Brands need to stay active on social media to succeed in the digital age. Showcasing your brand’s unique features and voice is important but shouldn’t be done without following a few simple rules to guarantee your reputation is safe. Social media platforms are vital for connection, but the wrong move can tarnish a reputation or cause legal trouble.
BRANDefenders is here to help brands manage their reputation and navigate less than favorable situations that can arise from being on the internet. Below are some of the most important do’s and don’ts of social media marketing for brands.
Social Media Do’s
Following these social media do’s will help your brand maintain a favorable reputation and pave the way for internet success. If there is ever a problem with your online reputation, BRANDefenders can help you repair the situation.
1. Be Yourself
Your branding is proportional to the content you share on social media. Representing your brand will encourage engagement and success. Audiences are more interested in a brand that stands by its mission. These qualities add to a brand’s authority and credibility.
2. Connect with Others in the Industry
The word ‘social’ is in the phrase for a reason. Networking is an essential aspect of social media. Prioritizing networks that suit your target audience will help your brand gain authority. Fostering relationships with other businesses in the industry will do so as well.
3. Post a Variety of Content
Pictures and videos are not only more appealing, but they gain more traction than large walls of texts. If your business relies on visuals, visual engagement is highly beneficial for your brand. A blend of post types can be fun for content creators and audiences. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
4. Give Credit Where It’s Due
If you use material from other contributors or publish a post featuring other businesses, tagging them is common. This is another way to boost credibility and can help create new relationships. Make sure to have permission before tagging other contributors. Unwanted tagging can hurt your reputation.
5. Prioritize Organic Growth
Social media is one of the most effective and profitable ways to promote your brand, but it has to be done right. Utilizing all the benefits of online platforms can increase sales and boost company growth without cutting corners by buying followers or other inorganic means.
BRANDefenders offers strategies like search engine optimization to help your brand rank higher in SERPs to gain potential clients the old-fashioned way.
6. Interact Regularly with the Audience
Consistent interaction with your audience is useful for them and the brand. Making personal connections with your audience through social media can demonstrate what kind of brand you are, helping you expand your market. This can be done by responding to questions and comments or creating interactive activities online.
7. Create a Posting Schedule
A posting schedule can alleviate the stress of having to curate new content each day. Setting aside specific days to create and draft content in advance will help you maintain a consistent schedule even on days when meetings, other business operations, or even your mental health take priority.
8. Utilize Benefits of Online Connections
Social media was created to maintain connections and create new ones with people from all over the world. The ability to reach hundreds of people worldwide within seconds can be difficult to grasp, but having global business connections launches businesses into a great success. This wasn’t possible over 20 years ago.
9. Maintain an Identity Across Platforms
Having a clear brand identity that spans across all social media platforms is necessary to maintain a cohesive brand image. Establish a clear image of the band before taking it online to have a distinguishable voice in every post. Using the same logo and color palette can help maintain a recognizable identity.
BRANDefenders are experts in promoting brand identity and online reputation management strategies.
10. Analyze and Track Activity
Analyzing and tracking your reach online will tell you what content your audience prefers and what time of day it is seen the most. This can help you make adjustments to your business operations to better suit your online audience’s needs.
BRANDefenders has the tools to improve your ROI and guarantee your design campaign fits your business.
Social Media Don’ts
Now that the do’s of social media are covered, here is the list of all the social media don’ts to prevent your brand from losing all the work that went into building a credible reputation. The BRANDefenders team is here to help if you ever run into a situation that requires rebuilding your brand’s reputation.
1. Falling Behind on the Trends
Keeping up to date on the latest trends will generate the most engagement on your social media posts. Before using a new meme, song, or other content, do some research to ensure it’s not associated with a message that is a conflict of interest for your brand.
2. Mix Up Your Business Account with Your Personal Account
Distinguishing what content is appropriate for your personal and business account is important to remain professional. Don’t get lost trying too hard to be relatable; your audience will know. If you accidentally post using the wrong account, it’s best to delete it as soon as possible.
3. Post Insensitive Content
This should be a no-brainer, but it can be easy to have a joke taken out of context or cross the line when commenting on current events. Refrain from posting anything that goes against your brand’s mission or the interest of your demographic. This can easily damage your reputation.
If you make a mistake, BRANDefenders can help you come up with a strategy to rebuild your reputation.
4. Argue with Negative Review Posters
You will get your fair share of positive and negative reviews as a public business. Stay open-minded when approaching negative reviews. They can be just as helpful to the process as positive reviews. Use the feedback to find room for improvement.
Getting spammed with too many nasty or irrelevant reviews? BRANDefenders can help remove unwanted content from your page or help you deal with defamation online.
5. Skip the Editing Process
Never skip the editing process. Each post should be edited and reviewed thoroughly before being published. Typos, grammar mistakes, and other errors will be noticed on social media. You don’t want the reputation as a brand that doesn’t have an extra minute to proofread.
6. Ignore Mistakes
Mistakes happen even with strict guidelines because we’re all human. Mistakes can potentially cause some backlash or momentarily hurt your reputation. However, it’s even worse to ignore the mistake than to own up to it after it happens. This can be done tactfully for damage control.
The BRANDefenders team can help your business recover from a PR nightmare or assist with reputation management after a slipup online.
7. Ignore Comments or Social Media Engagements
You don’t want to ignore your customers on social media. While it’s impossible to engage with every comment and post share, make it a priority to show your audience they matter. This can be as simple as answering a few questions each day on your page. A lack of engagement will put off clients.
8. Have an Inconsistent Social Media Presence
Having an active list of social media profiles is the best way to maintain business momentum online. Choose which platforms suit your business and objectives and stick to them to guarantee consistent engagement.
Choose a handle and a logo that fits the business to prevent confusion. Complete the profiles and remain consistent; otherwise, you risk losing your authority as a brand.
9. Settle for Generating Generic Content
Don’t just follow the algorithm and post what others in the industry are posting for the sake of a few extra likes. Think outside the box every once in a while when making new content. Find interactive ways to answer customer questions, host a giveaway, or share personal stories that show what makes your business unique.
10. Refuse to Work with Influencers
Influencer marketing creates success for any business, regardless of the industry. This strategy promises a huge ROI and can expand your network. Don’t just choose any influencer to work with. They should associate with your product beforehand to make it believable and should be well known by your audience.
How This List Can Affect Your Brand’s Online Reputation
Following all the do’s and don’ts of social media from this list will keep you in control of your reputation. Accidents and mistakes happen all the time. This is why BRANDefenders is here to help you build, repair, and grow your reputation after a blunder. The team can also help you achieve the momentum you need to get the online recognition your brand deserves.