Op-ed by Carol Han, partner at CA Creative
4 essential old brand, cool brand must-dos
The emergence of social media as an effective branding and sales tool is a relatively new one in comparison to mainstays in traditional advertising such as print ads and billboards. Because of this, along with the constantly changing landscape of digital, older brands that have been deeply entrenched in conventional marketing plans for years and sometimes decades, often have difficulty wrapping their heads around how to begin crafting a powerful online strategy.
Here’s four valuable steps, paired with Technorati tool and how-to articles, that will easy your dive into digital.
1. Develop a social media platform strategy
Just because a new social media platform pops up in the news, doesn’t mean a brand immediately needs to jump on the bandwagon. Instead, brands should identify, and focus on only the platforms popular with your target audience. For example, Pinterest has a predominantly female user base, and therefore, if a brand is trying to attract a male consumer, then a different platform should probably be prioritized.
Technorati product review: Rallyverse social media management
Carefully research each social media platform, so you can answer the "why," as to why your brand needs it. Then lay out a game plan as to how you are going to proceed with populating each with content, including frequency of posts, content topics, and how you will handle community management (i.e., customer service questions, and complaints). Figure out how much of your budget is going towards paid media if that’s available. The isolate a budget specifically for influencer campaigns. Considerations for whether to hire an agency or an in-house resource, depending on the breadth of your strategy.
2. Create captivating content with high share value
With so much competition out there, it’s important for brands to create attention-grabbing content. Focus on high-share value content. You want your brand out there, exposing you to wider audiences. Users tend to share content that is less promotional, and more personal and visceral. Brands need to look for content inspiration beyond the products.
Photo-based social media is exploding. Users are more likely to engage with posts that showcase striking imagery. As an example, Twitter recently incorporated images into users’ timelines, and tweets with images get 18% more clicks.
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