The enthusiasm for social media is growing in Quebec's SMEs and everywhere else. Social media are now a powerful lever for corporate branding and have become essential to a good marketing strategy.
They improve users' perceptions of businesses and build customer loyalty. See why you have everything to gain from investing in your branding and social media.
Branding and positioning
Branding is, in a few ways, the way the brand is perceived by consumers. It refers to the perception of the brand in the minds of individuals. Your brand image should be reflected by each of your posts and interactions on social media, as well as all media in general (television, radio, newspapers, etc.).
Branding must be reflected both in your content (either in your posts of any kind: social media posts, blogs, advertisements, etc.), and in the interactions you have with your customers (response times, relevance of the answer to a question, facilitate the complaint process during a complaint, etc.).
When a brand is well positioned, it allows the company to stand out in its market, expand its social media community and increase the profitability of the company. The positioning of the brand image consists in choosing which attributes of the brand will give it a credible, different, attractive and sustainable position. Defining a brand positioning strategy helps align and integrate marketing decisions.
The brand image of your company needs to be carefully thought out. It must reflect your values and vision, convey a message and be consistent across all communication media.
Communication and social media
Communication media comprises all broadcast media (radio, television, social media) and all printed media (newspapers, magazines, direct mail, posters, etc.). In other words, social media is a communication channel that is part of the large family of communication media. Social media is an easy to use and very accessible channel regardless of your level of knowledge.
When determining your brand strategy, you need to consider all the types of social media you want to use. This will largely depend on your target clientele. Where is it? What are her media consumption habits? Where is she looking for information? etc.
Your business should be where your target clientele is. This requires an effort of reflection, of course, but also several tries and mistakes. The important thing is that you do not go blindly through this jungle: base your thoughts and decisions on concrete data, not just hearsay.
Social Media vs Social Media
The purpose of social networks is to put in direct contact between users and they represent only a tiny part of social media. For example, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and Instagram are social networks.
Social media includes a much broader set. Social media include sharing and networking (such as those mentioned above), publishing social media (such as “publishing” such as WordPress and Blogspot), social chat media (such as Messenger and Skype) and many others.
Social media is an easy-to-use communication channel to optimize your presence on the web. They enable businesses to create communities, interact with consumers and share important information.
It goes without saying that social media has greatly changed the relationship between customers and businesses. They provide a closeness never seen in the art of mass marketing. They have also changed the game by providing near-instant access to insights and analytics that allow you to continually improve.
Bring social media to your brand
Social media can attract mass traffic and a wide range of potential customers, thus increasing the scope of the products and services sold. The culture of sharing is very present (sharing a post, blog, video, new product or service, etc.).
Word of mouth can reach an impressive reach on social media: both positively and negatively. Hence the importance of being present on social media in order to be able to act when necessary.
The image you project on social media should be consistent with the products and services you offer. In this sense, your visual identity, brand image and speech will need to be consistent with the direction you have taken and the way you want to be perceived.
The more precise your strategy, the more effective it will be. It's better to stay concise. Avoid overly ambitious or overly broad goals: they will be difficult to achieve and measure.
In conclusion, social media can be an important lever in your business strategy. They can help build your brand, expand your community and build customer loyalty. The important thing to remember is that social media should be consistent with your company's brand image. You should take the time to think about your marketing strategy before you even start publishing!
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