Social Media from Social Media from ScratchScratch

For a startup's New Brand or For a startup's New Brand or Product LineProduct Line

By Michael Spencer, Sept, 2015. By Michael Spencer, Sept, 2015.

Be Personable Be Personable • Provide valuable contentProvide valuable content

• Provide shareable content that gets Provide shareable content that gets your brand out thereyour brand out there

• Target your posts to the audience Target your posts to the audience your product speaks most towards.your product speaks most towards.

Your ProductYour Product

• What are the pains that requires your What are the pains that requires your customers to buy your product, service customers to buy your product, service or solution?or solution?

• How does your solution or product How does your solution or product impact & reduce this pain? Identify the impact & reduce this pain? Identify the customer experience and journey of customer experience and journey of each scenario. each scenario.

Your TargetYour Target

• Who are your key segments of your target Who are your key segments of your target audience: personas? Profile them, make audience: personas? Profile them, make imaginative portraits of each, name them. imaginative portraits of each, name them.

• Brainstorm all the benefits of your product, Brainstorm all the benefits of your product, create micro video & visual photographic create micro video & visual photographic content that reflects each one. content that reflects each one.

• Identity the social media channels where Identity the social media channels where your personas are most likely to be and your personas are most likely to be and notice your solution. notice your solution.

Create Visual Create Visual StorytellingStorytelling

• Create pictures & videos that evoke a Create pictures & videos that evoke a story, of how a customer can use your story, of how a customer can use your product as a solution to a former pain.product as a solution to a former pain.

• This will be one of your keys to viral This will be one of your keys to viral marketing. The other is to identify and marketing. The other is to identify and contact influencers, PR, media, etc. contact influencers, PR, media, etc.

Cohesive BrandingCohesive Branding• Create branded key words, motto Create branded key words, motto

and describing words that best and describing words that best encapsulate the Unique Selling Point encapsulate the Unique Selling Point of your solution. of your solution.

• Then use each channel uniquely, Then use each channel uniquely, authentically and frequently to gain authentically and frequently to gain social authority. social authority.

Focus on UniqueFocus on Unique

• What differentiates your solution from What differentiates your solution from the competition or market? Focus on the competition or market? Focus on that. that.

• Focus on digital trends in your industry Focus on digital trends in your industry and provide your product or solution as and provide your product or solution as the pioneering one to the old pain the pioneering one to the old pain point…point…

Use Sales LanguageUse Sales Language• ““When [Problem or situation is When [Problem or situation is

occurring], I ________”occurring], I ________”

• Portray actors that mirror your audience Portray actors that mirror your audience using your solution or product. using your solution or product.

• Include CTA, powerwords and Include CTA, powerwords and persuasive phrasing in some of your persuasive phrasing in some of your video content. video content.

Study Branding & Study Branding & Advertizing Advertizing

• While social media has to be more While social media has to be more human and authentic nowadayshuman and authentic nowadays

• Study what has worked for the past Study what has worked for the past decades when outbound marketing was decades when outbound marketing was more popular, incorporate that kind of more popular, incorporate that kind of psychology more subtly in your psychology more subtly in your branding in digital and inbound. branding in digital and inbound.

Create & Recycle Create & Recycle • Create a database of assets, visual Create a database of assets, visual

content and written blogging content and written blogging content content

• Use and reuse it skilfully, while also Use and reuse it skilfully, while also creating content that is amusing, creating content that is amusing, entertaining and simply “too good”, entertaining and simply “too good”, that increases followersthat increases followers

Brand Development Brand Development CycleCycle

• Decide what you're going to brand. ...Decide what you're going to brand. ...• Do your research. ...Do your research. ...• Position your product or service. ...Position your product or service. ...• Write your brand definition. ...Write your brand definition. ...• Develop your name, logo, and tagline. ...Develop your name, logo, and tagline. ...• Launch your brand. ...Launch your brand. ...• Manage, leverage, and protect your Manage, leverage, and protect your

brand.brand.

