Around 3.5 billion people across the globe are using social media. Therefore, business owners can find most of their consumer base on such networks. According to a report, almost 54 percent of people on the internet research brands and businesses on social media. In today’s age of social media, these websites and apps are a critical part of marketing and branding. The recent years have shown that the impact of branding for small businesses in the time of social media has been quite powerful. Creating brand awareness on social media leads to a higher chance of generating traffic to your website and increasing sales.
These are some of the ways that branding impacts businesses and brands in the era of social media.
Increased Brand Recognition
Usually, when businesses promote their products and services on social media accounts, they tend to add their brand name and logo to various posts. This helps consumers become familiar with the company’s visual brand identity. It also differentiates it from the competition. You should post about your brand consistently on your social media pages. This leads to creating a lasting impression in the mind of the target audience. They may eventually recognize your brand easily after seeing the logo and name anywhere else.
Think about it this way. Suppose you run a media company and want people to stream or watch your content. Initially, your branding strategy on social media probably includes posts and short videos about your company with your brand identity. You can get a well-designed brand identity from companies such as Creative Allies or learn how to create a social media logo design using a simple logo designer application. With a brand identity, you can create brand awareness and recognition effectively and make your icon memorable too.
More Innovation and Creativity
One of the most positive impacts of branding for small businesses is that brands are finding more creative ways to engage the audience. They are coming up with innovative promotions and trending campaigns. Using networks like Twitter encourages participation from the people. Around 74 percent of social media users follow various brands on these platforms. They also interact and communicate with these businesses regularly. It’s why campaigns which include user-generated content are quite successful.
For example, Hello BC made waves with the Explore BC Later trend created to promote tourism and travel in British Columbia. The idea behind the popular hashtag was that since travel has been restricted due to the pandemic, people could still share pictures and videos from their trips. It had a strong message telling people to stay safe during COVID-19 and travel to beautiful places later. This was something quite creative, innovative and helped promote the company during a difficult period.
Builds Positive Image
Social media is a great tool for helping consumers see a positive image of the brand. By sending out socially responsible messages or playing a role in promoting different causes such as mental health awareness or anti-bullying, you can attract a lot of attention.
Recently, Starbucks made quite an impact with its “What’s Your Name?” campaign. They focused on diversity and targeted younger customers. It allowed the brand to connect with consumers struggling with their identities and helped them see the company in a positive way.
Similarly, quite a few companies have been using their social media presence to personally engage with people and talk about serious issues. Dove has been running a body positivity promotion since the early 2000s. It shares stories from girls and women and encourages them to be real.
Creates Sense of Community
In social media, an impact of branding has been a rising sense of community. With crowd culture, different communities have been formed that sometimes discuss brands and their values on social media. When businesses or brands tap into this crowd culture, they find out what people really think of their product.
It can help them interact with their consumers personally and create a community about their brand too. Under Armor and Nike are two of the biggest examples that you can observe here. Both the brands have made good use of their communities to spread awareness about their upcoming products and campaigns.
Branding for small businesses in the age of social media has led to businesses and brands becoming more aware and invested in consumer preferences. When you engage with a community online, you get an idea of what the people want and what is expected of your company in the future.
To Sum Up Branding For Small Businesses
The impact of branding has been quite lasting in the time of social media and will continue in the future as well. For many brands and businesses, it has generated positive results and raised awareness about their products and services effectively. If used in the right way, social media can definitely incredibly useful for branding and reaching out to consumers.
