Branding in Today’s Social World: 5 Key Points to Successfully Communicating to Your Customer by @iamronii

Ronii Bartles | Feature Contributor

Is it just me or are we all just becoming social butterflies? I find myself contemplating which social media platform I’m going to talk to my friends on because we are all on several different ones. Even the introvert can get in on the action of being social with so may ways to communicate with people and actually not having to leave the comfort of your home, office, bed (I like to check my social media in bed, probably a little TMI), it doesn’t matter. It’s your choice.

I tell people all the time that the marketing and advertising industry has made us all ADD and it really makes it hard to capture a potential customer’s attention. Technology is making that task even more complicated with social media, blogs, websites, smartphones and the list goes on. I find myself distracted and overwhelmed by all the options to communicate with my friends, family and colleagues. A few weeks ago my account executive and I were sitting in the same office with our desks right next to each other and bantering back and forth on Facebook. We were in the same room and not a word was said. That’s when you know you have a social addiction.

So… how can a business cut through all the clutter (I know total cliché there but clichés exist for a reason)? Here are 5 ways to communicate your branding on any platform or style in today’ hyper social world.

1. Say what you mean and mean what you say: Don’t be fake! People can spot fake (even digitally) a mile away. You want to build a genuine, authentic brand that serves your customers and being fake will destroy your empire in like 0.25 seconds. Your brand is making a promise to its customer so stand behind that promise and say what you mean and mean what you say.
2. Entertain people by being human: People want to be entertained. I find that using humor (particularly some crazy, silly fact about myself like how I have been trying to get out of work with a sprained knuckle) gets the most traction. We live in a world of constant entertainment and it is a way for people to not worry about their problems for a second. And, laughter really is the best medicine.
3. Be positive: Customers are humans and they want to know the humans behind a brand. But they also don’t want your ‘feel sorry for me, sob story.’ While good storytelling includes hardship, people what to know that you learned something and overcame that obstacle. Everyone loves a good, good versus evil story but always remain positive in your communication about that brand story.
4. Ask questions: People like to talk about themselves and give their opinion. So ask questions. This is always a great way to learn what you customers’ big problems are so that you can then start developing solutions for them that they will buy from you. If you have a loyal following and a strong brand story, run a contest asking a question about your brand and then give away a cool t-shirt or cozie.
5. Pick your time zones: I really can’t take credit for this tip because a friend of mine that owns a social media firm gave it to me. When communicating on social platforms, pick the same time of day each day that you will be on and communicating with people. Schedule an hour a day (the same hour every day) to check and interact with people on your social media platforms and communicate your brand story. This was a brilliant tip to me because one, you structure your day and don’t get sucked into the social media time warp and two, you begin to teach your community when you are available to communicate with them and are consistent with your brand messaging.

Navigating today’s social world can be a little tricky. There are so many options that it is overwhelming. But communication is key in your businesses’ success and being able to communicate with your audience will be that all-so-important relationship building that will drive them to purchase from you.

Leave a comment with things that have worked for you and maybe you have a few that didn’t. I’d love to know some of your tips for communicating your brand in today’s social world.

Photo Credit: 59f2589f0a1196192c58772263759b8c via Compfight cc

———————————————————————————–

Ronii Bartles – Marketing & Branding Expert from Bartles & Associates – Charleston, SC

Ronii is Bartles & Associates’ self-proclaimed Chief Rockstar. She has a whole list of amazing (but slightly boring) credentials like a Bachelor’s Degree from Shepherd University, a MBA from The Citadel, The Lowcountry Business Network Advisory Board Member and is President of the Charleston American Marketing Association, where she was also a 2012 Marketer of the Year Finalist. She loves to go around telling people that she actually is one of the Most Influential Women in Business in Charleston and a 40 Under 40 winner because the Business Journal told her so. Professionally, Ronii grew up in the marketing research industry and has been Director of Operations at ARG and W5. She took all that experience and started Bartles & Associates and roniibartles.com where Ronii and her team work with creative entrepreneurs and small businesses on developing branding and marketing strategies around what they do best, which they lovingly call Operations Marketing. B&A helps businesses uncork their potential by uncovering their WHY and then crafting that message into concise, memorable brand stories and marketing messages. Ronii is an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters for over twelve years, and won Big Sister of the Year in 2008. Originally from West Virginia (you can take the girl out of WV but you can’t take the WV out of the girl), she loves beer, college football (Let’s GOOO Mountaineers!), pizza, jeans and a t-shirt, and designer high heels. You can connect with Ronii on Twitter or LinkedIn or email her.

Ronii Bartles

Ronii is Bartles & Associates’ self-proclaimed Chief Rockstar. She has a whole list of amazing (but slightly boring) credentials like a Bachelor’s Degree from Shepherd University, a MBA from The Citadel, The Lowcountry Business Network Advisory Board Member and is President of the Charleston American Marketing Association, where she was also a 2012 Marketer of the Year Finalist. She loves to go around telling people that she actually is one of the Most Influential Women in Business in Charleston and a 40 Under 40 winner because the Business Journal told her so. Professionally, Ronii grew up in the marketing research industry and has been Director of Operations at ARG and W5. She took all that experience and started Bartles & Associates and roniibartles.com where Ronii and her team work with creative entrepreneurs and small businesses on developing branding and marketing strategies around what they do best, which they lovingly call Operations Marketing. B&A helps businesses uncork their potential by uncovering their WHY and then crafting that message into concise, memorable brand stories and marketing messages. Ronii is an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters for over twelve years, and won Big Sister of the Year in 2008. Originally from West Virginia (you can take the girl out of WV but you can’t take the WV out of the girl), she loves beer, college football (Let’s GOOO Mountaineers!), pizza, jeans and a t-shirt, and designer high heels. You can connect with Ronii on Twitter or LinkedIn or email her.