Brand 'You' Marketing: How to Create a Winning Social Strategy
•Download as PPSX, PDF•
2 likes•2,050 views
Are you new to social media? Do you recgonize the need to create a brand presence but are still in the dark as to how to establish yourself or your company online? Join Ansley Sudderth, Social Media Training and Communications Coordinator with For Rent Media Solutions™, as she shares ways to win consumers and keep them using consistency. In this #FRMSChat session, we will share branding do's and don'ts, tips to make your brand more recognizable with visual content and ways to create uniformity across multiple social channels.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (20)
Similar to Brand 'You' Marketing: How to Create a Winning Social Strategy
Similar to Brand 'You' Marketing: How to Create a Winning Social Strategy (20)
More from Ansley Sudderth
More from Ansley Sudderth (15)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Brand 'You' Marketing: How to Create a Winning Social Strategy
- 1. Brand ‘You’ Marketing: How to Create a Winning Social Strategy
- 2. Ansley Sudderth Social Media Training & Communications Coordinator Ansley.Sudderth@ForRent.com
- 3. Join the conversation! Chat with @AptsForRent for the chance to win $20!
- 4. Agenda • • • • • • Why Does Branding Matter? Where Does Branding Matter? Brand Positioning Branding Do’s and Don’ts Valuable Links Q&A
- 6. You only get ONE chance to make a first impression…
- 7. Great Brand Impression (Not so) Great Brand Impression
- 8. Personality + Communication = Love Brand Attributes + Experiences = Trust
- 9. Are you playing to win or just playing to stay in the marketing game?
- 10. Am I Leaving an Impression?
- 12. Where Do I Begin?
- 14. Words
- 15. Images
- 16. Interactions
- 19. Experiences
- 24. ‘
- 25. Brand Positioning Questions •What do you want your brand to be known for among your target audience? •What can you deliver that competitors cannot do as well or at all? •Does your desired brand position match your overall company goals and vision?
- 31. Don’t Be Too Self-Serving
- 32. Do Offer More Than a Product
- 33. Don’t Censor Online Conversations
- 34. Do Offer a Lifestyle
- 35. Don’t Mislead Your Audience
- 36. Don’t Forget to Refresh Your Image
- 37. Be a brand that evolves with time…
- 39. Do Provide a Call to Action
- 40. The Ultimate CTA
- 41. In a sea of competitors, how do you stand out?
- 42. Tap Into Brand YOU!
- 44. Valuable Links • Helpful PDF: Social Media Channel Consistency Checklist http://bit.ly/SocialConsistencyChecklist • Blog post: Creating the Right Call to Action http://bit.ly/FRMSCTAblog • 2014 Is Your Year for Easy Marketing! http://bit.ly/EasyEffect
- 45. Q&A
- 49. Photo and Statistics Credit http://emergencesuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Consistency-Is-Key-Emergence-Success-Solutions.jpg http://www.digital-results.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/brand-consistency-1030x552.png http://www.adcracker.com/position/images/Positioning_Adcracker.jpg http://jimijones.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Strategy.jpg http://greatk9.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/small-dog-stock.jpg http://www.carryutah.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/fingerprint.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3TUiTHgxwL0/UD9-4V64PNI/AAAAAAAABi8/aBVa0Cja7wM/s1600/element_meh_postcard-p239818603568205187envli_400.jpg http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/~bgzimmer/meh.jpg http://agmarketing.com.au/cms/images/stories/brand.gif http://www.blackcoffee.com/assets/images/services/brand-positioning.jpg http://marketingbones.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/jack-trout-brand-positioning-techniques.jpg http://distility.zippykid.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Brand-Strategy-Model-Diagram1.jpg http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/images/old/6a00d83451b74a69e2016765b7e15a970b-pi.jpg http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/images/2013/11/Brand-Positioning-Strategy.jpg.pagespeed.ce.ViJ7zF5GgK.jpg http://www.strategicfivemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Brand-Positioning1.gif http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/Dell_Old_Logos.jpg http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/nfl_media_com.gif http://designshack.designshack.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/pepsicoke-6.jpg http://g.virbcdn.com/_f/files/resize_1024x1365/b0/FileItem-232043-starbucks_lightbox.png http://ajklijs.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/car-logo-mazda.gif http://www.alphasandesh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/email-call-to-action.png http://www.watblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/facebook.jpg http://www.ciproms.com/Portals/0/istock%20hourglass.JPG http://iloverelationship.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Your-First-Date-The-Things-You-Can-Talk-About-183x300.jpg http://www.ektron.com/assets/0/75/132/2147483725/9c968ea4-819f-4a13-9f13-52404f98e686.jpg http://www.wealthywebwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/handshake_from_laptop-300x199.jpg http://www.rampcreative.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/consumerbrand-630x143.png http://rampcreative.com/blog/branding-identity/brand-attraction/ http://deltamedia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DMI-Website-Strategic-Chess-Piece-Blue-Slider.png http://de5sa1m7berpk.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/5-rules-social-media-interactions.png http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ddrSvaGMG0Q/Tf3Uk9QBCvI/AAAAAAAACH0/G6PcSNgseyA/s1600/hilarious_signs_640_16.jpg
Editor's Notes
- Good afternoon everyone, I’m AnsleySudderth, Social media training and communications coordinator with For Rent Media Solutions. Thanks for joining me today. Welcome to the first FRMSchat of 2014! As most of you are kicking off the new year with a new look and marketing strategy, it seemed only fitting to cover best practices to help you get there.
