As of today, 63.8% of the global population are internet users. With such an enormous audience at your fingertips, using the power of social media for your brand isn't just an option; it's a necessity!
However, standing out in the crowd is not easy, especially as niches become more competitive. To get the edge over others, you need tips to revamp your social media marketing strategy, introduce creativity in content, and show consistency on various social media platforms.
If you’re struggling to build a social media brand, stick with us. This blog post provides a complete roadmap.
Roadmap to Building Your Social Media Brand
By focusing your social media marketing efforts and following a proper plan, you can build a social media presence, even if it seems difficult at first.
This roadmap explains each step you need to complete to build your social media brand. Each point will lay a solid foundation for your social media presence.
So, try not to miss a single one.
1. Define your brand identity
Your brand identity combines your company name with your business design and operations while highlighting what makes you unique in the market. It should become an elevator pitch that people grasp in an instant.
Start by defining the main objectives of your brand and then understand its core characteristics. Ask yourself:
- What does my brand stand for?
- Who can benefit from my brand?
- Who am I trying to connect with?
To do this, you must understand your mission, vision, and values. For example, a fitness coach might want to help people live healthy lives, not just about workouts. They might also want to create an online community for people who are into fitness and conscious eating.
Many beginners fail because they don't properly consider their audience when building their brand identity. Find out what your audience wants and which social media platforms they use.
To have a better understanding of your target audience, ask yourself:
- What matters to them, and what problems do they need help solving?
- Which platforms do they normally use?
Once you’ve established your social media brand identity, the journey continues with choosing the right platforms.
2. Choose the right platforms
Choosing the platform for your brand is another crucial decision. You might have heard the phrase, “Not all social media platforms are created equal.”
Recognize that not all platforms are suitable for your brand. Focus on where your target audience spends their time and what content they most likely consume. According to a 2024 global survey, approximately 51 percent of responding B2C marketers said Facebook was the most important social media platform. For B2B professionals, LinkedIn was the top choice, with 44 percent selecting it as their primary platform.
- Instagram is perfect for ecommerce, fashion, travel, or fitness niches. The platform is most suited for content with high-quality images, engaging reels, stories, and posts showcasing products.
- LinkedIn is perfect for B2B companies, freelancers, or professionals. It is perfect for long-form articles, industry insights, thoughtful leadership content, and professional updates.
- TikTok is perfect for young people who love watching entertaining short videos. The content type for this platform must be quick, snappy, and highly engaging. For instance, you can try trending challenges, behind-the-scenes (BTS) content, etc.
Working on the wrong platform and content type wastes resources and time. For instance, a bakery will not attract customers if it shares pictures of its delicious cupcakes on LinkedIn. Similarly, a business coach will not succeed much on Instagram while offering B2B professional tips.
With your social media platforms sorted, it’s time to strategize the content you’ll share.
3. Create a content strategy
Posting randomly won’t cut it. You need a plan and a unique voice. Let’s first talk about planning.
Decide what type of content you’ll share:
- Educational: Tutorials or tips, like Sephora’s beauty tutorials, provide valuable insights while subtly promoting their products.
- Entertaining: Fun behind-the-scenes clips, just like Netflix, which engages its audience with memes, bloopers, and relatable content for the audiences.
- Promotional: Product launches or offers. Many companies, such as Apple, use this content strategy, which provides subtle glimpses of their new, upcoming products.
As we told you, consistency is important to stand out on social media. To keep yourself consistent and organized, consider creating a content calendar. We recommend using tools like Google Calendar or Trello.
Image source: Trello
Time to discuss the voice…your brand's unique voice. First, think of yourself and how you want to position your brand. Are you:
- Funny
- Professional
- Motivational
Based on this, bring in consistency in the tone of your content. Remember, consistency in tone can build brand recognition.
However, bringing a consistent tone to social media content requires effort and time. AI tools like AI Sentence Generator can help streamline this. It will help you craft the textual content for your social media in a consistent tone. Please note that these tools are meant to enhance, not replace, the authentic voice.
Tip: Focus on visual storytelling. High-quality images and videos grab attention. Free tools like Canva, PhotoADKing, and DesignWiz can help you design eye-catching posts without graphic design skills.
After setting up your strategy, the next critical element is engaging with your audience.
4. Engage with your audience
A common mistake that most new social media brands make and regret is forgetting the social aspect of social media. Remember that social media thrives on interaction.
Treat social media as a two-way street by actively engaging with your followers. Respond to comments, acknowledge feedback, and initiate conversations. Thank those who support your brand while addressing concerns from those who may not be fully satisfied. To further enhance engagement, utilize interactive features that most of the top brands leveraged, like:
- Polls
- Q&A sessions
- Live streams
- Collaborations with influencers
- User-generated content, aka UGC (best for building a sense of community)
There is much room and angles to explore, finding new ways to interact with the audience. Depending on your business's niche, type, and nature, these can vary. So, don’t let us stop you from reaching new heights!
5. Invest in advertising
Paid advertisement is a good way to boost a brand's reach and make targeting specific audiences easy. For example, with Meta Ads, you can set filters like age, location, and interests on Facebook and Instagram to reap more business.
Suppose you are a local gym owner trying to establish a brand. Using social media advertisements, you can target people aged 20-40 within a particular radius of your location. This can show them your posts, attracting the target market to the gym in no time.
By using paid advertisements, you can easily build a brand on social media, however, with a careful promotional strategy. You must show them what your business truly is without filling the air with fake promises or services you can’t fulfill in the future.
6. Measure Success
Do not forget to measure the Ads performance from time to time. As they say, you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Use social media analytics to track what’s working and what’s not. Like Instagram, you can measure your post's engagement rates, e.g., likes, comments, and shares. Similarly, you can monitor profile views and post reach on LinkedIn.
While these are effective ways to measure performance, detailed analytical tools are necessary to automate much of the measuring tasks and quickly get to the root of the matter. Platforms like Two Minute Reports offer tools to automate the ad reporting process across different social platforms.
Tools like Hootsuite provide in-depth pie charts, histograms, and other visual elements to track the performance of your social media posts. Hootsuite also makes it simple to gather feedback from the audience, which can help you decide to keep, discard, or alter a campaign.
Final Words
To succeed on social media, you must clearly design your brand identity and pick the best platforms for your content. Then, be keen on interacting with audiences and running paid promotions while tracking your success.
Stick to the roadmap we've mentioned to use social media's vast capabilities to build your impactful brand presence. Start implementing these actions today to see quick changes to your business.
