Social media is the pinnacle of human interaction. Global interaction on social media has never been more prominent. It has become a societal norm to engage with others on these platforms. Whether you are an individual or a business, a place for you exists.
As the user base of social media increases, so does the amount of brands who market on them. 85% of all businesses utilize social media to engage with their target audiences. Unfortunately, only 50% of small businesses take advantage of these platforms, with 25% not planning to use them at all.
Brands who do use social media need to stay active and consistent. A term coined by Google, “Zero Moment of Truth”, describes the process which users normally follow. These range from doing online research before purchasing, searching for different models of the product they want and considering product reviews to price comparison and local store availability. Today’s instant access to information empowers consumers. Marketers and brands need to be able to adapt to this if they want to retain existing customers and gain new ones. They also need to make sure they have an understanding of how to increase brand awareness on social media.
Adaptation includes connecting with customers and providing timely, engaging and consistent social media content which they may be searching for on any device. Brands risk looking obsolete and outdated if they don’t keep up with current events and trends. Customers usually engage with brands over social media, 91% of them keep up with their preferred brands and 63% expect access to customer services through these platforms.
How to create brand awareness on social media?
Given the amount of information we all have access to, it’s no surprise that brands take advantage of ways they can create brand awareness. Percepto uses a wide range of effective methods which businesses can also use when considering how to increase brand awareness on social media and engage with a wider target audience.
Make sure your voice shines through all of your posts
One of the most effective ways businesses can increase their awareness is by ensuring that they develop and maintain a strong brand voice. It should be highlighted throughout all the platforms the brand uses to maximize its benefits. Creating a buyer persona can help influence a brand’s personality which in turn affects how people perceive them.
Give people a reason to discuss your brand
Awareness is increased and your brand’s reach spreads wider if people are given a reason to talk about it. This also drives traffic and attracts more followers. Rewarding customers through referral links further incentivizes sharing your brand with others. Giveaways also contribute towards this as the requirements for entering them can include following, sharing and linking the social media accounts the brand uses.
Post plenty of visual content
Visual content performs much better than written content on social media platforms. Up to 41% of marketers state that it works incredibly well for them. It also tends to receive more likes and shares than written content.
Produce helpful content and share it on social media
Brands should be able to provide value to their customers and the users they engage with. Examples of the type of content you can publish include: how-to guides, buying guides and writing blog posts which answer frequently asked questions. Further enhance this by providing content which motivates customers to share the information.
How to create a brand awareness strategy?
Understanding how to create brand awareness is important for brands who want to succeed. It is further enhanced by creating the best possible strategy for the business and also helps inform businesses on how to increase brand awareness on social media. Each strategy will differ for each brand as there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s important to define your social media goals and ensure they are fully understood. This will also allow you to define your Key Performance Indicators. With these indicators, basic metrics are obtainable which help with tracking audience growth rates. Digging deeper with these metrics lets businesses narrow down which ones matter the most for them.
Researching and understanding your audience leads to creating a more accurate buyer persona and more personalized content. Research for this information can be conducted through online surveys and interviews with customers. More than one persona is optional and can lead to understanding and personalizing different content for each of the personas. Yet researching target markets is not the only vital activity, understanding your competition is crucial for your strategy. It helps you understand what they are doing, the platforms they use and their active campaigns. Observing their messaging, content and frequency of posts gives more information on how they engage with their audience and what you can implement or avoid when proceeding with your strategy.
Once your background analysis is complete it’s time to decide which social media platforms fit your business the best. Depending on the tone, image and voice of your brand, the platforms you choose should allow you to represent your brand the best way possible. There are multiple platforms available but it is best to narrow them down to a select few to keep better consistency throughout them. Social media helps with building connections which inevitably leads to the creation of communities. These communities help with engagement and brand awareness. However, they need to be nurtured and take time and effort to build and grow. Be responsive and stay active with these communities to further increase their benefits.
Grow your following
There are two methods brands can use to grow their following – organically and through paid campaigns. The content created for this is crucial to promote user-attraction and drive engagement, especially when striving for organic growth. You are also able to use the methods to promote one of your social media platforms on another. Paid campaigns allow for set budgets and more targeted demographics. On the other hand, organic growth costs nothing and makes the brand seem more reliable and genuine, as others are sharing content from the brand instead of them paying to get noticed. Micro-influencers can be good on a local level which further helps with targeting these demographics. PR may also be used paired with paid advertisements to put out press releases or articles on relevant content.
Social media benefits businesses in so many ways that some may not even realize how much it could help. The team at Percepto includes experts who assist their clients to increase engagement with their target audiences. Brands should be aware of their online presence and how to increase their brand awareness on social media. They need to make sure their brand voice is consistent throughout all of their platforms and give people a reason to discuss them by posting content that is engaging and relevant. Content that is helpful and provides value to the user increases the likelihood of them spreading the word.
