This is Your Brand on Social Media

This is your brand. This is your brand on social media: From one Facebook fan to 125,000 in just the second year of business. Any questions?

Kind of reminds you of that 1980s anti-drug commercial, doesn’t it? While drugs are bad, that video campaign was effective because of it’s staying power, not it’s message. We still remember the tagline roughly 30 years later. That’s exactly the kind of brand awareness a social media campaign can accomplish.

Serengetee is a clothing brand that incorporates global fabric patterns into its products while giving back to corresponding grassroots causes. It then donates 5 percent of its profits to local causes. Since its launch, the company had donated more than $60,000 to 32 causes in 28 countries. It has a clear mission, specific target audience, great pictures and all the ingredients for a successful social media recipe.

Your customers are on social media. Why isn’t your brand on social media?

Consider these facts: 89 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are active on social media, 58 percent of Americans use Facebook, and 24 percent of Americans are on two social media sites. A total of 89 percent of business-to-business purchase cycles start with a web search, and 90 percent of buyers of B2B researchers who are online use search specifically to research business purchases. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the most efficient marketing and communication tools to identify, engage and draw in new audience members and deepen existing relationships with current customers.

Entrepreneur, multi-millionaire and philanthropist Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, says that while the methods to promote your business have changed, your brand’s goals likely haven’t.

“Even if you have all the money in the world to spend, the best way to market your business and get eyes on your product is to establish a social media presence,” Branson says. ”Most people interact on social media these days, and every big brand (including Virgin), many CEOs and pretty much everyone in entertainment has a presence.

So you’ve decided to create a Facebook or Twitter account for your brand. Now what?

Branson says getting your marketing and public relations efforts right from the outset will be key in making your project a success. This is true for both larger and smaller businesses.

Strategy is important. Know your brand and what you hope to achieve. The egg in the anti-drug commercial was a highly effective, visual metaphor that was easy for viewers to remember because it’s easily relatable. The video made a lasting impact because it was short and simple with a clear and effective message. Social media can help businesses provide the same level of brand awareness and staying power.

Pro Tip: Always start by looking at data.

Where do most of your clients or target customers spend their time online? When are they online? A total of 82 percent of small businesses are registered on Facebook. Fifty percent of small businesses increased time spent on social media compared to last year. You should spend most of your time on social platforms that drive the most traffic for your business. And you should spend it there at the same time your target customers are there. If needed, use scheduling tools to talk to those audience members exactly when they are online. Use trending topics judiciously to participate in conversations relevant to your brand and increase reach.

There are many success stories of the affects of your brand on social media.

CEO Jeff Steitz and his four co-founders spent $3,000 to start Serengetee in early 2012. In their first year of business, they made $140,000 in revenue. A total of 13 percent of Serengetee’s profit goes to one of 50 foundations across the world “because every fabric is teamed up with a partner cause.” Their target audience includes millennials who care about corporate social responsibility, who are prolific users of social media. Those customers and fans can become brand ambassadors who tell their friends about your business.

Brand ambassadors can be cultivated, but sometimes they are a surprise. When Jimmy Tatro, a popular YouTube personality, then-college student and comedian, wore one of the company’s T-shirts and posted a link to Serengetee on one of his “Life According to Jimmy” videos in July 2012, Steitz and his co-founders saw an immediate surge in sales. Before the video, Serengetee was selling about 25 shirts per day. Two weeks after the video was posted, the company sold 1,500 shirts. The social media push was great for business, but because Tatro’s promotion was unexpected, the company was unprepared. Now, Serengetee is more organized, and Tatro even has a personalized line of Serengetee fabrics.

Thirty years of brand awareness. A roughly 97 percent increase in sales in 12 months. More than 100,000 followers. Influential brand ambassadors giving your business free marketing and PR – this is your brand on social media.