5 Tips for Brand Survival in Today's Social Climate

This post originally appeared on Eric Jacobson’s Blog in August. The link can be found by clicking here. Eric and I met in 2009, when we worked together virtually for MicroMentor – Eric in Kansas, and me in California. Since then, Eric has appeared on my Blog four times as a featured guest and countless times with memorable quotes. Eric has more than a quarter-century of experience in both leadership and product development, and I’m honored that he asked me to share my perspective on this important branding and social media topic.

Image Credit: Twitter.

There is no denying that social media has changed how brands communicate. All aspects of business have been affected from technology to human resources to marketing. Even more important, all employees have become their own personal brands – some even major influencers – with their own fans and followers. Therefore, in today’s social climate, who owns a brand’s messaging?

Employees can post content to damage an employer’s brand, and customers can post content to damage a brand. This has dramatically changed how brands interact with and respond to their customers, prospective customers, fans, media, and other stakeholders.

So, while many of your employees may understand social media, does your brand understand its nuances? How well does your brand navigate among the myriad of social platforms? How do you choose which platforms to allocate time and money? Do you know where the majority of your audiences congregate? And most importantly, do your stakeholders engage with YOU on social media?

While you may have a Facebook page or a Twitter account, if you’re not posting regularly and conversing with fans and followers, you’re wasting your time. So, in order for your brand to survive for the long haul in today’s social climate, here are five tips.

[1] BE TRANSPARENT
If you’re launching a new product or service, make an announcement and let your customers and fans know. If there is a delay, be up front and also make that announcement. If there is a problem, make that announcement. Don’t wait for a member of the media or, even worse, the competition to discover the delay or problem. Their announcement will not be kind. Own the news – that way, you craft your brand messaging and narrative.

[2] BE CONSISTENT
Maintain a consistent name for all social media platforms. If a brand name is not available, use a familiar tagline. If “Nike” had been unavailable, the company could have used “JustDoIt,” and everyone would immediately have recognized that any account with that name belonged to Nike. With all the social sites available to your brand, take time to conduct a social media audit and re-evaluate the names of all your accounts.

[3] USE #HASHTAGS
Create and use hashtags with your brand name, your company name, key employees if they are industry influencers, and more. And use these hashtags on all your social platforms. You may even use them on traditional marketing collateral, such as, business cards, letterhead, brochures, etc. Hashtags are a way to stand out and introduce your brand to more audiences. Currently on Instagram, you’re able to add 30 hashtags to a single post.

[4] INVITE FEEDBACK
If you only want certain feedback, otherwise known as five stars, don’t ask for it. Some customers will be long-winded, others will be positive, and some will be negative. To quote Bill Gates, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” So, as with the rest of your social media strategy, which must be aligned with your overall annual marketing plan, have a feedback plan. Instead of drafting a simple survey, think of why questions and responses would benefit your leadership team. In addition, you may decide to use a number of customer satisfaction tools to gauge customer loyalty, company health, or brand health (for example, Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Score, or Customer Lifetime Value) – if you do, understand the value they can provide.

[5] LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN
Set up alerts for your brand, company name, industry, and more. This will let you know when others are talking about your brand or brands and allow you to chime in when appropriate. You will also be quickly informed if someone says something negative or untrue about your brand so you can comment or chose to remain silent. You may also wish to set up alerts about your competition and key influencers in your industry. The sites to use are Google Alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) and Talkwalker (https://www.talkwalker.com/alerts).

There are a few important things to remember in social media. First, there are so many Tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram posts, etc., that the likelihood of one of your posts going viral is slim-to-none. But then again, you never know. With that in mind, second, make sure that whatever you post would not embarrass your brand. There are too many stories about brands losing spokespeople and market share due to a single tweet. And third, keep in mind that once content has been posted, it will assume a life of its own. You never know who might see it.

In 2009, soon after I joined Twitter, I shared a blog post, and shortly thereafter, Maxine Clark, Founder and then-President of Build-A-Bear, retweeted my tweet. We corresponded a bit on Twitter and then via email, and soon afterward, we spoke about branding, marketing, and plush animals by phone – truly, a Twitter success story!

Lastly, memorize my favorite tweet from customer experience expert Vala Afshar and practice it every day. If you do, your brand will be a memorable social media survivor! 

TWEET THIS: Don't do social, be SOCIAL: Sincere, Open, Collaborative, Interested, Authentic and Likeable. –@ValaAfshar

For more about Instagram hashtags:
https://riotlysocialmedia.com/blog/instagram-hashtags-guide

For more about NPS:
https://www.netpromoter.com/know/

For details about 9 Customer Success Metrics to Boost Business Growth:
https://survicate.com/customer-success/cs-metrics/

Ten Useful Brand Marketing Hashtags

Thanks to social media, hashtags have become an excellent marketing tool when reaching out to customers and potential customers. Whenever a hashtag or number sign (#) is inserted in front of a word or phrase, it brings attention to the word or phrase and facilitates online searches. Hashtags have become useful throughout social media but are most widely used on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google Plus.

According to Wikipedia, a hashtag "makes it possible for (people) to easily find a specific theme or content...If promoted by enough individuals, a hashtag can 'trend' and attract more individual users...Because of its widespread use, ‘hashtag’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in June 2014."

While there are countless marketing hashtags, here are ten focused on branding and brand-building:

[1] #BrandExperience
When talking about the impact a brand makes on its customers, fans, or stakeholders, the term is brand experience. A positive brand experience can create a customer for life, and by contrast, a negative brand experience can be a brand’s worst nightmare due to the power of word-of-mouth marketing. All brands should focus on their brand experience, and always walk a mile in their customers’ shoes. Use this hashtag to showcase your overall brand experience and to attract more fans, followers, and customers.