Be true to Yourself Be true to Yourself • Your brand is derived from who you Your brand is derived from who you

are, who you want to be and how are, who you want to be and how people perceive you to be. people perceive you to be.

• Be honest, your brand is your vision Be honest, your brand is your vision of the best of your product, the of the best of your product, the psychological flavour, the values psychological flavour, the values your solution encapsulates. your solution encapsulates.

Is your ProductIs your Product• Innovative (trendy) or reliable Innovative (trendy) or reliable

(experienced)?(experienced)?

• High quality (luxury) or high value High quality (luxury) or high value (profit in bulk sales)?(profit in bulk sales)?

• What auxiliary markets is your product’s What auxiliary markets is your product’s success dependent upon? What’s the success dependent upon? What’s the branding like in that market?branding like in that market?

Branding Strategy Branding Strategy • Your brand strategy is how, what, where, Your brand strategy is how, what, where,

when and to whom you plan on when and to whom you plan on

• Communicating and delivering on your Communicating and delivering on your brand messages. brand messages.

• Branding is also how you will interact with Branding is also how you will interact with your customer, their interface into your your customer, their interface into your product and experience of it from first product and experience of it from first contact to their final review and long-term contact to their final review and long-term use of the product. use of the product.

BrandingBranding

• Is a meme, symbol of memory Is a meme, symbol of memory association your customer and association your customer and prospects have with your products. prospects have with your products.

• Is a quality of interaction between Is a quality of interaction between you and your potential customers. you and your potential customers.

Branding Persuasion Branding Persuasion

• Branding is the quality of emotional Branding is the quality of emotional experience and emotional attachment experience and emotional attachment derived over time by your customers to derived over time by your customers to your products. your products.

• Branding is the life-impact of your Branding is the life-impact of your products in the lives of your customers, products in the lives of your customers, the emotional customer experience. the emotional customer experience.

Branding DigitalBranding Digital• Be discoverable: findable, searchable, Be discoverable: findable, searchable,

memorable content (FSM)memorable content (FSM)

• Be a skill conversationalist: interactive, Be a skill conversationalist: interactive, gamificaiton layer, incentives, contests, gamificaiton layer, incentives, contests, user-gen-con orientated (IGCU)user-gen-con orientated (IGCU)

• Be authentic, intimate, relevant, constant Be authentic, intimate, relevant, constant (AIRC)(AIRC)

Brand Original Brand Original • Be a content innovator Be a content innovator

• Be data-driven, and focus on analytics to Be data-driven, and focus on analytics to see what’s working with whom and see what’s working with whom and when. when.

• Soul search what it means to be Soul search what it means to be “authentic” and “real” to your key target “authentic” and “real” to your key target audiences. audiences.

Brand Identity Brand Identity • What is your Brand’s personality?What is your Brand’s personality?

• What are the key traits you want your What are the key traits you want your Brand to embody? (Name your 4 top Brand to embody? (Name your 4 top qualities or traits)qualities or traits)

• How to achieve those and tattoo those How to achieve those and tattoo those in your content & social strategy?in your content & social strategy?

Brand PromiseBrand Promise• Imagine your brand is an extraordinary Imagine your brand is an extraordinary

success: success:

• Coke: Whatever you are doing, you’ll enjoy it Coke: Whatever you are doing, you’ll enjoy it more if you drink a Cokemore if you drink a Coke

• Apple: Users of Apple products are not only up Apple: Users of Apple products are not only up to date but are trendy and avante-guard. to date but are trendy and avante-guard.

• Your Brand: …………………?Your Brand: …………………?

Brand is SocialBrand is Social• Think of your Brand as the corporate Think of your Brand as the corporate

asset of the sum total of all that you do asset of the sum total of all that you do and empower via your product and and empower via your product and solutions. solutions.

• Your brand is not just the logo, color, Your brand is not just the logo, color, motto, tagline – but the quality of motto, tagline – but the quality of interaction with your customers and your interaction with your customers and your impact upon the world and digital space. impact upon the world and digital space.

