Social Media and Brand Management are not the same, but each specialty is dependent on the other. In the past, your Brand was created by an ad agency and then put out into the world. It was a monologue with an audience.
With the advent Social Media, Brand Management has become a dialog. Your customers can respond to your brand initiatives in real time. Conversely, your Social Media should be consistent with your brand – your customers may see your Social Media more frequently than any traditional advertisements. With that in mind, MediaMark Spotlight are giving you 6 free tips for Brand Management in the age of Social Media. Click “more” to read them!
1. There’s no hiding behind social media. If anything, Social Media makes your business a glass house. If your product or service is not up to snuff, your customers will tell you, in a public forum that other customers can see! This can be scary for many business owners, but try to think of it positively – it’s a great reason to make the best product or give the best service possible. Don’t put anything out there until you know it’s great.
2. Don’t hide negative feedback! This really bothers Social Media users. You can have a PR nightmare when the person in charge of your Social Media either deletes negative feedback, or responds to it flippantly. Often, your customer just wants to be heard when they are frustrated. If you answer right away, the customer will be satisfied, and any customers viewing the interaction will know you care and are on top of it. Your business isn’t selling widgets – it’s making customers happy and loyal.
3. Make sure your brand message is simple and concise. It has to make sense across many different platforms. If it’s longer than a Tweet (140 characters), it’s too long.
4. Social Media is all about lifestyle. If you can connect your brand to a lifestyle, you can connect to your customers in a deeper way.
5. Don’t make promises you can’t keep! You will be called on it, and it will be embarrassing for you and your company. Social Media is all about the soft sell. Sales tactics that work face-to-face don’t work on a computer screen.
6. Take control of your Social Media, because if you don’t, someone else will. Your business is public information – and in Social Media, information is power. Other people put your businesses information into rating sites like Yelp, or into Facebook, and leave comments you’ll never know about. The only defense is offense – make sure you’re icontrol of it.
The world has changed irrevocably due to the Internet and Social Media, but you have more power than ever to know what your customers want. As long as you engage them, and respond to them promptly, you and your brand will thrive.
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