How to Use Social Media to Build Your Brand

Social media is an essential marketing, advertising, and customer service channel for a business to build its brand. Businesses that make social media a priority can efficiently connect with current and potential customers and increase overall awareness of their products and services.

While social media is a powerful channel, it can also be an overwhelming one. With so many different social platforms to use, and each being slightly different from the other, it’s hard to know if you’re effectively using social media to build your brand. To help, here are some areas to focus your efforts. 

Utilize the Right Social Media Platforms

It’s tempting to be visible on every social media platform in an effort to make a mark. That approach may not be as effective as you might think, especially if you have limited resources to manage social media.

Social media audiences use each social platform for different wants and needs. Most users of Facebook want to personally connect with people and businesses. Instagram users want to absorb information quickly through compelling visuals. Twitter users want to learn about industry and business news in a timely manner. The LinkedIn audience is professionals seeking thought leadership content and more professional than personal connections.

Aside from the popular platforms just noted, there are many others to research when considering social media to build your brand. TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and others may be a good fit for your business’s social media strategy. Whichever you are interested in, research platform audience preferences to help guide you to ensure your efforts are successful.

Post Engaging Content 

Once you decide which social media platforms are best for building your brand, you need to create engaging content designed for audience preferences. Social media is inherently visual, so it should be no surprise that visual posts get more engagement than text-only content. Whichever social media platforms you choose, research what content performs best on them. 

Looking at the same four channels from above, short videos, blog posts, and curated content perform well on Facebook. High-resolution photos, stories/reels, and quotes are great for Instagram. News and blog posts make great content on Twitter. Professional content and company news are optimal for LinkedIn.

Be Consistent

Consistently representing your business across different social platforms is a must, as your customers likely follow and engage with your business on multiple platforms. Therefore the look, feel, and tone of your content should be consistent. Posts should be made on a regular cadence on optimal days and at optimal times based on regularly monitored data. 

Connect with Influencers and Advocates

Connecting with influencers in your industry is a great way to use social media to build your brand. Finding and choosing the right influencers can be challenging, but focusing on authentic, active and engaging leaders and experts in the industry will guide you in choosing the right influencer(s).

Keep in mind that while highly visible, well-known influencers can be very powerful on social media to build your brand, they are often cost-prohibitive for small businesses. Don’t let that discourage you, though. Hiring lesser-known influencers or building a network of social advocates is a great way to minimize the impact on your budget but still have profound effects. 

Lesser-known influencers can come across as more authentic than well-known influencers because they are well-connected and vested in just a few brands instead of dozens. As a result, audiences can perceive that and be positively influenced by that authenticity and loyalty.

Enlist Help

Even with this guidance, knowing how to use social media to build your brand may still be overwhelming or something you simply don’t have the time to manage within your business. The team at Fuhrman Creative, LLC, a leader in social media in Hanover, PA, can serve as a great business partner to help you use social media to build your brand. 

Contact us today to discuss social media for your business.