Social is Brand Research and Brand Communication

Boost your personal branding with social media

Social media is definitely a way to pass time now.  In the past, people used to while away their time listening to the radio or watching TV. Now it seems that everything and everyone can be found on the web. And the word “social” has come to mean social networking sites and platforms where people and brands can engage and connect.

For brands, social has a different meaning, however. It’s about reaching out to consumers in the best way possible. It’s about engaging with them and connecting with them. It’s about understanding what consumers want and providing it.

Social media provides brands with two basic benefits: ability to do brand research and brand communication.

Brand Research

If you’re wondering where to start in your word of mouth marketing, then social media is the way to go. And one of the best things you can do within different social media platforms is to conduct brand research.

There are many insights to be gained from social media interactions. By researching your target audience in social media, you can understand their lifestyles, their behavioral patterns, and even what motivates them to buy and purchase products and services. You can gain a better picture of your target audience and how they engage and connect with brands online. This can really help you discover and learn the best way to connect with them and hopefully get sales in return.

Here are some ideas on conducting social brand research:

       • Monitor keyword “buzz” in the social world and see what products and services related to your brand are trending

       • Test out campaigns to see which ones are effective and which ones aren’t

       • Create polls and surveys for your target audience

       • Monitor your customers and see what compels them to interact and engage with a brand

       • Get on Google Alerts and Analytics, use Twitter search, check Facebook insights, and monitor opt in rates to see which social marketing campaigns are getting the most reactions and which ones are getting left in the dust

Social media can definitely help you learn more about your consumers and what they’re really after. By conducting brand research in different social media platforms, you can effectively create a social marketing campaign that will reach your audience and make them respond.

Brand Communication

Another thing that social media allows you to do is brand communication. In the past, advertising and marketing campaigns were all about the one-way broadcasting of their message (think TV and radio) in the hopes of convincing people to try their products or services. Social media has changed all of that by giving consumers a voice. Now the conversation is a two-way street, where consumers can react to what brands say and claim, and brands can respond. Social media has basically given the power to the consumers.

As a small business brand, you can’t expect to just blare out your message and hope that people will docilely agree and accept it willingly. Consumers are a lot smarter nowadays – they ask questions, they want answers, and they aren’t passively absorbing what you say anymore. They react, they respond, they complain, and they make suggestions. If you don’t satisfy them, you can be sure that you will hear about it in social media.

Through social media, brands can communicate with their audience effectively. They can engage with them through different types of content, respond to their questions, and offer customer support if there are problems that need to be addressed. Many people prefer interacting on a brand’s social media page, as this gets a lot faster response than a ticket submitted through the brand’s website. After all, in social media, it’s not just the two of you talking – the whole world can view your conversation.

Brand research and communication in social media

Social media has truly innovated the way people interact with brands. It’s not enough to provide a solution to a problem anymore. With the competition among brands today, you really have to offer your consumers something more valuable than that in order to be successful.

Utilize social media in brand research and communication so you’re able to understand what your audience wants and can communicate with them effectively. Don’t just be the brand who blends in with all the others. Make yourself stand out by really offering what the consumers want.

So always remember to do your research and regularly engage with your audience so that your brand isn’t far from their minds. Social media is here to stay, so make sure you utilize it wisely.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com – a word of mouth marketing firm.   She helps create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is co-founder and moderator of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Efficient Small Business Promotion Using Pixability

Boost your personal branding with videos

As a small business owner, you may not have all the money to spend on advertising with major online advertisers, newspapers, TV and radio, or soft sell magazines. You therefore need to make use of cheap but efficient promotional alternatives to effectively reach your target audience and grow your business.

The introduction of social marketing through the social media platform is at the edge of this emerging business promotion avenue and with it, a small business owner can more easily achieve success. Apart from connecting to loved ones and friends, one thing people are most crazy about on social media is sharing, viewing, and commenting on videos.

The video, as means of business marketing is a relatively new thing, and people who get into it now will reap high benefits and profits. However, making just any video and using it on social media may have a little impact. For people who are serious about their businesses, a video made by professional video-making services like Pixability will take your business to an unimaginable height.

