There is no “one way” to build and maintain a great food and beverage brand, but there are some marketing rules that will really help in successful social branding.
Find the fit. In social media, marketers have very few precious seconds to capture audience attention. Consumers may know some things about your brand, but there is also some information that is missing…information that completes the brand’s relevance for your target audience. That piece of information should be the focal point of your message. It is the hook that draws consumers to your brand emotionally. Find that fit and consumers will reward you…miss that fit and you become just another message to be summarily ignored. It’s about respecting your audience’s time and attention span.
Be helpful. Marketers love to send a steady stream of communication to their target audiences, but are you sending messages that are of value or just “more of the same old blurbs”? Ask yourself: “Why would consumers want to regularly hear from my brand? What am I sharing with them that improves their lives?” The reasons consumers should want to connect with your brand should be obvious to them in the messages you’re sending. It’s the difference between “Like us on Facebook” and “Get delicious recipes and coupons – like us on Facebook”.
Show some personality. Since it is “social” media, it is the right time and place to showcase your brand’s personality. Consumers really connect with the human side of brands. Invite your brand fans to share their experiences with your brand…birthdays, holidays, fun with family and friends, any occasion where your brand and products have had a role in your brand fans’ lives. The only really important point to keep in mind is that you remain true to your brand’s image and use this opportunity to reinforce what your consumers have come to know about your brand. Don’t send mixed messages in an attempt to over personify the brand.
Start conversations. Social media is all about conversations, but it’s not about what you have to say about your brand. It’s about what consumers say to you and to each other about your brand. While you may start some conversations with interesting and brand relevant content, always encourage and make room for consumers to do the talking and sharing. Reward consumers for their social interaction with your brand by inviting them to “share their favorite recipe or brand experience with friends, and the brand may host your next big get together”.
Invite the Share. In social media, the Share is every bit as valuable as the Like and Follow. It creates the person-to-person connection with your brand and spreads the word faster than any other vehicle. To make your brand “share worthy”, your content must be relevant and dynamic. There should always be something new and interesting going on at your brand’s social sites and website. Make sharing easy for consumers with share buttons and invitations obviously placed on all your brand communication…consumers won’t share if you don’t make it easy.
