The most impactful marketing tool is social media. It can:
- Help you reach the right audience
- Build credibility
- Spread awareness and brand consideration
💡 Read Creating a Marketing Strategy that Works: Benefits, Steps, Tools
But jumping on trending bandwagons mindlessly won’t get you there. To get noticed, you need a well-thought-out social media awareness strategy.
So, here are some ways to create one for your business and nudge people to consider your brand over competitors.
8 Ways To Craft A Winning Social Media Awareness Strategy
Pick the right platforms
Every social media platform has business perks. However, scrambling to take advantage of all of them isn’t wise, as it wastes time and resources.
So, narrow it down to a few marketing platforms. This will let you focus your efforts and ensure that your brand is considered the best possible on each channel.
First, identify your target audience. As every social media platform appeals to a certain demographic, your choices will become much easier. So, build your ideal customer profiles and segment them according to demographics like:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Industry
- Interest
Your social media channel selection also depends on your business’s type and what products you offer.
LinkedIn is the ideal social media platform for B2B brands as it lets them network with potential client companies and build relationships with the relevant audience. You can also use YouTube to publish video content such as — demos, educational content, and webinars to showcase expertise and improve brand consideration.
For example, HubSpot has built a thriving online presence with 1 million followers on LinkedIn.
The brand is also very active on YouTube and uploads tutorials and webinar recordings to raise brand awareness and recognition.
However, B2C and D2C brands prefer a more casual approach to marketing with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
For example, Fenty Beauty runs elaborate marketing on Instagram. It posts new launches to improve awareness and partners with influencers to increase consideration.
The brand’s target age group is 25 to 34, and Instagram’s primary user base of millennials and Gen Z fits them perfectly. Plus, the platform showcases vibrant images of the products.
So, once you create target buyer profiles, choose social media platforms with reach in that crowd and are aligned with your brand personality and industry.
Create engaging content
Crafting content that intrigues and engages the audience is key to enhancing brand consideration through social media. You must understand their needs, interests, and pain points and select topics accordingly.
Use social media listening tools to monitor conversations and see what customers discuss. It will identify relevant social media trends and keywords, and uncover actionable insights to guide your content strategy.
For example, Determ is media monitoring software that tracks relevant online conversations in real time and uncovers the most buzzing trends in your industry.
Use storytelling to hook the audience to humanize your brand, create differentiation, and help the audience notice you without any sales-y tactics.
Storytelling is an inherent part of Airbnb’s social media strategy. The brand runs a YouTube series with short, stop-motion animated and edited videos to spread awareness of how the hosts benefit from listing their properties on the platform.
For example, the above video talks about how people who are ‘not always at home’ can get paid by turning their house into an Airbnb. The narrative is short, engaging, and gets the audience interested.
Double down on reels and visuals to beat the odds of finicky algorithms and reach the desired users. Visual content is also more engaging than text-based posts. To maximize reach, add relevant hashtags to your posts.
Share excerpts from your blogs as social media posts and add a CTA to the blog page. It will drive traffic, promote your expertise within the social media community, and encourage the audience to explore your offerings. Such efforts ultimately elevate awareness among your audience.
Engaging and vibrant content won’t improve brand consideration if it doesn’t show up on time. So, use an automated content scheduler to publish your content without missing a beat.
Develop a distinct design style
Every product has hundreds of alternatives and dupes. What sets you apart and builds recognition on social media? A design style that reflects your brand personality.
Customers should see your content and recognize your brand instantly. So, create a style guide that communicates your distinct brand voice. It will serve as a social media campaign design reference and keep your image consistent across platforms.
Here are some elements the style guide must outline:
- Brand voice and tone
- Typography
- Color scheme
- Language and grammar
- Hashtags
- Rules to engage with the audience on Social Media
- Reputation management
Such guidelines will lead your marketing teams to develop consistently on-brand campaigns that boost brand recognition and consideration.
For example, Gucci uses the Granjon Roman font in their style guide to represent luxury and class, two on-brand characteristics.
Discord also has a style guide that details its color palettes, alternative logos, brand personality, and more.
