Month: May 2021

To begin your brand building, whether it’s personal branding or business branding, start with a marketing plan before you just start “doing things,” and THEN use social media to amplify your message. Building brand awareness and brand loyalty is much easier when you have the end in mind and an online marketing plan in front of you.

Would you ever strike off on a cross-country road trip without a destination in mind? Without a map or a GPS? Of course you wouldn’t. You need to know where you’re going and how to get there or you could end up on the wrong side of the tracks or in a flea-infested hotel. Yeecch.

Same holds true for social media marketing. You need to know what you want out of it and some sort of idea how to get there. So before you blog or tweet or post anything, you have to have a plan of attack in place. And you need to have the weapons in hand for that attack. If you don’t, you’ll end up a steaming pile of goo… a malfunction in the transporter room of online branding. Don’t want that, do we?

Online branding, or your Rockstar Identity, is all the rage these days. When first setting out on your marketing adventure, having a strategy in place is crucial. And the most important element of any online branding strategy is consistency.

1. Have a good slogan. Most sites have an area where you can write a little blurb about your or your business. Think up a catchy slogan and use it consistently. Some examples are: Have it Your Way. Built Ford Tough. Rockin’ the Monterey Peninsula since 1975. The Other White Meat. You get the idea. Something short and sweet that says something about you and your business that people can remember and identify with. Sounds easy, yes? So get to it!

2. Have a good face. You’ll want to have one face that people can identify with. Like the little red-haired girl and Wendy’s Hamburgers. Amos and his famous cookies. The Chihuahua and Taco Bell. It doesn’t have to be a human face and it doesn’t have to be a photograph. Whatever it is, make sure it’s well done and make sure you use it consistently when advertising your brand. People often get tired of their “look” way before the public does, and you need to be consistent to get that image burned into their brains.

3. Have a good greeter. A greeter is the person that represents your brand on the social media sites. It’s the person who will post updates about your company and interact on your behalf. Having the same person answer all queries and post comments will go a long way toward establishing a consistent voice online.

4. Have a good niche. Don’t just start posting and blogging willy-nilly. A scattershot approach to marketing is not a good plan. Know who you want to get your message to and target them. Zero in on your customer, then pull the trigger and get them right between the eyes with your killer campaign. Don’t waste time and effort on people who are just not interested in what you’re offering. (As an example – if you’re a great wedding photographer, tell that to brides – saying you’re a great bar mitzvah photographer (which, to those who are in the know, realize is nearly the same thing) will mean NOTHING to a bride.)

These four tips will help you get some brand recognition and promote a strong market presence. Keep putting your slogan and “face” out there and watch the recognition of your brand grow.

Consistency is the key. If you consistently post your company’s slogan, consistently use the same face, consistently use the same greeter, and consistently target the same niche, you will be using the best tools available to establish your online brand.