Social Media Branding
July 23, 2008
Social Media Branding combines the principles of social media with the principles of branding.
An explanation …
Most of us know the principles of branding - reputation, image, positioning, name recognition, consistency, customer experience, product quality, etc. These are still true. The difference today is that most brands are at the mercy of The People. Less gently put, social media empowers people to grow or kill a brand in the blink of an eye. And you really can’t do much about it - other than manage the customer experience and keep open lines of dialogue.
The common denominator between brands and social media is people. Brands grow because of people. And social media accelerates relationships amongst people. With the exception of e-Commerce, most customers equate their brand experience with the people they interacted with. This is why social media allows big brands to act small and personal, while allowing small brands to reach more people. This is what makes social media such a powerful branding tool - people talking to people on a mass scale.
What has really changed are the rules of marketing - CPM, repetition, message control, promotion, etc. Consider some of the principles of social media:
- Social media is not a broadcast medium. It is a conversation platform.
- The heart-and-soul of social media is the conversation.
- Social media is person-to-person not company-to-person.
- Social media requires a transparent and open culture from all parties.
Of course, there are more principles, but these suffice to get the point across that almost all of the commonly held rules of marketing are diametrically opposed to social media. Simply put, nobody likes the guy who talks too loud and hands out his business card to everyone.
So …
What happens when you are transparent about your brand’s personality and purpose? What happens when you allow your employees and customers to be the “face” of your brand? What happens when your brand becomes a conversation topic? You get a brand that is social.
To learn more about how to develop your brand, click here.
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3 Responses to “Social Media Branding”
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i like this article and it got me thinking as we also deal with branding I am always on the lookout for new ideas and or something to learn
very well written. I will be keeping my eye on this site and any tips you can provide for us lesser mortals
Best Regards,
Herman Jooste
oops wrong website
[...] engagement in Kuala Lumpur. Justin is a Managing Partner at Tricycle, a consultancy specializing in Social Branding. His blog, Brand Militia, is currently ranked 35,503 on Technorati. Possibly related posts: [...]