You’ve just about exhausted your library of clever things to say when you hear someone call from across the room, “Hey, timbigfish! So glad to meet you in person.” And it’s then that you realize people are noticing. You’re an emerging brand.
I’m routinely asked, “What’s the ROI on social media?” But I’m not sure that’s even the right question for beginners. The real question is something more like, “Can I build a brand on social media?” And the answer to that is a resounding, “yes!” Start here:
Know Your Brand.
I know this about myself I’m not a brilliant conversationalist. But I can give you something to think about. It usually starts with a personal “aha moment”. Something said in a business meeting, an observation of a colleague or a bit of introspection after reading an interesting article. And I try to share that moment of growth with a few friends on Twitter in my own light way.
Talk less. Listen more.
Most of my Facebook friends know me through business, a civic club, church or a family acquaintance. They really don’t want to get too serious but they know that I’m not very funny but I am an optimist and lean toward the philosophical. So, my goal is simply to affirm their thoughts and occasionally survey their interest.
I may not be a great conversationalist but I do like to listen. I try to learn more about my audience by asking questions and letting them do the talking. I’ve recently learned what kind of music they listen to at work, what they have for dinner, what famous person they have met and introduced them a few of my friends along the way. At the same time, I’m sharing a little bit about my own interests and we’re connecting. Eventually, they’ll answer more complicated questions and may even begin to ask some of me.
Be inclusive.
There is nothing worse for a brand than to be off the radar except perhaps to ignore that friends and fans alike probably have brands they’d prefer to interact ahead of your own. Knowing that you like those brands too or are at least engaging other brands demonstrates openness. And people like to be included.
One of my favorite examples of openness is having recently jumped into a Twitter conversation between two of my Twitter friends. One is a beauty pageant contestant. The other is a musician. They tease each other about the stereotypes. To that end, many posts from the beauty queen end with the self-deprecating hash tag “#worldpeace”. So one evening a tweet about wanting a slice of cake was followed by my suggestion to make a #worldpeacecake and share with others. She liked that idea. A follower @larrylazycakes (manufacturer of relaxation brownies) chimed in that he would love to learn about the recipe for said #worldpeacecake. This has since led to numerous other interactions with the Lazy Cake brand and will someday no doubt lead to #worldpeace or at least #worldpeacecakes.
You’re wondering, “How is this evidence of brand building on social media?” You mean other than people now knowing me by my Twitter handle? Well, Google “Tim C Nicholson” (my real personal brand objective). You’ll see me there. I have a website. I have pages on the Bigfish company site. I tweet. I’m on Facebook. I blog. But were it not for the social media activity, the first result to your search would be an apparently troubled “Timothy C Nicholson” who lives in Florida. And that’s a brand that I don’t want to be confused with.
See for yourself. Tweet me what you learn. I’m listening. That's what good brands do.
