It often surprises me the number of times I get told, “Well my website is branded. Isn’t that all I need?” Even if you have a logo and your website is branded with its colors and style, that’s just ONE place online that you’re located. And location is the difference between just being another website and being a Company worth following. So as you’re growing your business, remember. You’re growing your brand too. And social media is vital to this growth.
Here are a few places to keep in mind as you further your online reach.
Twitter might seem like an odd choice for a business when all of your posts have to fit in 140 characters. But it has quickly become one of the favorite ways for consumers to reach out to the customer service of their favorite companies. Instead of waiting on hold for hours or sending in a tedious email, Twitter is real-time, meaning most companies are constantly monitoring Twitter replies and are able to answer within hours, which is ideal for the short question and answer your customers are looking for. Being able to carry on conversations with your clients on Twitter is a great way to build a one-on-one relationship with someone who is willing to give you valuable feedback.
BRANDING ON TWITTER
Twitter is awesome for branding. Once you have an account, you can upload an avatar, write a winning description of yourself, customize the color scheme to match your website, and even change your background to reflect your company. You have a full range of options when it comes to replicating your website branding on your Twitter. Go for it!
Everybody and their mother uses Facebook, so what better reason to have your company be there too? Companies are creating Facebook Pages in order to give their clients a place to interact with each other. It’s a way to get feedback and share some of the inner workings of your business. You can use Facebook to create polls, get feedback, host contests and giveaways, post pictures of you and your employees and customers, and build discussion around the needs of your customers. It’s an interactive hub that provides a unique space in which your followers can really gain clarity into your business as well as find each other to build relationships (and how awesome is that these new relationships are being built around their mutual love for you?). Go where your customers are! Facebook is your answer.
BRANDING ON FACEBOOK
The new Facebook Timeline allows for some pretty cool functions when it comes to branding. You now have your profile image as well as a cover photo. And your cover photos can be a great area to brand (check out these awesome branded cover photos). Plus, you can add tabs to your Facebook page and each one can be branded with your look, feel, and voice. Utilize it and take advantage of the branding options you have on Facebook.
This one should be a no brainer. If you’re trying to grow your company from the inside, LinkedIn is the place to be. It’s a professional’s social media paradise. There are resumes and career groups and places to posts jobs and share news on your company and it’s the best place to recruit new employees AND new customers. Open up your company page and share your latest press releases. Showcase your clients that are doing amazing things. Have discussions! Look for the greatest talent you would love to connect with and CONNECT. LinkedIn gives you an amazing opportunity to really find the people you would love to work with and spark conversation with. On LinkedIn, everyone knows everyone and you can find new connections through the people you already know. It works. Give it a chance and see how much it does for your company.
BRANDING ON LINKEDIN
While you’re a little more limited in the branding design of you LinkedIn page, you do have full control of the branding of your content. And content is important – your voice is as much a part of your branding as your logo is. And a consistent voice on LinkedIn is key. You can write about your company, you employees, your products and services. You can post your logo and images of your products and all of those are key to your branding on this social network. Remember, the little things count too.
Other Places
There are SO many other social media networks out there now, it’s pretty insane. So here’s just a short list of other places to research to find out if they’re the right fit for your company.
Share!
We would love to hear more thoughts on great places to carry your branding to online. Where is your company on the internet? How do you make sure you branding is consistent across the board? Share with us!