The brand follows this for all its social media handles. From content style to colors, everything is aligned with Discord’s distinct design style and personality of “a playful and fun brand that doesn’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Build a community
Give your customers an experience that goes beyond a buyer-seller relationship.
How? By building communities. It:
- Establishes your expertise
- Differentiates you from competitors
- Makes your brand more memorable, improving brand recognition and consideration.
Community building is also excellent for driving brand loyalty and advocacy.
You can create a Facebook group and start discussions on the most trending topics in your industry. Promote your group on other forums, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, or through email marketing to get people to join.
Consider starting a weekly or monthly newsletter to build relationships and an ardent following. Regular newsletters will keep your name fresh in the audience’s mind, nurture them over time, and enhance consideration.
You can also start a Discord community or a Reddit group.
For example, the beauty brand Glossier runs a Reddit community page with over 50,000 followers. In addition to beauty tips, the members share their shopping hauls from the brand, gifts from friends, etc.
Collaborate with influencers
Influencers rule the social media game today. Netizens trust their recommendations and are more likely to consider brands they promote. That’s why 23% of brands are willing to invest more than 40% of their marketing budget in influencer marketing.
Choose social media creators whose digital presence fits your brand style.
For example, Split Rock Custom Homes’ strategy was to partner with Interior designer and home decor influencer Becki Owens to spread social media awareness. The creator holds authority in this field, benefiting the brand’s credibility and consideration.
Wondering how you can find the right influencers?
Use Determ’s social listening to locate top creators in your industry. You can measure their organic following, engagement rate, and other performance metrics. The tool will also analyze their past partnerships and results for informed decision-making.
Holger Sindbaek, the owner of WOCG, shares, “After acquiring WOCG in 2023, we quickly realized we were missing significant growth opportunities on emerging social media platforms. To address this, along with SEO, we pivoted our strategy towards cultivating a strong presence on these new channels, recognizing the potential for enhanced brand exposure. We collaborated with TikTok influencers and YouTube creators who had established authority and sizable followings on these platforms. This move diversified our audience reach and revitalized our brand’s image, making it more relevant and visible in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape. The shift has led to a noticeable increase in engagement and has positioned us well for future growth.”
Host contests and giveaways
Create a buzz around your brand by hosting contests and giveaways. It will excite and nudge your target audience to engage with your brand and promote your branded hashtags.
The more engagement you get, the better your reach and brand awareness. Social media contests also generate word-of-mouth, improving brand consideration.
You can ask your followers to:
- Post pictures with your contest hashtags
- Mention a friend under your posts
- Share your posts on their stories
For example, French-Belgian cookware brand Le Creuset hosted the above giveaway on Instagram.
The incentives don’t have to be something grand. You can keep product hampers, gift vouchers, or early access as rewards. Including trending products in your giveaways can significantly enhance their appeal, drawing more participation and engagement from your audience.
Experiment with UGC campaigns
Reports show that 86% of customers may buy from brands promoting authentic customer content. So, make UGC a priority in your social media marketing strategy.
Ask your customers to post product pictures on social media with your hashtags and mention your brand. Run media monitoring to find user-generated content and repost them across your social media platform. However, take explicit permission from the OP before doing so.
You can also use contests to encourage UGC generation. For example, GoPro hosts a “Photo of the Day” contest with monetary rewards on Instagram and posts the best pictures submitted by their customers.
Run ads to target relevant audiences
If your marketing budget permits, run social media ads to target the desired audience. This way, you won’t be at the mercy of social media algorithms to encourage brand considerations. Your ads will appear on relevant feeds and increase traffic to your website.
Use striking visuals to capture the user’s attention and make them click. Get the timing right by understanding when your target customers are the most active.
Conclusion
Here is a TL;DR version of today’s discussion:
- Choose platforms with your core audience as the userbase
- Craft vibrant content and follow a distinctive campaigning style
- Build a strong community
- Partner with the right influencers
- Run contests and giveaways and repost UGCs
- Invest in paid social media ads
Want to keep your brand on top of the audience’s mind? Use the right social listening tool and follow our tips to create a stellar social media marketing strategy today!
