How To Leverage Social Media To Build Brand Awareness?

Brand awareness is critical for companies to acquire new customers. Social media platforms have become the digital gateway for customers to engage with and shop from their preferred brands. Businesses are leveraging social media as an interactive medium to build brand awareness and find new leads. Marketing teams are using social media analytics to create effective strategies that allow them to communicate with quality leads and customers across multiple channels with relevant content. There are billions of users online and there is strict competition to grab the attention of these potential customers. Creating unique content that engages the target audience can translate to better brand awareness and customer loyalty. 

For marketers, the challenge is to create a uniform brand identity with a unified message across multiple social channels that is distinctive to the brand. This creates instant recollection in the minds of customers. Careful positioning can be the ultimate nudge to encourage users to engage and buy from the brand. It’s also important to assess competitors to learn from them- what’s working for them and what’s not. These insights can help marketers to fine-tune their social media marketing strategies to achieve the desired results optimally.

Here are some ways businesses can leverage social media to build brand awareness:

Create a social media strategy

A comprehensive social media strategy will allow businesses to effectively use social media to their advantage. All platforms have analytics that can be utilized to understand how users are interacting with your brand. It’s important to set goals and KPIs and track them over time to analyze how effective the strategy is. Marketing teams must plan every move on their social media channels- who they want to target, what they want to post about, when they want to post content, and how frequently they would like to post. 

Use visual content

Visual content is more engaging than text-based content. Humans retain visual content more easily than text. So, businesses must use visual content to attract customers. Users are more likely to share and repost images and videos on their social feed than a text-only post. According to a BuzzSumo report, Facebook posts that contain images see a 2.3 higher engagement level than those without images.  

Converse with customers

Social media is a great tool to start a conversation with your customers. It’s important to acknowledge the customers and engage with them one-on-one. During this pandemic, brands have delivered a greater level of engagement on their social channels than previously recorded. People are using social media as a customer service channel to talk to brands about a variety of topics ranging from queries, feedback, to product and delivery issues. Being responsive on all platforms can help enhance brand awareness and convert customers into brand loyalists.

Connect with influencers

Influencer marketing is growing rapidly. A collaboration with relevant influencers can give brands the opportunity to grow their brand and acquire new customers. Influencers have loyal followers who businesses can target and convert into buying customers. Also, most people rely on peer and influencer recommendations than on branded messages by companies. Thus a joint venture with the right social media influencers can give you the necessary clout to build awareness.

Reward followers

To maximize social media outreach, brands must engage leads and customers through contests, giveaways, and promotional events. It’s important to reward the most loyal followers with exclusive deals to make them feel valued and keep them from going to your competitors. Social media activities will create buzz around the brand and expand the online reach of the brand.

Use social media for advertising

More brands are using their channels to promote their products and services. Businesses must use social media to demonstrate how their product/service works, the benefits of the product/service, and testimonials of customers who are happy with the product. Such social content can give followers more confidence in the brand and encourage them to try the products.

Use analytics for insights

Use social media analytics to understand how well your social media posts are performing. Gaining these insights will help you to modify the campaign and get better results. Analytics help marketers to analyze which posts are fairing well, what time is the best time to post, and what kind of content receives maximum customer engagement. 

Use the right hashtags

Brands must leverage hashtags to generate and extend their online reach. Trending topics are an opportunity for businesses to link their content to the topic to generate interest and increase awareness. This strategy works well but only if it’s executed properly and in good taste. One has to be selective about which and what content they link their brand to. The message should align with the overall brand image and brand voice. 

Create a referral program

A referral program is a great way to reward loyalists and acquire new customers. Referral programs, a common marketing tactic, motivate users to refer the products or services to their friends, family, and acquaintances in return for free products or exclusive discounts. It’s a great way to increase brand awareness and a means of customer acquisition.

Final Thoughts

In a digital world, social media is a necessary tool for customer service and feedback. People expect the brands they follow online to shower them with relevant information at all times. It has become increasingly imperative to use their social platforms adequately to tap into new opportunities. At Alkye, we help clients to formulate comprehensive social media marketing strategies to grow their online presence, increase customer engagement, and build their revenue stream.