Most brands have realized that, to run a successful marketing campaign of any sort, they need to utilize the power of social media. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t know the first thing about marketing on social networks. If you view your company’s profile as just another avenue for your ads, it will be very difficult to grow your audience and turn them into loyal customers. Today, we will talk about leveraging social media to build brand loyalty and trust with your followers.
Have a strategy in place
Doing things on the fly is never a good idea. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should stick to a failing approach. If you see that something isn’t working, you can change your strategy and make a course correction. However, with a bit of careful planning, you can, hopefully, avoid that kind of scenario.
Instead of posting when inspiration strikes, you should rely on proven, white-label marketing tactics. If you don’t hire professionals to take care of your posting, make a schedule and set reminders for when new posts are due. Regular updates will keep your social media profiles active, and posting once in a blue moon is definitely not an option. You can also use tools to automate posting. That way, you’ll be able to line up your content in advance. This will alleviate the pressure that deadlines often present, and you won’t have to think up something on the spot.
Build a community
Before you start looking into leveraging social media to build brand loyalty, you have to realize that without a strong community – you’ll have no one to share your posts with. If you need help figuring out how to develop an online presence that you can build a community around, you can enlist the help of a social media specialist who knows what they are doing.
The best way to gather people around your brand is to offer them something of value. By this, we don’t mean just advertising your products. If you treat your social media profile in an overly promotional manner and only use it for marketing, your followers will quickly lose interest. Instead, most of your posts should be quality content, supported by informative and entertaining posts. Basically, no more than 20% of what you post should be advertisements.
When users take the time to comment on your posts or ask questions on your profile, the least you can do is to respond in a helpful manner. Whenever you solve an issue one of your customers is having, you build brand loyalty. Social media networks are great places for word-of-mouth marketing. However, you need to keep in mind that users will express both positive and negative opinions. It’s your responsibility to ensure that customers are satisfied even after a purchase. How you deal with negative comments will greatly impact brand loyalty.
Be consistent and find your voice
In an attempt to appeal to everyone, some brands will try to post a wide range of topics on social media. Unfortunately, most businesses can’t manage their social profile as a variety channel. You should research your target demographic and adjust your approach to appeal specifically to them. Decide which social media platforms work best for your business, and then find your voice and post in a consistent tone.
Think about how you want to come across in your posts. Do you want to sound professional and factual, or perhaps friendly and welcoming? Changing how your posts sound can cause tonal whiplash and may confuse your followers. It’s important to keep in mind that you should remain consistent not only on social media but across all of your interactions with customers and followers. Always communicate in the same way, regardless of whether those interactions occur in online or offline spaces.
Constantly work to increase your following
Realistically, not everyone who follows your profile on social media will be equally enthusiastic about your brand. We recommend that you cast a wide net and boost your social media followers. Thankfully, there are many ways to reach new followers. However, you should always keep an eye on the metrics to see how many of your followers are regularly interacting with your company profile. People often lose interest in social media or abandon their accounts, so it’s important to have a plan to constantly acquire more followers.
Develop loyalty programs
One of the best ways of leveraging social media to build brand loyalty is by offering rewards for your most loyal fans and followers. Develop loyalty programs that will incentivize your audience to interact with your brand. At Throwdown, Alberta’s leading social media marketing company, we believe that trust should be rewarded. You can have rewards for:
- Users sharing your posts on their profiles.
- Tagging other people on your posts and photos.
- Uploading photos or videos of themselves using your products.
- Having the best comment on one of your posts.
All of these methods can spark user interest and expose your brand to a broader audience. What’s best is that your most avid fans will feel rewarded for their trust in your brand, and that’s the best way to build brand loyalty.
Hire influencers
An excellent way to build brand loyalty and trust is to get the help of someone who already has a loyal following. There are many influencers who are native to social media platforms. It naturally makes more sense to recruit someone to promote you where they have an established fan base. Thankfully, with the explosion of social media, most businesses will have an easy time finding an influencer who caters to their specific niche. Research who the leading e-celebs are in your corner of the internet, and approach them with a partnership proposal.
In summary
Social media can give you the competitive advantage you need to get ahead. You can do this by developing a good marketing strategy and leveraging social media to build brand loyalty. By turning your fans into loyal followers, you are ensuring repeat business and a stable line of profit for your company.