Welcome back, everyone! We hope that you all had a great weekend spent with friends, family, and the people you enjoy most. Today, we’re back to discussing the importance of a brand’s online and social presence. If you are starting a new company, working within the brand or social marketing space, interested in getting involved, or simply looking for some education about the topic… this is the article for you! Keep reading to find out how to grow your social following below…

Growing a Brand Online Presence and Following:

Know Your Audience

Above all, know your target market and brand audience! Depending on each platform (between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.), your brand message will be able to easily reach different demographics and consumers with a variety of purchasing intent. Take Pinterest for example, would that work for our brand? Would a client or candidate likely seek a “Pin” in order to identify a new job opportunity? We’ll let you brainstorm about that question while we leave you with one last tip about this idea: before hopping onto any social channel, directly and effectively assess your audience, your product, and the intent you hope to achieve (whether purchasing a good, creating a relationship, offering a service, increasing follower conversation,…).

• Extra Note: Almost every online social platform is available for free! Differentiating your advertisements by investing in their integrated suite of ‘boosted’ content opportunities is a great way to expand your audience reach exponentially. So, we also encourage you to identify your social media budget and advertising spend before engaging in creation so as to hold yourself accountable and understand a realistic view of performance and reach.

Consistency

In order to paint a reliable image and provide value to your consumers, always be consistent in branding. Not only do we mean in the message you send, and the type of content you provide, but we also encourage you to post at similar frequencies each, day, week, or month. This way, you will start you create a relationship with your consumers where they will know what to expect, when, and in what form to best access your brand and its products or services. Consistently posting content (at least once or twice a week!) is the best way to optimize your reach and build a consistent following from the ground up.

• Extra Tip: We have a TON of previous articles available on our website that will provide you with a suite of different ways to manage your time and create a schedule. So, find the best strategy that works for you, and make sure to set aside time solely dedicated to social media and branding activities so that you can dedicate your full attention and effort. You can also ‘batch’ out content so as to mitigate the need to revisit posts throughout the week and instead just have a bunch ready to click ‘post’ on when the time is right!

Integrating Consumer in Brand Voice

Millennials and Gen Z are rapidly obtaining the largest portion of buying power from our US consumers, and as these individuals are more than not “digital natives”, they possess a different set of brand expectations as they seek products. In order to make this highly impactful population feel valued, it is crucial to loop them into your brand message and intent. Ask what your followers want to see! What they’re looking to purchase! How you can better deliver on their wants and needs! However you have the resources to discuss your brand with these consumers and offer them a voice and role in your company (from an external perspective), we encourage you to do so.

And if you’re looking for a job… Check out our open jobs list!