43. Seven ideas to raise your brand awareness using social media
How to use social media to raise brand awareness
For many small business owners Social Media might feel like a hassle or a pain in the butt. I have to confess that for me it has also been quite a journey.
It might not appear to be so now, but I am a very private person, I am the kid who sat in the last row and spoke only when the teacher asked something. So, for me to learn to put myself out there, really out there has been a major stepping out of my comfort zone.
But no matter how you try to see it or deny it, there is no way around it… Social Media remains the way in which you can most quickly:
Reach a broader audience
Get recognized as an authority in your area
Raise the awareness and recognition of your brand
and this either if you are a service-based business, an online business, or a regional-based business.
It is a way of selling without selling, you sell through your brand. Think about this: you find brands, products, and services through friends' recommendations. I know I have found products, people, and services I have become a fan of through friends of mine.
Here are my top 7 things you can do to use social media to raise the brand awareness of your business:
Use visual content, consistently. If you know me, you could see that coming, right? Visual content is simply put, far more engaging than text alone. You can read a bunch of statistics here that support this point.
But if you are going to do it, my recommendation is to create content that is your own. Even if you are using only text, doing it in a style that is yours only is far better.
Did you know that approximately 80% of all marketing efforts include visual imagery?
Be yourself. Use your own voice and personality. I know it is scary to be out in the open, and subject to criticism, to not be liked, or to be followed or unfollowed. You have to learn not to take it personally.
Yes, I know, it’s easier said than done. Understand one thing, when people don’t like what you say or do when they have no interest in what you do, they most likely will unfollow you, and you know what? It’s ok, they are not your business audience and your Social Media will be better off that way.
Develop a strategy for each platform. First, let me tell you the facts, then I will tell you the reality.
Each Social Media Platform is different, each platform has its own set of rules of what works and what not and for that reason, it makes sense to create a strategy for each individually in order to get the best overall strategy for your business, we shouldn’t just post the same in each platform.
For most small business owners or Solopreneurs, the reality, however, is that we barely manage to run one platform consistently, let alone have a strategy for each individually.
However, here is my recommendation. Choose your MAIN platform and develop a strategy for that one. Once you are consistent on that one, start re-posting in other platforms that make sense, the same content, but make sure to review it and adjust a bit if needed to apply to the second or third platform. As your business grows, you could outsource the content creation and then have separate strategies.
My favorite tools to pre-schedule my content are: Creator studio directly in Facebook (free tool for Instagram and Facebook) and Later, doing the same but including Pinterest and LinkedIn (soon) as a paid app.
Be consistent with your branding across all platforms. Many of us are not graphic designers and working with tools like Canva it is very tempting to go crazy with all kinds of templates and photos.
But staying consistent with your branding: colors, photo style, logo, fonts will benefit the recognition of your brand.
Think about brands that when you see their posts, you immediately know, without even looking at the name who it is from… happened to you, right? Then you know what to do.
Connect with other businesses. Are there other business owners who share your target market? Can you collaborate on Blogs, Podcasts, or Promotions? This will immediately open your audience to additional people that did not know about you before.
Ask questions on social media, this will help start conversations. Connecting with your audience is a two-way conversation. It promotes a more direct interaction. I see more like making friends. When you meet someone new, you want to find out what they do, what they like and whatnot. When you make new friends, you look for things in common you can talk about… for me this part of social media is really nice, it is just like that.
Use advertising on Social Media for rapid growth. Much can be done with organic reach and there are things you can do to improve your organic growth. Most especially, establishing your brand and valuable content that positions you as an expert.
However, if you really want to grow your business, if you really want to be seen, you need to use advertising.
Here’s a word of caution. As of this article, I am in my early stages of learning how to do it properly. So, here are my recommendations so far: have a solid offer, be clear about your ideal client, and either learn to do it properly or outsource it, because knowing how to do it will make all the difference.
If you need some help gaining clarity for your brand?
Hi! I’m Blanca!
I’m a Brand Photographer and Personal Branding Coach, helping female entrepreneurs to create a Personal Brand online that STANDS OUT.
I bring your vision to life, help you come up with one and take you by the hand into the online World if you need me to.