there are a number of options to socialize your brand, depending on your line of business, the audience your brand needs to target and the time the brand is prepared to putting into their social media efforts.
Tapping into the social media phenomenon may sound like a daunting task for a brand, but in this digital age it is a necessary step for bringing a brand to the next level. Getting your brand in front of the proper social media influencers can make all the difference in revenue, media interaction and reaching a target audience that a business might not have had the opportunity to tap into earlier.
Guest Post By Kevin Flagg, President, STC Associates, Inc
Send him a tweet at @STCassociates or a Facebook message or visit the website at STC Associates or visit their blog at STC Associates Blog site