Why should you get professionals to make your videos when you can do it yourself? What are the benefits of hiring expert video-making services like Pixability to help make promotional videos for your social marketing projects? Pixability is a company dedicated to the business of developing, producing and promoting videos for the purpose of video marketing. They utilize experts and professionals in the field of online video marketing to help you organize videos that will speak directly to your audience and get your small business the promotion that it deserves.

At Pixability, they don't just make videos; they study your organization, its requirements, and audience base, so as to produce the right video and deliver it to the right audience to inspire the right response. To achieve this, Pixability features three packages that are well suited for all kinds of small businesses.

The Caffeine package is used for marketing, and managing online video portfolios and assets; the Espresso package is for kick-starting and accelerating already existing online video content; and the Mocha package is designed to create and market a complete online video portfolio with the production and utilization of 1 company overview and 20 industry expert videos.

These Pixability packages provide multiple options with all kinds of video marketing strategies according to your exact needs and budget. The company also helps small businesses and individuals with their cloud-based online video marketing software to help increase awareness and drive traffic. They provide full video analytics for websites and search engines; and video SEO for tagging, site maps and descriptions.

Another great benefit of using Pixability for promoting your small business with videos is their integration with the top social media sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn. This is by far the latest and most effective way to drive traffic to your business and reap huge profits. Pixability also helps provide video optimization and analytics, as well as YouTube channel management and reviews to help your website get to the first page of Google search engine rankings.

If you don't have any videos created, then Pixability can help you with that too. They offer professional video production from scriptwriting to coaching, sound and light, voice-overs, editing, studio-grade animation and motion graphics, all of which will contribute to set your online video social marketing apart from the usual crowd.

Youtoo Can Benefit You Too

Youtoo helps your personal branding

Want to be on TV? Well, today, you no longer have to be an actor to appear on TV. With Youtoo Social TV, you can have your 15 seconds of spotlight. You can even be featured in your favorite TV shows.

What exactly is Youtoo Social TV? It is currently the only Social TV platform available in the market that allows viewers to become participants in a television program from practically any location. So even if you’re on the other side of the world, as long as you have Internet, you can record using Youtoo’s app and create a high-definition video file that’s ready to upload.

Youtoo already has mobile apps for iOS and Android where you can record 15 seconds of video, which you can then upload and share with the network. Not only this, but Youtoo recently launched something even better – a Facebook to TV app.

This is the first ever Facebook to TV app that allows Facebook users to create videos of themselves and upload them so they can air on national television. The app is called “Be on TV” and it basically lets any Facebook user to have the chance to interact with their favorite TV show.

All you have to do it search for “Youtoo” on Facebook. When you find it just download the “Be on TV” app. After you record a video using the app, it will be posted on your Facebook wall so you can share it with your friends, and then it will be subject to approval by Youtoo.

Once the video is approved for airing, you will receive a Facebook notification to let you know the date and time your video will air so you can inform your friends and audience about it.

As a small business owner, getting some exposure on national television can definitely be significant for your brand. You want to promote brand awareness, you want people to know that your business exists, and you want customers and clients to know what you can offer to them. If you can get some air time, this can definitely boost brand awareness and is a great way to spread the word about your products.

Another feature that Youtoo offers is the Social Stream and Social Shout. It’s like text messaging but done a million-fold, since you’re broadcasting your text message to the entire TV audience. This is yet another feature that you can utilize for word of mouth marketing, as you aim to spread brand awareness and promote your products and services.

As Youtoo continues to grow, they continue to push out features that can benefit both people and brands. For example, during January of this year, Youtoo gave away 30-second PeopleMercials. Anyone could submit a 30-second video recording that, once approved, was aired on national television. People could talk about themselves and their business, show off their skills, and so much more. As a small business owner, you could create a short video telling how you started your business and what it’s all about. If your video is chosen to be aired, then you’ll definitely have some huge exposure for your small business.

As Youtoo continues to roll out some exciting events and features, as a small business owner, it would be to your advantage to monitor what’s coming, in order to benefit the most from the site.

Since it launched, Youtoo has broadcasted more than 90,000 videos recorded by viewers on national TV, and it has really revolutionized the concept of social TV. With its launch of “Be on TV” for Facebook users, it has truly bridged the gap between network TV and social media, enabling people to use these two platforms in one sitting.

Though social media may currently be the most popular platform for brands in today’s market, national television continues to hold a significant number of the population in thrall. Many people continue to enjoy spending their time in front of the television, whiling the hours away watching TV series, movies, game shows, and so on.

