3 Ways To Put Your Brand In the Social Media Fast Lane

By AdStation | March 7th, 2013 | Categories: Social Media
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Regardless of the industry, growth in social media easily nabs a slot in the top three trends to follow in 2013. In the advertising industry, social media platforms are such a marketing powerhouse that if you aren’t injecting your online campaigns with opportunities for consumers to participate, engage and share then you run the risk of becoming the proverbial 97-lb weakling in an industry of heavy lifters. Traditional advertising strategies, such as e-mail campaigns, still hold great value but to really pump up your brand you have to supersize your social marketing efforts. Here’s how to beef up your online presence.

First, once you’ve made your presence known, make it personal. The constant give-and-take of social media platforms has conditioned consumers to expect immediate and intimate interaction from companies. They love the personal attention, and they crave fresh content. They hunger for the next big thing. What’s in it for you? Instant feedback about the quality of your products and services, infinite lead generation thanks to the ingrained “share” feature, and quite possibly, some ingenious ideas on how to improve upon or add to your offerings.

Second, employ a dedicated social media guru. Hire an innovator who can finesse disgruntled customers, engage in witty conversation with consumers and generate creative ways to keep people coming back for more (think: online parties, contests). This social marketing magician should be comfortable with the mainstream platforms and be eager to explore lesser-used outlets. Your social marketing person should be able to effortlessly handle multiple platforms and be willing to help integrate your online efforts with your overall goals.

Lastly, social media has only just begun to flex its marketing muscle. The most successful brands don’t wait, they innovate. Be the advertiser who steps out of the comfort zone and into a new area. Thrust your brand onto new terrain. Certainly branching out into the unknown can be scary, not to mention costly and time-consuming. But your bold move doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. It just has to be different. Start small by testing out a new or underused platform with your existing efforts. While on the surface the platform may not seem like a good fit for your brand, expand your thinking to brainstorm ways that it could work. A test run never killed anyone.

The cool thing about social marketing is that it is only limited by a lack of creativity. How will you inject some muscle into your brand online this year?