Premium brand communication on social media solutions by Edan Gelt: Directly communicating with their consumers, mainly through Social Media, is a tactic companies are increasingly resorting to during the pandemic. This brand communication strategy was in place before the pandemic struck. But with more of us being forced to use Social Media as our main form of communication with friends and loved ones, it has become increasingly important for brands as well. For example, Reebok used Twitter to establish what home workout equipment their consumers are likely to own. By utilizing Twitter, Reebok is able broadcast their newly established series of home workout routines based on the consumer responses. Read more details at Edan Gelt.
If you’re going to try this premise, the item, service or content you provide must have value to your target customers. By delivering the value your core customer most desires, you will not only pique interest but odds are you’ll also gain a loyal customer. Why is free so powerful? Brand Awareness: By giving away a free sample of your core product, you are reaching potential customers that may not have realized your business or product line existed. When people try a product first they are more likely to buy it later because sampling fosters reciprocity and brand loyalty.
Online Services: When the pandemic hit, Peloton offered 90-days free of their in-home workout app – up from 30-days previously. This allowed potential users to try their program and get hooked. After the free trial was up, it was just $12.99 a month – who wouldn’t continue? Moz, a software platform for digital marketers offered a free trial with no commitment other than signing in. This showed off their capabilities and made users feel compelled to commit to Moz when they were ready for digital software. Hubspot, Amazon Kindle, LinkedIn, Google, Canva and others offer free tools and platforms with the strategy of ‘free’ and reciprocity in mind.
As part of your brand communication strategy you will need to provide relevant and consistent content. For example, if your main social media account is Instagram you should aim to post once a week (ideally at the same time, on the same day each week to build consistency). Your posts should be well-thought-out, helpful and add real value. You should not be posting content for the sake of posting. Irrelevant or dreary content can hurt your brand image. Remember, quality over quantity, always. Discover more info on Eden Gelt.
Video Marketing is the King of Content in 2020! Per the online site Hubspot, more than 50% of your clients/diners/shoppers want to see videos from your brand over any other type of media you are providing. It is projected that people will consume 100 minutes each day watching online videos in 2021. With the current pandemic, that number might even be higher. But you’re probably thinking, “ Edan, I am so uncomfortable making videos! What will I even say, aren’t they expensive? I just don’t know where and how to get started”.
Consumers and business leaders are suffering from unprecedented stress and uncertainties. With the lockdowns and restrictions coming and going and economic uncertainty hanging over everything. In this climate, brands are having to be more sensitive in their communication strategies. The last thing anyone wants to see right now is an advertisement full of smiling revelers having the holiday of a lifetime. While the rest of us are stuck at home worrying about our health, jobs and when we will get to see families and friends next.
Engage: It is no longer enough to just have a social media page and presence; you need to jump into your customers’ conversations and understand what they value and give it to them. Create a concise social media strategy and curate your content, including company updates and trends, to maximize engagement on your platforms to establish yourself as an industry leader. Use specific hashtags and maybe even develop your own hashtag to group your content and make it easier for people to find.
Let’s compare the data above to a home seller looking for a lawyer or real estate agent. Starting at the top of the sales funnel – you send out emails, advertise on Facebook, sponsor local events, hand out a card at Starbucks, or a potential client got your name from a friend of a friend. What’s the next step? It is highly likely they will search your name on Google. What happens next is up to you. For those in the real estate industry – Google, Redfin and sometimes Yelp are the keys to your future. Let’s start with Google. Read more info at https://www.myvidster.com/profile/EdanGelt.
Once you’ve decided what you’re going to feature during your segments – consider what is the most important thing you will be sharing about your business/service/product and say it right at the beginning of your video. For example – today, I’m going to walk you through a HydraFacial or I’m going to tell you about the new tenant law passed during the pandemic. Or, let me tell you about our fantastic chicken alfredo, water ride, marketing tip, new product, etc. Then take them on 1 or 2-minute journey. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! Once you’ve made your first video or VLOG (fancier term), you’re on your way but you can’t stop now. You need to generate content consistently. This can be several times per week, once per week, or even once per month. Just stick with it.
Posting videos on this social channel is great for professional B2B content. LinkedIn rewards videos content by sharing it with more of your contacts than traditional text or picture posts. If you upload video directly (natively embed it) versus linking to YouTube, you will reach an even larger audience. Here, you’ll want to upload your video directly to their platforms. You can boost your videos and/or run them as ads to get a larger reach but continue to post and repost your videos organically on your accounts. Even if you think your content is all business and not playful enough – get creative and don’t miss these channels as Facebook has nearly 2 billion users and twitter has over 300 million. For Facebook specifically, you can ‘pin’ a post to the top of your post. So no matter how many posts you create after that, this ‘pinned’ post will always remain on top.