Promote Your Brand With Social Media

Social Media is a tool that business and individuals use for multiple reasons. The first reason, obviously, is to communicate and be in the loop within social circles.The second reason, however, is to promote a brand socially and connect with consumers in today's instantaneous and demanding society.

Earlier this week I was talking to a sweet friend of mine who is being handed a million dollar company straight out of college, and he was letting me know how much he detests social media and how it does nothing for users. I tried my best to explain to him that while personally he may see no reason to have social media accounts that there are many reasons a business would have social media, and if he was going to be a business owner he needed to understand the importance of it. he wanted to hear nothing about it.

I wanted to write my blog this week about how social media can change the way people see, interact, or associate with your brand. If you want other opinions than mine, I've researched a few good sites that detail why or how to use social media to expand brand awareness and interaction. Here they are: Forbes on measuring social media impact, TopRankingBlog on social media and business and finally, the Houston Chronicle on High-level business social media.

Here are my reasons to promote your brand with social media:

Interaction in key in todays society. When people have a question they want to look up or receive an instant response to, they turn to online resources. It is better to have a website, social media accounts, or other applications where people can have their questions answered, or receive other information at their discretion. It is better for all information and answered questions to come from the source itself, in an effort to keep key messages and other info from being misunderstood or misrepresented.

Businesses and consumers having an understanding of each other is a huge factor when it comes to success of a brand or business. Organizations need to understand their target market in order to sell to them, understand what does and doesn't work, understand what they want and need, etc. When businesses have social media accounts they are connecting themselves to individuals. A business social media account that takes the time to respond to concerns and questions as well as share information is a business that shows consumers it cares.

Finally, sending key messages is an important part of any organization. Key messages include business information, product information and changes, product releases, organization goals and campaigns, etc. These key messages not only need to be spread, but in order to understand consumer responses, they need to be recorded and researched as well. Online accounts offer an opportunity for research, as well as simple feedback that might help with future company endeavors.

There are many other reasons for brands to use and measure social media, as outlined in other resources provided. But if I could give any advice to a brand wondering about getting involved with social media: do it, it's worth it.

Social Media: LinkedIn

The first blog that I wrote this semester was about gaining control of your social media. I spoke about several different social media channels and ways to be aware of your overall social media presence. Since then, I have gained a better understanding of social media and how it can actually affect your personal brand. One business tool and social media channel that I have grown a certain appreciation for is LinkedIn.

On LinkedIn: important organization or campaign information can be viewed; professional content and updates from colleagues or business friends can be shared; or employers and other business professional can search for you and your personal brand/background, as well. This is why taking complete control of your LinkedIn by understanding and utilizing all of its components can lead to online and social success. To help you on this venture, I have researched and used my own experience to create a list of the top 8 things I think you can do to harness the full power of your personal LinkedIn account.

1. Fill out your LinkedIn account completely.

• This includes updating a photo, adding projects, old jobs, blog pages, links to Twitter or professional profile or portfolio pages, blogs, even courses you took in college. Updating this information allows people to get a better feel for who you are, what you can accomplish, what is important to you, and how you influence the people around you. LinkedIn is a place to share and generate ideas about business and the world, and you only get out what you put in.

2. Do not be afraid to humanize your brand.

• Do not only push out professional content. Update a profile picture, have a headline that attracts attention, blog about things that you're passionate about, prove that you are a leader in the business world and that you are a thought provoker. Show you care.

3. Engage with other professionals, especially people in your field.

• LinkedIn, like Facebook and other types of microblogging sites, give the opportunity for millions of social connections to take place. Use to your advantage the fact that you have hundreds of other like-minded professionals in your field available to you at the touch of a button. Engage with other professionals in your field, join webinars, chats and other conversations. Engagements help get your name out and your thoughts heard. 

4. Post updates regularly.

• Keeping yourself relevant on LinkedIn is important. Like other social media networks, LinkedIn is fast paced and constantly updating. Be a part of this. Post content at least once a day, whether it a blog, work updates, a photo, a funny meme relevant to your business, anything. 

