Be Social!
Jennifer and Viviana, MP&F assistant account executives, have a lot of experience in running and monitoring client social media profiles. I was able to sit down with two employees to talk about how social media plays a part in crafting and maintaining a brand.
What I learned
Here are the top things I pulled away from the conversation:
- Consistency is key
- Figure out your key words
- Find which social media outlet is best for you
- Bring your brand to life!
When creating a brand, Viviana suggests creating a plan and sticking to it. Consistency is incredibly important, as you do not want to keep trying to shift and change simply to fit what seems trendy. This can make a brand seem confused and inauthentic. This is why it is important to decide early on who you are and what you stand for, so that even if you grow and change your style over time, you will always be able to be consistent with your core values and not seem like you are just trying to keep up with others.
Key words are the basic values and characteristics that will stay consistent throughout the development of your brand. Are you looking to be “classic” or “modern,” “bold” or “subdued,” “witty” or “informational”? You need to pinpoint and verbalize exactly how you want to portray yourself and what best represents you in order to follow through with this when actually crafting and exercising your brand.
Are you trying to be witty and go viral? Maybe Twitter is best for you! Are you trying to appeal to an older audience and engage through many thoughtful posts? Facebook might be your go-to! Are you trying to build your aesthetic and engage with your young audience? Sounds like you might be a good fit for Instagram! Figuring out what social media outlet offers the best features for you to express yourself is key. Don’t forget to take into account your target audience; find what social media platform they engage with the most before deciding which to use!
Jennifer says that you need to breathe some life into your brand! You are the driving force behind your brand, and you are the one calling the shots. Make it feel personable and engaging, so that online users truly start to connect with you and feel like they know you. Social media isn’t just an online platform; it is an outlet for expression and should be used as such. People respond well to engaging and eye-catching content. For example, according to an Entrepreneur.com article, “Twitter content with images receives nearly twice as many views as text posts, even though there are seven times more text posts on Twitter” (Agius, 2015). So, don’t be afraid to utilize pictures and videos to bring a brand to life!
Read on to see how I use these lessons to begin thinking through how I would craft my own personal brand!