With Youtoo, you can now get exposure for your small business brand for free! Yes, Youtoo is a completely free service, but it’s important that the videos you submit for approval meet the criteria and don’t violate any of the site’s policies.

Are you wondering if you can promote your brand on national television? Yes, you can, with Youtoo’s Social TV platform. The best part is, you even have the ability to combine your social media campaigns with your exposure on TV, using Youtoo’s “Be on TV” Facebook app. So don’t ignore this site, since it may very well help you market your small business brand and increase your revenue.

Companies' Personal Connection as Influential as Friends'

For most brands of today, social media is “THE” place to be. It’s where most people are devoting their time nowadays, which is why small business brands are adding social media to their marketing mix in order to promote brand awareness and increase consumer engagement.

The main point in using social media in your marketing mix is to engage and connect with your audience. People don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements in Facebook or Twitter – they want to keep in touch with their friends, read interesting posts and updates, watch relevant videos, and get information about sales, specials and giveaways with regards to the brands they love.

As a small business owner, you’re definitely interested in how much you’re influencing consumers through social media. You want to know if you’re really increasing brand awareness, if your website is getting traffic from these platforms, and if it’s resulting in an increase of revenue for your business.

In a survey conducted by Market Force Information, they discovered that social content posted by brands are practically as influential as social content that are posted by friends. Social content is influencing consumers’ buying decisions, whether they’re posted by friends or brands.

The recent Market Force survey interviewed adults who are into social networking, and asked if they read comments, updates, tweets, and other social media content that were posted in the past 90 days by friends and brands they follow. The results showed that 81% of these people were influenced by their friends’ posts to purchase, while a comparatively high 78% were influenced by brands. This is very significant for businesses, both small and large.

Since companies and brands who are active in social media also wield a significant influence in consumers’ purchases, then there’s really no better time than today to ensure that you’re utilizing your social media platforms properly. As a small business owner, this is data that you can’t ignore – consumers want to connect with you on social media; they want you to influence their buying decisions.

The survey also shows that consumers are now seeking recommendations and checking reviews in social networking sites. This is where they try to obtain information about restaurants they want to try, retailers they want to buy from, and other products and services that they’re curious about. About 60% of those surveyed from the US say that they rely on brand feedback they read on friends’ social media posts, while in the UK, about half do this as well.

Some other revealing data: around 76% of US respondents regularly “like” the Facebook page of a business, with the most popular ones “liked” being those involved in food, travel, entertainment, finance and retail. This is comparable to 65% of UK respondents. Nearly half of these also follow the same businesses on Twitter. The main reason given by the respondents for following the brand on social media is to be updated on giveaways, specials, discounts and other incentives given by the business.

Perhaps the best part about brands in social media is the fact that it offers a two-way interaction between the business and its audience. Communication isn’t a one-way street anymore, and even the people in the audience can interact with each other within the platform. Your audience can reply to other people’s questions and comments, and this really helps in building a community around your brand.

Though having a social media account can also open you to criticisms and negative feedback, most brands find that having a social media presence really helps spread the word about their brand in a positive way. It offers an excellent way for the consumers of your small business brand to engage with you as well as with other clients and customers.

Rather than have people talk about your brand behind your back, it’s far better that they talk about you within a platform that you can monitor. This is what a social media presence helps you do. With the site, people can post both positive and negative feedback, and it really helps you discover what you can do to improve your brand and be able to answer any criticisms that come your way.

So don’t be afraid of social media. They’re currently the most popular platforms online that can help you promote your brand and increase revenue for your business. By ensuring that you have a social media presence, you can effectively connect and engage with your audience, and convince them to buy your products and services.

Does Your Business Need Moms?

There’s one group of people who are one of the most active in social networking sites and other social media platforms, it’s moms. In a social media study sponsored by Performics with nearly 3,000 participants, it was discovered that moms are more active, more present, and more engaged when it comes to using social networking sites, as compared with other women.