5. Keep your network growing, and maintain relationships.

• When you meet a new professional, add them on your LinkedIn network. Join groups. Follow organizations or pages you are passionate about. Keep up relationships by congratulating people on new jobs or awesome projects. Engage with old colleagues and teammates. You never know what opportunities will arise, or who you might need to contact in the future. 

6. Receive and give recommendations and endorsements.

• One way to show your personal work ethic and standing in the business world is to give and receive recommendations and endorsements to people that you have worked with. The more you give, the more you get. This adds a sense of personality and humanization to your personal brand. More times than not, what people say and think about you means more to employers than your credentials on paper. 

7. Blog on your LinkedIn account.

• Employers are always looking for professionals who not only do good work in the workplace, but also are influencers outside of the workplace. Even if you work in public relations, and your passion is cooking or gardening, or whatever it may be, blog about it! Show people that you are passionate about something, and that you have something to say and interesting thoughts to contribute. This also humanizes your LinkedIn account. 

8. Update your page with new information.

• Finally, continuously update your LinkedIn account with new jobs, opportunities, projects, and information. If you take a new headshot, get a new position or write a new post, share it with the professionals you are connected with. This will also open new doors for you, and help keep your page updated and relevant.

Here are a few of the links for LinkedIn optimization that I liked and that helped me create my personal brand. Good luck on your journey and I hope this helps!

http://www.inc.com/rebekah-iliff/top-10-ways-to-leverage-linkedin-for-pr.html

https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-surefire-ways-to-boost-your-linkedin-profile-when-you-only-have-10-minutes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/12/05/fourteen-steps-to-improve-your-linkedin-presence-in-2014/#55c851cd3966

Picking the Right Communication Channels

PR, communications, marketing, advertising - these professions all rely on one thing: the ability to send an effective and clear message to a selected target market, enticing action and ultimately helping achieve company goals.

The ability to send a clear message, and the effectiveness of that message (did it change anything? did it come across the way it was intended? etc.) depends on several factors. The first factor, the message its self, is arguably the most important. I have already blogged about why only sending clear, non-cluttered, short and sweet messages is the most effective method of communication; however, I only barely touched on the second factor of sending an effective message: choosing the right communication channel.

A message can contain several key communication practices (attention grabbing content, interesting data, easy-to-understand message, concise but complete info) but if it's received by the wrong audience or misinterpreted by the receiver, it is not truly considered an effective message. This is why it is so important to choose the right channel of communication. 

Internal and external communications, the two types of communications, call for different messages and messaging channels.

With internal communication, keeping stakeholders, employees and a board of directors engaged with one another and on the same page is imperative to running a successful business, but can provide several challenges. One of these challeneges is picking the best communication channel.

There are several types of internal communication channels, including (but not limited to) open forums, message boards, email or team meetings.

Knowing the best way for your specific content to be presented and received (visually, verbally, written, etc.) is important when deciding what channel of communication to choose; just as imperative to the decision though is understanding the way the audience prefers to receive content and are most likely to respond. Here is a comprehensive list of internal communication channels and considerations, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

When considering external communication, there are also several types (some of them are outlined here). Again, understanding your message and target audience is key. Not every communication type needs to be used, and some companies may only call for one or two. That is okay! If you choose the right channels, and target your messages, they should be effective every time.

Finally, the most misunderstood external communication practice, social media, is a very important tool that has the power to either make or break a company. Again, here is a list for some social media channels and when or why your business should use them. Every social media channel is different, attracting different types of attention and sending different types of messages. Consider if the content you want to share would be best in words, on your website as a long release, as a short Facebook post, or as a sentence and link on Twitter. Will your content be received better if it is represented visually (using charts or pictographs) and where should you share that visual message; or would a photo or video do better?

There are so many ways to communicate with todays instant access information and socially integrated society; don't let your company or personal brand can go unnoticed or misinterpreted because you didn't choose the communication channel that is right for you.