Now don’t get me wrong, brand development is still very important, but there are changes in the marketing world that have decreased a company’s ability to impose their brand on consumers.
In any good brand development process, you should identify your distinctions, positioning, tagline, and visual standards. And if done right, you should work with key stakeholders in your company to launch the new brand internally before going public. Today, this is just the beginning. The most important part of managing your brand is engaging customers and creating loyalty, not pushing your message out and hoping your target audience will act.
As Tony Hsieh (@zappos) , CEO of Zappos, describes, “Branding gets built up by interacting everyday with everyday people.” And he does a great job of it using tools like Twitter, having excellent customer service, and much more. Whether it’s an ad, a customer service call, the firing or hiring of an employee, an article in a trade publication, or something else, every experience with your brand has potential influence over a large audience.
Why? Social media gives a voice to the people who interact with your brand. Although this may be intimidating, it also provides a great opportunity to engage customers, increase loyalty and develop a community of brand evangelists.
When you start managing your brand with social media, make sure you follow these simple rules:
- Listen
This is the most important step. How can you act or be involved in conversation if you don’t know what is being said? There are tools that make this part easy – use them.
- Engage
When appropriate, join in the conversation. This is an opportunity for you to answer questions, thank customers, uncover any issues, and deal with unsatisfied customers.
- Be Human
Customers are tired of dealing with brands. They want to know who they are talking to and form a connection. Social media gives every brand that opportunity.
- Connect
Develop a place for loyal customers to connect with other loyal customers and interact with your brand. A community of supporters allows you to test new ideas, get feedback and up sell/cross sell to a captive community.
As always, don’t jump in blind. Although you lose a lot of control in this medium, you should still have a strategy. If you don’t have a focus or goal for your efforts, your audience will be turned off and tune out.