Here are some other statistics that came from the study with regards to usage of Facebook:

       • 85% of moms visit Facebook daily, as compared with 73% of other women

       • 82% of moms have had a Facebook account for more than a year, as compared with 76% of other women

       • 68% of moms consider their Facebook account extremely important, as compared with only 54% of other women

Also, with regards to purchasing as a result of social media, moms are also more likely to purchase because of a recommendation on a social networking site, and they are also more likely to purchase from brands and companies they “like” on Facebook and other social networks. This offers a world of opportunity for brands and businesses, and if there’s one question they should be asking themselves, it is this one: “Does my business need moms?”

The study also found that:

       • Moms are approximately 61% more likely to own a Smartphone compared to other women

       • Moms are 75% more likely to trust information from businesses in social networking sites compared to other women

       • Moms also actively champion and talk about the brands they like – 34% of them recommend brands on social networking sites, 24% of them talk about the brands they follow on Facebook, and 50% of them post interesting or relevant content about a brand

With the little spare time they have, moms are taking advantage of all the tools at their disposal. They are using their Smartphones, updating on Twitter, interacting on Facebook and Google+, creating fabulous pinboards on Pinterest, and even maintaining their own blogs. Because they devote a lot of time to these different social networking platforms, they really become excellent brand advocates and influencers, as they promote and talk about the brands and companies that they like and don’t like.

It was also discovered that one out of three bloggers are moms, according to a study by Nielsen. Bloggers are truly influential people, since many of them are posting, talking, and reviewing different brands honestly and straightforwardly. A negative review by an influential blogger can end up ruining your brand, unless you address the issue immediately.

As a small business brand, you can benefit a lot from including moms in your target audience. This is especially true if you’re in the apparel, automobile, and travel industry, since according to the Performics study, these are the main types of items that moms are ipurchasing.

Did you know that mom bloggers control around two trillion dollars worth of purchase power. This discovery revealed by this study is very significant to brands, since mom bloggers influence other moms and other people as well with regards to purchases.

Here are two questions you should ask yourself to determine if your business needs moms:

     1. Can your small business brand benefit from social marketing?

     2. Are the products and services you offer relevant to moms and families?

Most brands are likely to answer yes to these two questions, since in today’s times, all brands, whether personal or business ones, can benefit a lot from social marketing. And most products and services are relevant to moms and families today as well. From clothing and gadgets to automobiles and travel tours, there is practically no industry that a mom hasn’t expressed interest in yet.

Truly, any brand can benefit from having moms interested in their business. Because moms are highly social creatures who enjoy connecting and interacting in social media and online communities, they are the best people to spread your brand by word of mouth.
Targeting this highly active group of women can definitely be advantageous to your small business brand. So make sure your company doesn’t ignore moms! This incredibly influential group with high purchasing power can become the best brand advocates and influencers you can possibly meet!

The Fancy - Taking on Pinterest and Social Commerce?

Many people continue to spend much of their time interacting and engaging on Facebook and Twitter, more and more individuals are also turning to sites such as Pinterest and Fancy for sharing and inspiration.

With over 11 million reported users, Pinterest seems to be on its way to becoming a highly popular social networking site. In fact, just this Monday, Forbes reported that they were now the “number three” social network joining Facebook and Twitter at the head of the class.  Pinterest is all about making highly visual and creative boards about the things you like and enjoy, and then sharing them with your friends and followers. Majority of its users are women, who enjoy pinning and re-pinning the content they find.

Getting a little Fancy?

But have you heard about Fancy? This site is actually quite similar to Pinterest, but with a couple of differences. The main difference is that unlike Pinterest, which is more about creative pictures and inspirational boards, Fancy is geared toward ecommerce, and has recently allowed users to buy products directly from the site.

Fancy started as somewhat similar to Pinterest, where you can “Fancy” the gorgeous products that are found in the site. It’s a social photo-clipping service that’s very popular among people who like looking for unique and rare things.

Interesting to note is that unlike Pinterest, Fancy’s users are 60% male and only 40% female. They are often seen posting high fashion clothes and accessories, consumer goods, and pictures of lovely and exotic places. And even though its current 250,000 users is a long way from Pinterest’s 11 million, it seems that Fancy users are more interactive in the site, as they fancy over a million products in just a week.

It joins the ranks of Google+ (another predominantly male social network – at least having more active and social males in their population) as being a network that reaches more men than women.

It first began its venture to ecommerce by offering coupon codes to users who fancy images from certain merchants. But now, you have the option of purchasing right on Fancy, without the hassle of having to leave the site.