Social Media Keys to Social Media Keys to Digital BrandingDigital Branding

• Facebook: low organic reach, saturated Facebook: low organic reach, saturated market, decent boosting options: 1x q 2 market, decent boosting options: 1x q 2 daysdays

• Instagram: no algorithm, all followers can Instagram: no algorithm, all followers can potentially see your content. 3x q day. potentially see your content. 3x q day.

• Twitter: high potential virality, good Twitter: high potential virality, good demographic reach for all populations. 5x demographic reach for all populations. 5x q day.q day.

Mobile BrandingMobile Branding• Mobile branding has to be video Mobile branding has to be video

content based first and foremost content based first and foremost • Youtube 3x q WeekYoutube 3x q Week• Vimeo 1x q WeekVimeo 1x q Week• Daily Motion 1x q 2 WeeksDaily Motion 1x q 2 Weeks• LinkedIn Pulse, embed videos with LinkedIn Pulse, embed videos with

article 1x q Weekarticle 1x q Week• Medium or Website Blog, 3x q WeekMedium or Website Blog, 3x q Week

Demographics TargetingDemographics Targeting• Millennial Women: Pinterest (high volume)Millennial Women: Pinterest (high volume)• Tech Men: Google + (SEO booster)Tech Men: Google + (SEO booster)• High Digital IQ: Quora presence High Digital IQ: Quora presence • Young Men: Reddit Young Men: Reddit • Local Targeting: Instagram #hashtagsLocal Targeting: Instagram #hashtags• Seniors: Facebook Seniors: Facebook • GenZ and young Millennials: Snapchat! GenZ and young Millennials: Snapchat! • Hispanic, African-American and Brazilian: Hispanic, African-American and Brazilian:

InstagramInstagram• Indian: LinkedIn Pulse Indian: LinkedIn Pulse

Learn from AgenciesLearn from Agencies• For each channel search the most For each channel search the most

successful brandssuccessful brands• Make notes of ideas from them on Make notes of ideas from them on

branding and channel optimization branding and channel optimization • E.g. What is Taylor Swift doing on E.g. What is Taylor Swift doing on

Instagram?Instagram?• Make Contests, Events, Promotions and Make Contests, Events, Promotions and

Seasonal offerings – don’t just post. Seasonal offerings – don’t just post.

Use Social SoftwareUse Social Software

• Try Buffer, Hootsuite or Sproutsocial Try Buffer, Hootsuite or Sproutsocial

• Do Google analytics and use keywords Do Google analytics and use keywords software and online tools. software and online tools.

• Each week, do research on new Each week, do research on new techniques, trends and social media techniques, trends and social media hacks hacks

Portray the PeoplePortray the People

• Your audience wants to be able to relate Your audience wants to be able to relate and identify with the people behind your and identify with the people behind your brandbrand

• Have your Corporate LinkedIn and Have your Corporate LinkedIn and Instagram (occasional) reflect your culture, Instagram (occasional) reflect your culture, community, altruistic events, team building community, altruistic events, team building exercise and behind the scenes take. exercise and behind the scenes take.

Develop Company RitualsDevelop Company Rituals

• Develop a positive brand tone about Develop a positive brand tone about your company’s cultureyour company’s culture

• What rituals do you do to build What rituals do you do to build community rapport? Promote those community rapport? Promote those social events as part of your social events as part of your integrated brand image. integrated brand image.

Create # HashtagsCreate # Hashtags• Create an exhaustive list of related Create an exhaustive list of related

hashtags to your brandhashtags to your brand

• Create an exhaustive list in Excel of Create an exhaustive list in Excel of related trending hashtags to your related trending hashtags to your solution, and the lifestyle, activates and solution, and the lifestyle, activates and markets surrounding it. markets surrounding it.

• Incorporate these into your Instagram, Incorporate these into your Instagram, twitter and other social strategies. twitter and other social strategies.