“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints.” – Jonah Sachs
Most people have some knowledge of what branding is. In this day and age, we are told that even we as individuals are ‘brands’, each telling our own story across the physical and digital world. But what is social media branding? And what are the benefits?
When social media branding is done right, it can help you effectively connect with your target audiences above other communication techniques. In this blog, we cover what social media branding is, why it’s important for your business, and what to concentrate on when applying it to your own business. So, let’s dive right in!
What is social media branding?
Social media branding forms a crucial part of your overall communications – it is an extension of your primary branding and is just as important. It’s about identification and consequently recognition. Just as your logo is a visual marker for your brand, your social media platforms are a vessel that carries and personifies your brand and its values.
Social media branding helps you with brand exposure, customer recognition and retention, creating visually appealing profiles, conveying your message, and telling your overall story.
It begins first by defining your overall brand identity. This is establishing your visual identity, target audiences, choosing your platforms, and developing content that speaks to your audience, aligns with your values and personifies your business. Once all of these come together, you achieve your overall brand essence. If we think of your business as a person, then your business social media is its way of communicating to the world.
For more information on how you can blend your offline and online presence, creating an authentic customer experience, read on here.
Why is it important?
Why would you invest in primary branding and not carry that great new identity across to your social accounts? Most social media platforms are based around the concept of sharing and developing visual aids; thus, it is essential you carry across your visual branding to these platforms, creating a cohesive and beautiful profile to interact with your audience.
53.6% of the world’s population uses social media, meaning that over half of the world’s population can be reached via these platforms. Social media is a never-ending source of customers and possesses a way of reaching users which you may not have engaged with any other way. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed at 60,000 times the speed of text.
Where to start
From a visual perspective, utilising the same colour palette on your social media platforms as your primary branding, website and print media creates a sense of connection between them and adds to your overarching business persona. However, in saying that, social media is a place where we can share real-time content and interact with users in a less formal environment. This means you can use this space to have fun with secondary colours, playful fonts, and illustrations or icons. Your social media branding can take on a more fun look and feel, as an extension of your primary branding. This helps to engage your audience with a more personal, relatable and varied approach.
We do advise that your logo is interwoven throughout your campaigns to ensure recognition. As our own Creative Director and Lead Graphic Designer, Leanne says “If you want your brand to be recognisable and remembered, you need to ensure you are consistent.” Repeat key themes and patterns to continue portraying your style throughout your content, whether you are using your primary or secondary colour palette and fonts.
This also carries across in your brand voice, speaking in a way that portrays your business values and mission. Finding your brand’s tone of voice and message style will help your audience develop a rapport with you and your content. You want to make sure your message is communicated in a way that your target audience will understand, respect and want to engage with further.
Now social media is not a one size fits all, so not all platforms will be suited to your business. However, you can make educated decisions on which platforms can meet your needs by narrowing down your target audiences and deciding what information you would like to convey to them. There are going to be certain platforms that just don’t make sense for your specific marketing goals or business industry, so why waste valuable time trying to make them all fit?
In conclusion
Primary branding is an integral part of starting or revamping your business, and as we stated before, social media branding is a crucial branch of your communications strategy. It is a way to bring your brand to the people through a primarily visual lens and communicate with them, ultimately developing genuine relationships and building your community through your online presence. Unlike primary branding, you have time to play and experiment with social media branding, trying out secondary colours, illustrations or icons, and casual fonts. After all, variety is the spice of life! And social media is ever-changing, which makes it the perfect space to expand on your primary branding, grow your business, and develop an engaged and committed community.
If you need a little help getting started, please feel free to reach out. The Oraco team can’t wait to help you grow your brand and start your new social media adventure.
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