11 Ways to Build, Influence, and Utilize Social Media for Any Brand

Use the tools available to you, and never be afraid to try something new. That should be your mantra going forward in 2021, especially to build a brand during the pandemic. As uncertainties pile up about life, jobs, the direction to the future, and even where your next travel destination would be, business owners, big and small, need to grasp and explore all available tools to see which can help build their brand. 

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a business in possession of a customer base must be in want of social media marketing. 

Even as we read this right now, social media platforms are evolving. Users are using these platforms in ways that best fit them. Do you ever notice that Facebook is now used mainly to create groups and communities? 

Do you look at Twitter in 2021 and realize how politically charged it is compared to years before? 

Do you browse Instagram now to seek inspiration and follow hashtags of a rainbow of topics, from #pothosplants, #upcyclefurniture, to #classicmustangparts? 

Using social media monitoring, advertising, networking, and content creation will bring you the kind of leads you need to maximize your online sales. 

Build to Strengthen – Use Social Media to Strengthen Networking Ties

Congratulations on building your social network relationships. That definitely takes time and effort. Now, you need to take it a step further by strengthening those ties. 

1. Follow prospects on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Following prospects and industry leaders in these platforms help build authority, and it also produces interaction. Users visiting your Twitter or LinkedIn pages will see the kind of people you follow and create a perception that you’re keen and passionate about the line of business you’re in. As the account holder, you’d be able to communicate, share, engage, like, and comment on these prospects’ pages. Current and potential customers will view all these things. 

2. Utilize Clubhouse with industry leaders.

Clubhouse is the online version of TEDTalk. Share ideas, join presentations, conduct virtual training classes, and invite them for company cocktail events and the like. It presents a more interpersonal approach from one employee to another. 

3. Host a webinar. 

Hosting a webinar creates authority and increases trust and positive perception of your brand. Hosting webinars also bring in the niche crowd you’re targeting, increasing the chances of this select crowd signing up for your service or purchasing your product. 

4. Answer questions on your social accounts.

Opening social media accounts and not interacting with your community and clients is social media suicide. Social media gives consumers a means of communicating with brands on a more personal level. Not answering any questions or comments posted on your account, or not even participating in discussions on your page, doesn’t create a wholesome image for your brand. 

Build Influence – Create Connections for Content Sharing

Publishing and sharing content is one of the best ways to increase lead generation. Here are some great ideas to help you create content:

5. Write e-books and include forms.

Whether free or paid, e-books are an excellent way to share your content with your target audience. Usually, a short accompanying blog list post would help increase the download of the e-book. The blog post itself entices the reader and enables sharing and keyword optimization. Writing e-books also boosts your authority on the subject and credibility. 

6. Make visual content.

Optimize your content to make it easily shared on Pinterest. Visual content also makes the amount of time to make a decision to share, comment, or tag someone lesser, thus increasing conversion rates. 

7. Don’t always talk about you, your product, or your service.

Nobody wants to constantly read about things you sell or do. Sometimes, it helps to create content on helpful information. For example, Revology Cars sells Mustang car parts. This opens up a whole avenue for them to create content on maintaining different car engines, or why they are the best place to get classic Mustang car parts. Link up with other service providers into your post, and you’ll work on no. 2 on this list. 

8. Optimize for mobile viewing.

Thanks to smartphones, information is in the palm of our hands. Any content you create has to be optimized for mobile viewing first, and desktop second. Your consumers are more likely to view your newsletters, product updates, emails, statuses, and tweets via mobile than they will be on their desktop. One of the things to consider when optimizing for mobile viewing is also when to publish your content, so the chances are higher for your clientele to pick up their phones and read it. 3 am isn’t the time, in case you’re wondering. 

Build More Activity – Utilize Social Media Monitoring

Listening to your audience on social media helps uncover plenty of information on how receptive they are toward your brand and how your brand relates to them. Listening in this sense is seeing the interaction between consumer and brand, and reacting to this through offering information or expertise helps increase the sales without the pressure of selling. Here’s how to monitor for lead opportunities:

9. Monitor industry trends.

It’s essential to keep up with trends in your industry to stay at the top of your game. Trends can help make your product or service more visible. For example, if you sell shoes and the latest trends are fringe products, then highlight shoes in this category through your newsletters and blog posts, or link an article featuring fringed items and connect it with your product. 

10. Monitor discussions about your product category.

Reddit, Buzzfeed, CNET, and Google Alerts are great places to monitor conversations of your product category. Google Alerts, for example, gives you alerts on any news items that are related to your keyword search. Staying updated on what’s happening in your industry helps you not only to make more informed marketing decisions but also allows you to interact with your customer base.

Monitor questions and conversations about your product category.

Often, questions and conversations about your product category help you tweak your product to better suit your target market’s needs. Conversations often take place at comment sections in social networks such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and even commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay. Just keep an eye out for what your audience is saying.