[2] #BrandStorytelling
What story does your brand tell? Consider Apple, Tiffany & Co., and Amazon. What are their stories? Their mission statements easily tell their stories. Use this hashtag to tell stories that will engage your followers and fans.

[3] #BrandPositioning
Is your brand an industry leader or a follower? How do you position your brand in the marketplace? Consider Avis and its tagline: “We're #2 – We Try Harder.” Avis may not be the biggest car rental agency, but its tagline sticks out. Consider the Energizer Bunny – who doesn’t think of the pink bunny when a wireless mouse or keyboard needs new batteries? And while the golden arches of McDonald’s appear on almost every corner around the world, Burger King’s emphasis on bigger and cheaper hamburgers have developed a large following. There are advantages to being #2. One advantage to being #2 is the ability to create unique product specifications and/or packaging since no one expects you to be different. Other advantages include the ability to tweak pricing, the ability to align or partner with totally unconventional companies or brands, and the ability to change packaging or advertising just to see how consumers react. Use this hashtag to explain your brand positioning and how you excel – wherever you fit into your industry.

[4] #BrandStrategy
According to Bernadette Jiwa (@bernadettejiwa), “We think our job is to change how people feel about our product or service. But, in fact, our job is to change how people feel about themselves when they use that product or service.” Use this hashtag to highlight some aspect of your brand marketing strategy.

[5] #BrandPromise
What is your brand’s competitive advantage? Do your employees know, and can all of them clearly articulate your brand promise? From the CEO on down, commit to delivering your brand promise to customers. Use this hashtag to highlight your brand promise and show how you deliver.

[6] #BrandConsistency
How do you present your brand to your target audiences? If you have a tagline, specific colors in your logo, or words that represent your brand, all must be included on a consistent basis whenever talking about your brand. If you’re inconsistent, not only will you confuse your audiences, but you may lose customers. Use this hashtag to demonstrate ways that your brand is consistent.

[7] #BrandVoice
How does your brand speak to all of your audiences? Do you use industry-specific jargon? Are you formal or informal? Are you consistent with your brand voice throughout all social platforms? Consider these questions as you build and maintain your digital brand. Use this hashtag when something you post/say is in line with all your other brand assets.

[8] #BrandRelevance
How relevant is your brand? While it may be top of mindshare to your employees and key stakeholders, it may not be well-known outside of your circle of influencers.  Use this hashtag to demonstrate the strengths and unique attributes you contribute to your industry and the community-at-large. You may be surprised by how your brand recognition grows.

[9] #BrandIdentity
According to David Aaker (@DavidAaker), “An extended identity can help a brand break out of the box…consider the strategic role of the Wells Fargo stagecoach in the brand’s awareness level.” Use this hashtag to explain elements in your brand story, as well as your values and culture.

[10] #BrandAmbassador
Today, every employee has the potential to represent your brand. Therefore, leaders must ask, “Do employees have enough information to explain our competitive advantage? Can they articulate the brand promise in one or two sentences? Do they know who handles customer service complaints or press inquiries?” If the answers to these questions are no, then ask yourself this important question: How can my employees be enthusiastic brand ambassadors? The answer may force leaders to create a culture where innovation is promoted and recognized, where questions are answered, where good work is rewarded, and where leadership is transparent. Engaged employees will emerge – people who will live and breathe your brand on a daily basis. Use this hashtag to provide assistance to create brand ambassadors – and to highlight and thank your existing ambassadors.

On a related note, there are two other hashtags that you should also keep in mind. #EmployerBranding is useful when looking for top quality candidates. Show job applicants that your company, business, or nonprofit cares about employees by being conscious of your employer brand. And #PersonalBranding is an important hashtag because every individual is a brand and has something unique to offer.

I’d like to end with my favorite quote about branding. Ken Peters (@brand_BIG) said it best, “Advertising shouts at you. Marketing talks to you. Branding connects with you.”

What do you think? Chime in with your fave brand marketing hashtag.

A Tale of My Favorite #Hashtags

When I think of social media hashtags, I think of storytelling. These words, shortened words, or combined words preceded by the number sign often tell a memorable story or introduce a story. I have three favorite hashtags, and here are the reasons why.

As a brand marketing professional, my most-used hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is #BrandTip. I share my blog posts, quotes from other branding experts' posts, and highlights from other brand experts' books with this hashtag. I enjoy making new connections especially on Twitter and Instagram, and I've met many amazing people as a result of using this hashtag.

Every Monday, I look forward to seeing #MondayMotivation tweets on Twitter. Two users who regularly share corporate culture, employee engagement, and customer experience insights with this hashtag are @DisneyInstitute and @ValaAfshar. One recent tweet by the Disney Institute was "Spring into action – nurture your workplace by cultivating a thriving team environment." Another was "Ready, set, go. Drive success by providing a clear path forward." Without a doubt, everyone can learn from the business insights shared with this hashtag – and it is also an energizing way to start each work week.

Do you have another name for Saturdays? I do. #Caturday is another way to refer to the sixth day of the week. This hashtag is a fun way for cat owners and fans to share photos, illustrations, and videos of their cats in funny poses, with clothing, or simply playing. While there may be other animal hashtags, especially on Instagram, such as #catsofinstagram or #dogsofinstagram, the fact is, no other animal owns a day of the week.

All three of these hashtags improve overall brand experiences, whether the brand is a product, service, or cat with a stand-out personality (for example, Grumpy Cat). As for me, I enjoy my social media marketing more thanks to these hashtags.

What are some of your fave hashtags? Please chime in and share.