The imminent truth is: “Social Media has become the most powerful marketing tool there is’. The traditional methods of marketing strategies relied upon tools that are nowadays sought ineffective. Including the use of pamphlets, brochures, radio announcements and catalogs now seem redundant. The fact is, if done properly, branding on Social Media is a wholesome marketing tool that will not only help build your brand. It’s also a medium of strong customer engagement and service quality. 

Also Read: Social Media in Pakistan is evolving – 2024 Trends

So why the sudden change? Before the widespread use of social media platforms, many businesses sought ‘reach’ as their strategy to maximize returns. However, with the technological boom and ever-changing dynamics businesses now believe in ‘out of the box’ solutions when it comes to branding strategy. This will not only help achieve their objectives but also promote awareness, improve potential reach and penetrate new markets.

For instance, DECIEM a Toronto based beauty company has built its brand solely on social media platforms majorly Facebook Page and word of mouth. The company’s tagline is “An abnormal beauty company’ which indicates their principle to not follow the norms of the beauty industry but to do something completely different. Which is to produce products targeting specific skin issues with minimal ingredients and simple packaging.

The result:

The company has customers raving about their products all over the world and that too with little to no advertising budget.  Their branding strategy isn’t limited to defying beauty standards. They also ensure highly attentive customer care providers that help cater to skincare regimes with explanations. 

Similarly, Realme a Chinese mobile company is taking over the Asian smartphone industry especially in Pakistan and India through advertising and brand building via social media mainly Facebook and Instagram. The company has now sought a foothold in the market and has become an indirect competitor to major companies including Samsung. What Realme actually did is target a particular segment of the market.

The company’s branding on social media strategy includes producing smartphones with quality specifications sold at economical or competitive marketing. Furthermore, they bring out new phone models within two to three months. How is this possible? The thing is Realme targets consumers that play PUBG Mobile, a shooter game that has taken over the world. 

However, ‘content’ matters. Social Media provides you a vast market or groups to target but if your content quality isn’t able to get the message across, then all your efforts are in vain. In order to devise a branding strategy, customer engagement, and loyalty matters. Facebook pages have a specific review section for potential customers to seek before decision making. There is an instant messaging option for customers to ask their queries. This is a personalized experience directly giving customers a personal touch and improving satisfaction. Also, many major companies seek social media as a way to maximize their reach and create awareness.

Goal:

The ultimate goal is to seek customer loyalty and turn your reach into ‘conversions’ (a customer buying your product). For more personal touch companies seek Instagram a mobile application that lets you convey your message via photos and videos. Visual representation helps create a stronger image in a customer’s mind. Also, a great opportunity to pursue subliminal marketing. 

With so many benefits and opportunities presented by social media, there are challenges. Brand Building ensures a wholesome effort including how well you conduct a social media audit to derive marketing insights that will help create a devised strategy.