These days, many business owners are interested in figuring out how they can optimize their online presence in order to increase their conversion rates and build a better brand image for a bigger audience. If this is your goal, you should know that building a strong social media presence can help you realize the objective. According to statistical data, the number of global social media users is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2018. This is roughly 1/3 of the world population, meaning that the opportunity to grow your audience and optimize your brand through social media is present and powerful. To ensure that you can build and grow your social brand image effectively and correctly, utilize the following tips and tricks:
1. Post Exciting, Informative Content.
One of the most powerful brand-optimizing strategies you can employ to get your business going and growing is content development. When you consistently include entertaining, relevant web articles, blog posts, and/or videos on your Twitter and Facebook accounts, you are much more likely to attract and sustain attention from your target market. One company that does an extraordinary job of producing exciting, informative content is Proctor & Gamble. If you visit the P & G Twitter account right now, you’ll see videos featuring mothers supporting their athlete children during the Olympics.
An important side note: P & G also does a great job in using brand architecture systems. These systems involve business owners representing an entire family of brands under their one, overarching company label. P & G’s Twitter account features a wide range of its products (Pampers diapers, Charmin bath tissue, Gillette razors, etc.) in its profile photo.
2. Share Positive Feedback Others Have Published About Your Brand.
Another strategy you can implement to optimize your social media brand image is sharing positive news and information published about you by other companies. This strategy builds credibility by showing your target audience that reputable organizations have a favorable opinion of your brand. One company that does this effectively is Blue Coat Systems. This organization shares positive articles from ZDnet and VentureBeat about its own company. In so doing, the Blue Coat representatives are able to make their brand seem more important and influential without looking as if they are overly self-promotional. If you weave through
3. Optimize Consumer Engagement.
Outside of consistently delivering excellent content, optimizing consumer engagement is likely the most important and effective social media marketing strategy to implement. When prospective clients and loyal customers feel that their voices matter and believe they play a role in shaping the image and direction of your brand, they are much more likely to invest in your product. In short, consumer engagement is a precursor to conversion. Moreover, it’s a great way to retain new customers.
One brand that does an absolutely incredible job of engaging customers via social media is Starbucks. Last year, many people criticized the company for not making its Christmas cup festive enough. Starbucks responded by starting an international dialogue about the matter with the hashtag #merrychristmasstarbucks. Starbucks also does an excellent job of retweeting its followers.
There are several other strategies you can implement to optimize consumer engagement. One is creating Q & A style blog posts. These posts enable your customers to ask questions about your brand and receive answers from you. This is a wonderful way to build relationships with your target market and demonstrate the customer-oriented nature of your brand.
Conclusion
If you run a small business and are interested in making it as successful as possible, now is the time to implement social media branding strategies that will help you realize the goal. You can use the brand image guidelines and techniques outlined above to get you on the path to a bigger audience, better conversion rates, and broader range of online influence and authority.