- So before we get started, we are using the hashtag #FRMSChat on twitter so if you have any feedback, questions or maybe some insight, feel free to use the hashtag and one person using our hashtag will receive a $20 gift card! And we’ll announce the winner at the end of the webinar so sit back and relax!
- You can’t have an effective strategy without knowing why you need one so we’ll start off with talking about why branding matters. Let’s move to discussion on where a consumer may interact with your brand, then we’ll switch gears and talk a little about how to best position yourself as a brand to maximize on exposure and leave a lasting impression. We’ll close today’s #FRMSChat with some branding do’s and don’ts which are always helpful when creating your own branding guidelines.At the end of our session, we will share a few valuable links so be on the lookout, then we’ll wrap things up with any Q&A that wasn’t answered during the webinar. We have one of our For Rent social media experts on the twitter chat to interact with you and for those of you not on Twitter, don’t worry, we will be sending a follow up email with the links to today’s resources.
- Let’s start here with ‘why’. Why does branding matter to a social strategy?
- You only have one shot at catching an apartment or home shopper’s attention and during that small window of opportunity, you have no choice but to make a great first impression if you want to land the client. It’s important to know that closing the deal doesn’t happen at the paper work stage, it happens once you’ve gained your customer’s trust.
- Branding yourself or your business is like dating. You’re expected to put your best self forward to appeal to the sea of eligible singles out there. Most of us have been on a great first date and most of us have been on dates we wouldn’t wish on even our worst enemy. When a home or apartment shopper is looking for a place to live, a large part of that decision is based on the impression you’re putting of.
- In a dating situations, personality + communication leads to love.A relationship starts with an attraction to someone’s personality. You know that saying, “They’ve got brains.” and physical traits orbeauty. These senitments are enriched through conversation. Brand Attributes + Experiences = TrustBrands work the same way. Consumers connect to a brand through a combination of the brand voice, visual social media and the story the brand tells. Brands need to develop personalities just like people do. When a shoe shopper connects to TOMS shoes, they’re not just connecting to the footwear, they’ve connected to the story otherwise, who would pay close to $60 for half a yard of canvas?!
- There are brands out there that take no prisoners when it comes to a marketing and social strategy. Just like them, you have a multi million dollar asset to safeguard and protect so ask yourself, am I playing to win or am I just playing to stay in the game?
- Another important question to ask yourself is: As a brand, as a property manager, as a real estate agent or as a broker, am I leaving a mark? If you’re not so sure, you can go to the drawing board.
- Re-evaluate your marketing roadmap to find the mid point between your goals and your renters’, buyers’ and sellers’ needs.
- And decide what marketing avenue is going to help you leave that brand impression in the minds of your audience. Is it going to be online advertising, or SEO, or establishing yourself on the big player social channels? If so, we’ve got your back and can help you do all of that and more with our diverse media mix. You see at the bottom, middle of your screen there’s a link your can type into your browser to get more info on how you can get the ball rolling and stay on top this year.
- Now that we’ve discussed why branding matters, let’s go over all the places a consumer may interact with your brand.
- Let’s start off with words. Think about all the places your branding lives: It’s on web and print collateral, your blog and YouTube videos, newsletter, packaging, email communications, I could go on. Words and images are the first thing that catches our attention online. Since social media is becoming increasingly visual, most brands are finding ways to integrate their name, logo and tag line into one visual. If you don’t have a tagline, that’s perfectly fine. The tagline is just a small part in branding. What’s more important is…
- Images. How many people see your logo? It’s living on your website but is it yourprofilepicture on your Facebook Business page? Is it living on your social handles like Pinterest or Instagram or Twitter? Not only your logo, but any image your create and share has to reflect brand YOU because it’s supposed to be driving your advertising and marketing. This is an example of a property management company that I use often just because they’re so great at social media. RAM Partners refresh their images quite often but the brand ID stays intact because the brand colors and fonts and logos carry across each change. You see that RAM ties its visual social media strategy into each season with a new cover photo. Your cover photo is your opportunity to capture someone's attention and the posts you share on your Timeline is the content that’s meant to keep it.
- Branding also matters in online interactions. How are you coming across in your tweets, orFaceboock posts? Are you garnering Instagramcomments, Linkedinconnections? Are people sharing your content? Here’s a great visual by byteLAUNCH that shows you brands can get better interactions. First, learn to say less because less is more. This is where you can let your visuals do the talking. 2: Be intentional and calculated in what your say when speaking on behalf of a brand because we’ve all seen those brands that share or tweet something that the audience has taken out of context. Things can go rouge REAL fast! 3: Listen first. Social listening is a game changer for brands that take the time to study and observe the likes and dislikes of consumers. 4: Don’t give people the opportunity to jump on their soapbox on YOUR Facebook or Twitter timeline. Giving an open invitation can backfire very quickly. 5: DON’T BE BORING! It’s as simple as taking a few minuets to search for relevant content to share with your audience.
- Speaking of interactions, five to ten years ago, I would’ve said that in person interactions take precedence. Now, while in person interactions are still vital. Let’s be real, we’re not quite to the place where someone can sign a lease and get their keys all without coming into contact with another human. We’re not far though which is why , 84% of shoppers use online search to help solidify a purchase.
- Knowing that you have a small window of time to impress and capture that person perusing your site for a place to live is important and can help you grasp the concept of branding yourself and your bsuiness.
- The last place branding matters is in the user experience. The first time an apartment or home shopper comes to your website, what experience are you offering? Is your website clean and easy to navigate? Is it optimized for mobile devices? Is branding consistent from your site to your social channels? All of these things play a role in driving retention and conversions as well as boosting brand to property to resident connection and engagement.
- So we’ve talked about why branding matter and where it matters, let’s talk about how to position your brand to reflect your best qualities. In short, successful brand positioning allows for the audience to automatically connect to the brand instantaneously setting that brand apart for it’s competitors.
- First, position your brand in a way that allows your audience to easily understand you. When a consumer connects with a brand, that person begins to value that product or service and identify with the brand leading to consumer buy in or ownership. The realization that the product or service can fill a void for the consumer creates loyalty.
- What better example than Starbucks to explain how brand positioning wins consumers? When you think of Starbucks, you don’t think of the burnt tasting coffee in the break room right? Starbucks tells a story through it’s branding, it conveys a certain lifestyle and the brand has found a way to appeal to almost every demographic.
- When you hear the term brand positioning, think of the 6 P’s. Place, Product, People, Promotion, Process and Persona.
- This is a great quote that just drives this point home. It says.. What it is that ONE THING that you’ve done to stick out to your prospect?
- 1: If you can own a specific word or benefit in consumers’ minds, you’ve hit the brand positioning jackpot. 2:This is your niche and the basis of a strong brand position. 3:Confusion is a brand’s worst enemy.
- It’s vital to recognize the need of your audience so that you can create that niche no other brand can fill. Your promise or set of brand standards is what’s going to satisfy those needs. Your brand’s personality is what will also differentiate you. The way you’re positioned is what is going to place you in an entirely different playing field over your competitors.
- Let’s close today’s chat with a few branding do’s and don’t’s.
- It can’t be said enough! Branding should be consistent both online and in hand. Your brand is represented in every marketing avenue so make sure it’s recognizable and consistent.
- When it comes to online branding we’ve already touched on the use of images and social media but branding is important all the way down to the language and tone you’re using. At For Rent Media Solutions, we use one uniform font across any online or print collateral. We also stick to a set suite of Pantone and RBG colors throughout our branding which I’m sure you’ve picked up on during today’s #FRMSChat.
- You can call it being nit picky but when you have inconsistent branding, you loose the opportunity to engage with your audience because they’re so busy trying to figure out who you are. This leads to indifference.
- Don’t be so self serving on your social networks. We’ve all come across brands that almost shove their product down your throat right and it’s so unpleasant. Instead, share info that’s valuable like ways to decorate a new living space on a dime. When you add value, you gain the type of audience who will ad longevity to your brand.
- Offer more than a product. This is another great example of adding value with relevant information. These are Facebook snippets that RAM and Tivoli Apartments shared during times when the weather posed a threat to residents.
- When your brand receives criticism or otherwise negative comments over social media, it may be tempting to filter these out in order to control the content that others will see and save your company’s name. But this will not go over well with consumers. They want to know that their voices are being heard. Instead of getting rid of the offending comments, do your best to listen to them, understand why the commenter feels the way that they do, and respond in a polite and helpful manner.
- Just life Starbucks and other brands out there, turn a simple product or service into a lifestyle. Trust me, if Starbucks can create a movement out of coffee, you can too! This is an example of RAM sharing a board of their smart partners which is a group of brands who offer discounts to residents who reside at any of the properties under RAM’s portoflio.
- Confusion can kill brand loyalty. Never try to get one over of your residents or buyers. If they sniff you out, they’re more than likely going to share that negative experience on a review site.
- Just like people go to the gym and salon to update their look, brands refresh their identity to stay relevant. This is going to help connect visually as well as help you maintain that positioning against your comps.
- Coca cola and Pepsi are two brands that have evolved with time to keep them relevant in the marketing space.
- Additionally, the brands you see here have streamlined their looks to appeal to their changing and evolving audiences. For most of you, I know that's something that corporate would probably execute but sometimes the decision makers may be more removed from your audience than you.
- We’ve talked about the impact a call to action can have on marketing. It’s a simple as telling your audience to subscribe to your newsletter or opt in to the Text a Resident program. Make sure you have calls to action placed throughout your marketing collateral to drive clicks to your site.
- Encouraging someone to ‘Like’ your status update or better yet, ‘Like’ your brand on Facebook is the ultimate call to action. The majority of consumers are already on Facebook so why not engage with them using a CTA?
- All of the things we covered today are meant to help you not only better your business, but also better yourself as a marketer to stand out above your competitors.
- Whether you work at a huge property management company or brokerage or maybe you’re a smaller property, everyone has a brand ambassador deep down inside and hopefully today’s FRMSChat has allowed you to tap into that!
- I want to quickly share some links I think will help you with applying today’s topic.
- We’ve tweeted most of these during the session so make sure you go to Twitter to get the links. We will also share these with you now.
- At this time, I’m happy to take any questions you may have. As question start to come in, we are going to get ready to announce moment you’ve been waiting for!
- Before we announce today’s FRMSChat winner, I want to share that for most people, ringing in the New Year means making plans to eat better, spend less, travel more or maybe just try something new right? Well,For Rent Media Solutions™ (FRMS) knows that for you marketers, ringing in the new year means it is time to start planning for leasing season - and the easier, the better!FRMS has taken the Easyology philosophy to the next level with useful tools and application ideas - increasing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and ultimately driving more LEADS™! This progression is also known as the Easy Effect.In the new year, FRMS is excited to bring you even more tools and resources that will help you prepare for leasing season, and make it easier for renters to discover your community. These resources will come in the form of helpful tips, success stories and insightful research to accompany the diverse suite of products available to you. To jumpstart your year for easy marketing, subscribe to the Your Solutions blog at Bit.ly/YSsubscribe.
- Let’s announce today’s winner! The winner is… Congrats and thanks for participating on Twitter. If you would, please DM us your info and we will get your gift card in the mail!
- Thanks to all of you who are listening. We hope you feel confident in responding to online reviews with these tips. Before you go, make sure you follow and Like us on our social channels, we absolutely love interacting with you! That being said, everyone have a great and safe holiday and I will speak with you in 2014!