1. Your Brand On Social Media: Why it’s
Necessary & How to Do It Correctly
Over the past 10 years, social media marketing has completely transformed the way companies
do business. It has become an essential tool for establishing brand identity, interacting with
customers, building relationships and increasing sales.
In North America, 74% of adults use social media sites according to a survey by Pew Internet in
2014. A Social Media Examiner poll from 2014 also revealed that 92% of business owners
agree that
“Social media marketing is an important tool for their business.”
If you are not including social media in your marketing strategy- you are missing out on a
major opportunity to get in front of your target audience and establish yourself in the
marketplace.
Social media enables your customers to sell for you. This is a completely new approach to
marketing. Through likes, shares, follows, comments and more, your customers are making
your brand visible to the people who trust their opinions. It is word-of-mouth marketing at its
finest, and easier than ever with a click of a mouse.
The purpose of social media marketing is just that- social. Traditionally, marketing involved
communication that was delivered in only one direction. T.V and print advertising eliminates
the conversation and ability to truly connect with the consumer. The key of effective social
media marketing is to discover ways to keep the conversation going between you and you
customers.
Adjust your mindset from “This is what we can sell you,” to “What can we do to help
you?”

2. This innovative new form of marketing is what consumers want and expect from the brands
they invest their time and money in. Companies without a social presence lack relevance.
Consumers want to interact with their favorite brands in real time and whenever it’s
convenient for them.
They want to be heard and acknowledged. They want to know what’s new, they want to know
what to expect and they want it all delivered directly to their newsfeeds.
It’s important that brands “humanize” their voice and messaging. On social platforms you must
be emotive, authentic and relatable. Be transparent and open with your fans even when
responding to negative feedback. You should never “talk at” your customers, but instead speak
to them as if they were family or friends. Your customers want to feel a connection with the
actual humans behind your brand.
While I’m certainly not the first person to tell you that social media is an absolute-must for
businesses, jumping into social media marketing with no clue what you’re doing and no real
strategy can be one of the biggest mistakes.
Not only will it be a huge waste of your time, but it can negatively impact your brands
reputation if you’re not aware of the platform’s rules and etiquette. Spare yourself the
frustration and commit to getting acquainted with proper social media marketing practices
well before you implement your social media strategy.
Not every social networking platform is going to suit your marketing strategy. You must take
into consideration you audience and what you are trying to achieve when deciding where to
invest your efforts.
Determine the primary goal of your social strategy. Are you trying to increase traffic to your
website? Are you trying to improve customer service? Are you trying to raise awareness and
establish your brand identity? Increase sales? The types of content you share and where it is
published should depend on your overall goal and where you are most likely to find your target
audience.

3. Unfortunately, there is no one-size fits all strategy that determines the type of content you
should post. To get the most engagement from your customers, you should use a combination
of text-only, photos, videos, and links to see what resonates best. On a regular basis, you can
use programs such as Facebook Analytics to analyze how your audience is responding to the
content you post.
I recommend you take some time to research your top competitors and brands that attract
your attention on social media platforms. What is working for them? What "voice" do they use?
How often do they post content? What type of content receives the most likes, comments and
shares? You should never "copy" your competitors, but it's perfectly acceptable to seek
inspiration and learn from the leaders in social media marketing.
Getting your social media accounts set up is only the beginning to establishing your brand
online. One of the hardest things is for brands to produce consistent content. Abandoning social
media is like putting a virtual “closed” sign on your front door. If a prospective customer
discovers your brand online but sees that you haven’t posted anything in the last 6 months,
they will assume business isn't going so well. What is consistent? A minimum of 3 great posts a
week. Many successful brands post 2-3 times a day to increase the likelihood that their content
will be seen by their customers. If you’re on Twitter, it’s not uncommon to have more than 5
posts per day.
Occasionally, as a new business starts to grow, you (as a busy entrepreneur) neglect social
media because it’s time consuming and you need to focus on the day-to-day operation of the
business instead. Unfortunately, by failing to provide your consumers with new and relevant
content, they assume the opposite is true.
So how much time does it actually take to effectively manage your social media presence?
Expect at least 12-15 hours a week to plan, create, and schedule content, measure results and
engage with your fans. If you know that you simply don’t have that much time, and very few do,
you should seriously consider hiring a social media manager.

4. You can depend on your social media manager to stay on top of important changes such as
updates to Facebook algorithms, anticipating the needs of your customers, providing fast
customer service, and creating valuable content that your customer wants and needs.
You will still have to invest some time with your social media manager to make sure they
understand your brand, your marketing goals, and the language of your brand. Eventually you
will just need to touch base with your manager to share any current promotions, messaging or
a change to your marketing strategy.
Hiring a social media manager may seem like an investment you are hesitant to make, but the
time and effort you save and ability to rest assured that your company’s social presence is in
good hands is
WELL WORTH IT.
Like real-life friendships and relationships, social media success doesn’t happen over-night. It
takes time to build a bond between you and your audience. Keep in mind that a "monetary"
return isn't the only value here. Consider the benefits such as brand awareness, increased
website traffic, positive word-of-mouth promotion, and strong brand loyalty. These things are
just as valuable and will lead to plenty of sales over a longer period of time.
The stronger someone connects with your brand on social media, the more likely they are to
spread positive word of mouth and remember you when it comes time to purchase.
Be consistent, relevant, real and authentic in all of your communication if you want to foster a
genuine interaction with your customers. Doing so will create the loyalty your business
depends on and brand advocates for life.
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