A key element of branding is social media. It’s free and easy-to-use, so it’s one of the most accessible branding tools available. Using it correctly to bring in more sales can be a challenge for some, however. Sprout Social has released its 2023 Index Report which revealed some insightful findings that can be used to your advantage.
Give Your Customers Another Perspective
Social media can act as a filter between the brand and customers. It allows people to see what goes on behind the scenes and what’s to come. Sprout Social found that 68% of consumers said their primary reason for following a brand on social was to stay informed about new products or services. As a business, you can create posts that build excitement around an upcoming release. This keeps people engaged and the reason to stay following the business is strengthened. Give your customers a behind-the-scenes look at how your products are made to appear more transparent. Ensure to include your brand colours and logo to catch people’s attention and remind them of the brand.
Communicate With Customers in Your Brand’s Tone
Most social media platforms have a Direct Mail or chat feature that allows users to talk to each other. Brands can also take advantage of this to quickly reply to customer queries or reply to posts mentioning the brand. This bridges the gap between business and customer and makes the brand more personable. Sprout Social found that “these one-on-one connections are even more important to younger consumers, who prioritise engagement over publishing volume and on-trend content.” Businesses could also respond to multiple queries or issues with one post that covers everything. Nonetheless, it is important to communicate with the brand’s tone. If your business is known for having a good sense of humour, people would expect your replies to be funny or light-hearted. If your business is more professional, people would expect the replies to be serious. If you have more than one employee running your social media accounts, remember that they must all reply to customers in the same tone too.
Azad Yakatally, head of ssocial media at Klaviyo says “As the touchpoint for consumers, social media has become the call center, suggestion box and customer service desk for brands. Give your team the resources to effectively care for your customer via social media”.
Look Beyond the Likes
It’s important to measure your social media engagement, but there may be more important metrics than Likes or Comments when branding. Sprout Social found that “While stakeholders at the executive, VP and middle management level all regularly track engagement, they aren’t looking at reach and traffic with a unified lens.” You may want to look past certain metrics and focus on their value for the business. While your posts may not be getting many Likes, customers might be posting about your brand and how it helped them, which may be getting more Likes than your post, and in turn, enhances your branding and word-of-mouth.
How do you use social media for your brand? Let us know.
