Your company’s brand is the personality perceived by your target audience. It differs from the company’s logo. The logo is a visual representation of the company while the brand is the values and message the company portrays. The Nielson ratings, an audience measurement system used in television programming, shares how social media can affect brands. People love to discover and share information about a particular brand, both positive and negative.
Good Branding Works for Building Relationships
In this fast-paced technology world we live in, more people are turning to social media platforms to connect and share information with each other. Due to this pace of change, the generation known as Millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000), tend to lean toward brands that work to build a relationship with their audience through social media. The content from these brands strengthen their audience’s perception of them.
Why should you be concerned about the Millennials and your brand? This generation in North America alone stands to inherit $30 trillion from the Baby Boomer generation. This is in addition to their earnings. Building relationships with these consumers will require you to give them content that is sharable, but brief. You have to commit to being relevant and meeting their needs. By showing this audience you care about their concerns, you can lay the foundation of trust and create a new generation of fans.
Good Branding Is Authentic
Building relationships by engaging your audience through social media, no matter the generation, shows authenticity and transparency. People like doing business with those they like, know, and trust.
Some companies use an employee as a personal brand rep (PBR). The audience associates this person to the brand. A caveat to using a PBR to build your brand is the risk of that person indulging in immoral or unethical behavior. This can have a negative effect on your company. If you decide to use a PBR, choose someone with a history of integrity and values that match your company’s values. Admitting mistakes show transparency, however your target audience will not overlook unethical behavior.
Branding shows your company’s character. Consumers do notice companies giving to a cause and those that engage across multiple channels. Exposing and involving your audience to your brand and its mission will create buyers. Building relationships can be a long process, but developing lifelong fans will make the investment worth the time.