The internet is very good at spreading rumors. The truth is more valuable and much harder to come by, according to Mark Frost, the American novelist, screenwriter, director, and film producer.
Frost rightly summarized the essence of the internet and social media with his quote. Many inaccurate portrayals of brands and people have spread like wild fire. Sadly, the truth doesn’t always bubble up to become trending topic of the day.
Social conversation continues to be habit-forming for consumers. And this is great for brands since many major brands have used social media as a focal point of entry of generating awareness. It appears to be magic to hit “click” and off runs an important response to a social post or product information. Yet, many marketers are grappling with the reality of how to keep truth about the brand (or company) at the forefront of social conversations. It’s a difficult responsibility for marketers.
In addition to building awareness, there are a few other best practices for social media awareness, including lead generation, distribution of content, development of communities, and response mechanism to customer support questions or concerns.
Given social media’s value to marketing, it is important to use major platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Each platform has its own voice and offers a variety of paid ad units that can be purchased. Video continues to drive higher engagement among consumers. Given this, the availability of video content always comes at a premium and is very desirable to many advertisers. Blogs and live-video are also higher on the list of paid ad units purchased. One point to keep in mind: creating captivating video requires time and money. A half-hearted effort will generally reap the same in results.
When reviewing the right platforms, consider the brand, the product and the message in question. Content and length of message also factor into which social-media platform is best to deploy.
Ensure that you pre-set your desired outcomes before launching so you have a benchmark to measure success. The good news about utilizing social media is that you can optimize in flight to ensure the best outcomes.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years experience, freelance writer and author of “Elements of Buying” (a self-help advertising guide), available at Amazon.com. Adele was listed as Black Enterprise’s 2011 Top Execs in Marketing & Advertising and Black Enterprise’s 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: [email protected]