How do you Fancy?

How exactly does it work? Well, whenever a user fancies an item, brands and retailers can then bid to sell that specific product. Once approved, they set the price and quantity for the item, and Fancy gets a percentage of the cost paid by the buyer.

It’s actually a different way of doing social commerce. Instead of brands and businesses trying their best to connect with consumers through special deals and other marketing strategies in social media, Fancy users are the ones who look for products they like, while brands and businesses bid on those products to determine who sells them.

The idea is quite new and innovative, and CEO Joe Einhorn is confident that it will soon appeal to the masses. Backed by some serious investors, Fancy seems to be set on taking ecommerce by storm.

The challenge, however, is getting more users to sign up in the site and start fancying things. Fancy’s 250,000 users is still a long way to go from where Pinterest’s 11 million users are standing.

So will Fancy be the next big thing in social commerce? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Marketing, Communication, and Connection Changes

For a business to succeed, the products, services, and messages that marketers are sending to consumers must fit upcoming trends to guarantee that marketing strategies meet what the consumers are interested in.

According to a forecast done by JWT Intelligence, a marketing and communications consulting firm, upcoming trends will be determined by different factors like advancing technology, the idea of shared responsibility, and the economic situation. If marketers consider these in their coming efforts to gain and appeal to consumers, they have a higher chance of keeping up with consumer needs.

Through the efforts of JWT in determining trends in the coming year, here are some of the changes in marketing, communication, and connection that marketers are going to see next year.

More Accessible Products and Services – due to the economic situation, marketers must find a way to make their products more economic-friendly. Consumers are faced with budgeting their money, but you still want them to purchase your goods. Try to reinvent products that will be inexpensive to consumers. Businesses can try to repack their products in smaller containers and sell them at a lower price, rather than offer bigger ones that may take them off budget.

Live a Little – consumers are more restrained now when it comes to purchasing products and services, but they are also found to willingly spend a little on things that will make them feel that they are not missing out on life. Marketers can take advantage of this by sending marketing messages on how consumers can still enjoy the pleasures of life with your product and services.

New Generation Business Owners – there are a lot of young entrepreneurs these days. Marketers need to create marketing and communication strategies that will appeal to these entrepreneurs.

Shared Value – due to cultural shifts and the rise of shared value, marketers must look into building their brands by establishing partnerships with local non-profit causes. This strategy will benefit the business through exposure and good cause, and at the same time benefits customers and the society.

Eco-Friendly Foods – consumers are becoming aware of the environmental impacts of food choices. Marketers can include in their marketing message about how their brand is helping the environment, in any way, in terms of producing goods. Consumers will be more inclined to go for products that are eco-friendly in the coming year.

Single Adults – because there are a lot of women these days that prefer to live on their own, marketers should reinvent their image of single adults. Successful women these days are buying their own property, therefore it is a good time to recreate messages that will appeal to single adults, especially to women.

A Dose of the Unexpected – reinventing randomness, different points of view, inspiration, and discovery will play a key part in upcoming trends. Giving consumers something different and random will benefit marketers if they want to attract and maintain consumer interest.

Touchscreens – touchscreen devices like tablets are really popular these days. It is interactive, easy to use, and appealing to consumers. Marketers can make use of these devices to attract consumers. Last year, Burberry placed iPads in their stores so customers can easily browse through their collections.

Redefine Aging – people are now more comfortable with and positive about aging. Marketers need to redefine how consumers view their age and the elderly. They can do this by choosing people with more depth and texture instead of the young skinny girls to represent their brands.

Premium Offerings – through technology, products are giving consumers the experience of receiving something more appealing. Marketers should focus on showing the premium offerings their products have to increase customer experience. Products can create unique and valuable gifts for others, such as the Postagram app by Sincerly. The app allows users to snap photos and send them as postcards; this adds a more personal touch to the postcard increasing its value for the customer.

JWT’s forecast results are based from a year-long study of consumer and market trends. The study used different research approaches to give businesses tips on what to expect from consumers this coming year. Businesses are dedicated to determining upcoming consumer trends because this is a way to keep that connection between consumers and what businesses can offer. Marketing strategies are also built on consumer trends to make sure that they hit the right mark with the way they communicate and market their products and services.

Author:
Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com – a word of mouth marketing firm.   She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding.