Social media plays a great part in today’s society, and acts as a mass communication tool both socially and professionally. 2013 recordings show that 95% of Facebook users log into their account on a daily basis and out of all the minutes spent on the internet, 15.8% of this is spent on Facebook. While Facebook is the most popularly used social platform, many others receive mass amounts of activity too such as Instagram that has received more than 35 million ‘Selfies’ since it launched, and Twitter who have around 231.7 million monthly active users who spend an average of 170 minutes each month on the network. It is no secret that our lives are consumed by social media. It is also no secret that we are more likely to pay attention to advertisements or company activity on social networks than we are in newspapers because social networks are fun and easy.

Why use Facebook?

Facebook has many advantages for business users trying to build brand recognition. One of which is the timeline that allows users to click on different years that date back since the Facebook page was created. This allows the public to see videos, news or events that the company have posted in the past, and it is also advantageous for the company to look back and receive information around their business milestones. For business pages on Facebook, there is also a recommendations section where customers can rate the business. This is a quick and accurate way for a company to receive feedback and begin to adapt to it by improving if the feedback is poor.

Shortly after Twitter’s success with the famous hashtags, Facebook decided to use them too. They’re not quite as successful as the twitter hashtag but they are still beneficial to companies as hashtags can be used to target their target market. An example of this would be #fashion for a clothing business, to which anybody speaking about fashion and including the hashtag in their status could potentially see the business’s post. This increases traffic to the business page, increases brand identity and allows the business to communicate with the public. All three effectively contribute to good PR as they contribute to brand personality and enhance customer loyalty.

How to use Facebook

  1. When using Facebook it is essential that the business page produces at least one post a day to engage with the public and not become ‘outdated’. It’s a little bit like news, one day there will be a breaking news story and the next it is forgotten about because another story has taken its place. Always keep your page updated so you aren’t forgotten about in the sea of status updates from other businesses.
     
  2. When posting a link to something, always shorten the link so it doesn’t look like spam otherwise the public are less likely to click on it.
     
  3. Have an engaging cover photo and profile photo to catch the attention of your public, and any passer-by as this could make the difference in the amount of ‘likes’ your business page receives.

  4. Encourage viewers to comment on your statuses or photos by asking questions in the captions. This makes the viewer feel involved and also gives you a chance to communicate with potential customers.

  5. Cross promote any other social media platforms you have to gain as much activity on each of them as you can.

Why use Twitter?

Twitter allows you to post content about your brand in 140 characters or less making it short and snappy so viewers are more likely to absorb the information. It also allows imagery which is eye catching to the viewer, providing you include engaging and relevant photos for your profile, cover and background images. The Twitter search tool is extremely effective as it works well in recognising key words that are entered meaning it will be easy for the public to find your twitter page.

How to use Twitter

  1. Twitter is recommended for earlier stages of promotion as it is an effective network that allows you to get your message across.
     
  2. Follow relevant people including competitors.

  3. Try to use the trending hashtags in tweets so you can reach more people.

Why use Pinterest?

Pinterest is an effective, visually driven platform that allows users to share and discover new interests and products by pinning images and videos to pin boards. It is a great social network used to visually engage and interact with consumers and fans, which is encouraged through sharing and commenting on pins.

How to use Pinterest

  1. Ensure you create an engaging bio and profile image.
     
  2. Use hashtags and descriptions so potential customers can pick up on your content.

  3. Always keep yourself updated with competitor boards so you can be better than them.

  4. Include brand name in title of boards so that it becomes recognised by viewers.

  5. Use insights to see what content is working and what isn’t – you can never stop improving your social networks.

Why use Instagram?

This social platform can be used to portray your brand personality the way you want it to come across. It is a good way of coming down to your viewers’ level and having a little fun with the photos you post. You don’t always have to post photos of your product or service; you could post inspirational quote photos, events that your company attends or even pictures of members in the company at work. This will ensure that your company gives off a friendly feeling, which potential customers will relate to. This is all part of building brand recognition and gaining respect from the public.

How to use Instagram

  1. Always include hashtags that are relevant to your target market and what you are posting to ensure the picture receives the most views it can.

  2. Try to follow customers back so they feel involved.

  3. Post more than once a day where possible.

  4. Advertise sales and promotions

  5. Always click on the option to share Instagram photos through Facebook and Twitter.

It is extremely important that you always continue to enhance brand recognition and one of the easiest ways to do this is being present on various different social networks. Social networks are used by millions all over the world making it the most effortless way to converse with customers, to advertise your product or service and most importantly to build brand recognition. The more networks you utilise, the more customers you reach.

 

By Rhys Foley, Digital marketing expert and writer for PHA Media. 

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus