Using social media to amplify your brand online

Here are 3 proven ways to boost brand awareness (without annoying people)

When it comes to marketing your business, social media has 100% levelled the playing field.

If you think about traditional advertising, only the bigger businesses who could afford to advertise (radio ads, TV ads, newspapers etc.) would get their brand messaging out into the world.

But with the rise of social media, there's never been a more attainable or accessible marketing platform for small business.

Social media is a tool that provides amplification

As with all forms of marketing, there is some skill in using social media for your business marketing. If you're only using social media as a megaphone, amplifying what you're already saying, it becomes annoying.

When repeating what you're posting on other platforms, your message becomes diluted, and people will stop taking notice of your marketing.

You need to make sure you're sharing content but changing it and making it relevant for each platform and the audience that's on that platform. For example, if you've shared an image with the local paper, you shouldn't just reshare it to Instagram but turn it into a story.

This is where content planning comes into play. You've got to strike a healthy mix of promos (but don't just spruik yourself constantly, using social media as your megaphone) with helpful posts.

Your end goal is to share content across social media platforms to create multiple conversations.

What is content amplification?

There are several ways you can use social media to amplify your brand online. It starts with promoting and distributing your content on various channels or organically or by using paid ads.

This is called content amplification.

Your aim should be to amplify your content reach to get more impressions, shares, engagement, web traffic, backlinks, leads and conversions, and of course, more sales and revenue.

Done correctly, sharing your content on social media will help you to promote your services or products and boost your brand's presence online by growing your social media following.

Here are the top 3 ways to amplify your content on social media

1. Share information your audience wants

As with all marketing, it comes down to knowing your audience (who may vary from platform to platform). If you focus on creating content your audience will love, they'll read it and share it.

This is the easiest way to amplify your content! Be relevant and be consistent.

Top B2B marketers have found that helpful content performs 88% better than brand promo messages. So, you should create content that:

• Provides insight into your niche, showcasing you as the expert (e.g. share a social media tip)

• Educates your audience on a how-to (e.g. how to create a SM graphic in Canva)

• Inspires people to start something (e.g. how to go from couch to running in 2 weeks)

• Updates your audience on the latest trends or best practices (e.g. how to apply eye shadow to make your eyes stand out when wearing a face mask)

When you publish relevant content, you'll find you get more shares, engagement, and followers, which helps amplify your brand online. And using a mix of posts, including visuals, infographics, and videos helps too.

2. Influencer marketing

I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there are many brands online that have found massive brand amplification by using social media influencers.

Predominately, this works if you've got a product-based business and you've found an influencer who will use and promote your product to their following.

But you'll need to do some homework first to make sure the influencer's audience is people who will relate to (and what to buy) your product. For example, if you're selling natural lipsticks, there's no point finding an influencer who's followed mainly by men who won't be interested in your lipstick!

If you're interested in influencer marketing, start by finding micro-influencers in your niche with a highly engaged following. Check that their style matches your own and that it's not too 'off-brand' as you don't want to confuse your audience.

Then be brave and reach out. Many people are shy to do this, but there's no harm in asking!

3. Use your hashtags

As a social media manager, I'm a big believer in using the right hashtags to drive great results on social media.

Look for niche-specific hashtags that your audience would search for to find what you offer. Then use these hashtags on your posts so your ideal audience finds you.

When creating hashtags, consider:

• What's trending in your niche

• What your competitors are using

• What your audience is using

• What top influencers in your niche are using

• What's unique to your brand

Using specific and targeted hashtags, you'll get discovered by your customers and grow your audience. Hashtags work well on social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook.

If you're targeting a local audience (e.g. restaurants or shops), it's a great idea to add the suburb to your hashtag.

Need a hand with your social media marketing to amplify your brand?

If you need a hand with your social media marketing, content planning and content amplification, please get in touch, as I'd love to help you out. If you have any questions, either drop them below or send me an email at sam@samsays.com.au.