Branding Your Small Business on Social Media

Do you find it challenging to stand out from other businesses on social media? With nearly 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. we understand it is no small task to stand out; however, here are 6 tips to  point your business’ social media accounts in the right direction. 

1. Develop a color palette

Color may seem unimportant compared to other factors of your business, but it is one small

detail that will make your life much easier. Colors represent brand personality and meaning,

which relates to target consumers. For instance, we associate the color pink to femininity or

being sweet in comparison to red signifying courage or excitement. Take a look at the differet

meanings in the logo below just by changing the color. Based on these two images, which

bank would you entrust your money with?  

 https://www.newdesigngroup.ca/graphic-design/psychology-colour-advertising/

2. Create a logo
If you do not have a business logo already break out your sketchpad! Logos are crucial in brand
awareness and personality. It should include your color scheme, insight on what your business does, and your business name in a legible font. It is also important to keep your design simplistic due to size variations. If you find yourself struggling with design reach out to designers, students, or colleges for assistance. Once your logo is created it needs to be your profile image on all of its social media platforms for branding purposes. Establish your brand’s voice

3. Maintain a Brand Voice

A challenging step is building and maintaining your brand’s voice. A useful tool is to think

of your business as a person and how that person can connect to different audiences. Social media expert Stephanie Schwab’s helpful guide on finding a brand voice lays out several factors, including:

Tone. Be clear to followers about what and how the brand will communicate online. Is your brand cheeky and irreverent or serious and formal?

Language. What type of language will the brand use online? A young hip brand might get awaywith more slang or a niche brand may use more acronyms and industry-specific language

Purpose. Identify the main reason the brand is on social media? Is your goal to educate or entertain? 

https://damolade.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-style-guide/

4. Be consistent across platformsWhether you are posting on Facebook or Instagram, your business posts should be consistent.

If you want to feature a community event your business participated in you can post about it on whichever platforms you please; however, make sure the content is not identical. The reason your content needs to vary is you are talking to different audiences. Facebook tends to have older active users compared to Instagram and to gain their attention you have to appeal to them in different ways. 

5. Know your audienceAn essential part of your business’ success is knowing your audience. As mentioned above we want to relate to different audiences and make them aware of your brand. Ask yourself questions like the ones listed below to gain greater insight:

- What is going to make someone buy your product rather than the competitions? - What are consumers saying about me and my competitors? - Who is purchasing your products?- Who is in your area?- Who is currently following my social media accounts? 

https://www.hueandtonecreative.com/blog/tag/Buyer+persona

6. Build relationships The most important tip of all is to build relationships! If viewers post comments or ask questions, try to respond within 24 hours. This demonstrates the passion and care you have for your business. A simple thank you for liking a post or responding to a negative comment in an appropriate way will show viewers that you are a professional and deserve their business. Mistakes do happen in business, but remain transparent and display appreciation to those communicating with you. 

Now it is your turn to implement these steps into your small business! We hope you found this information helpful and utilize it in your social accounts. Social media is a powerful tool for brand awareness, but remember to use it to communicate and engage with your audiences too.

Written by: Logan Sellers, Rebecca Adele PR & Events InternSources:https://www.canva.com/learn/introduction-brand-building-social-media/

What Happened to All the Brands that Didn’t Have Super Bowl Ads?

The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots weren’t the only ones competing on Super Bowl Sunday. Twitter turned the big game into a social media competition with #BrandBowl52.

#BrandBowl52 marked Twitter’s attempt to solidify themselves as the social network for all Super Bowl advertisers. They honored not only brands that viewers saw over and over, but they included brands that didn’t air commercials during the big game. The brands that were the most often referenced on Twitter during the game were the big winners.

Besides the spotlight, winning brands will receive actual trophies, as well as access to exclusive Twitter ad products and consumer research and exclusive 90-day use of a custom emoji. Ryan Oliver, Twitter’s head of brand strategy for the U.S. and Canada, called #BrandBowl52 the “first ever social subscription for users to get TV spots delivered to them on Twitter.” What does this mean for the future of the multimillion-dollar Super Bowl commercials? One things for sure, Twitter is making it more inexpensive for brands to get their message out there.    

Here is the full rundown of the #BrandBowl52 brand winners:

#MVP
Awarded to the brand that received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Pepsi

#Blitz
Awarded to the brand that generated the most tweets per minute.
Co-winners: Doritos and Mountain Dew

#Quarterback
Awarded to the brand that received the most retweets on a single tweet.
Winner: Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World”

#Interception
Awarded to the brand that did not run a national TV spot during the game but received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Ally Bank

Twitter also recognized the most tweeted-about brands in several verticals.

Alcoholic beverages
Winner: Bud Light

Automotive
Winner: Ram Trucks

Consumer packaged goods
Winner: Tide

Dining
Winner: Avocados from Mexico

Entertainment
Winner: HBO’s “Westworld”

Financial services
Winner: E-Trade

Home and health care
Winner: No winner named (no home and health care brands enrolled in the competition)

Retail
Winner: Amazon Echo

Technology and telecommunications
Winner: T-Mobile

Travel
Winner: Tourism Australia

Written by Nicole Naiden from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook Introduces New Partner, tbh

Facebook is doing their part to “spread posi vibes” by partnering with a new app called tbh. This app allows users to anonymously answer kind-hearted questions about their friends and then sends the results back to them as compliments.

For example, the question may be, “Who is the best to bring to a party?” followed by a multiple-choice option of 4 of their friends. The user will select their opinion and the app will then notify the chosen friend in the form of a compliment. The creators of tbh hope to spread more positivity through social media by teaching teenagers to highlight the good things in the people around them, as well as fuel self esteem.

Through tbh, young adults not only spread love, but also remind themselves to practice self-love. The founders of this app have expressed the importance that teenage mental health has to them.

That’s a cute idea, but will today’s young adults really be interested in something like that? Absolutely! Tbh was downloaded over 5 million times within the first 9 weeks and of that 5 million, over half have used it daily. The app has collected over 1 billion poll answers since its launch in August and it has topped the free app charts for teens and high school student users.

It’s a breath of fresh air to social media junkies that Facebook took on tbh instead of cloning it like they have with several other popular teen apps. The entire operation and style of this distinctive software sets it apart from its adoptive big sisters like Instagram and Snapchat.

An app like this could be the start of an entirely new species of social media. Encouraging young people to find the positive in things around them entices the possibility of altering their perspective of the world. By persuading teens to practice this form of mindfulness, it could not only enhance their lives, but also the lives around them.

 Written by Sarah Roberts of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook, Fact-Checking, and Fake News!

Fake News. It’s a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot on social media, especially during this past election. But what does it mean, really? Fake news can be defined as, a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.

Facebook can be a cesspool of fake news articles. I’m sure you’ve seen articles along the lines of, “Hillary Clinton Orders the Execution of Donald Trump’s Daughter,” from a website with a name like “FreedomEagleSoldier.com,” or an article like this one from “News Bible Report,” claiming Sasha Obama had been shot and killed. These articles are clearly ludicrous and the thought that someone could believe it is borderline hilarious.

Unfortunately, these articles can do some real damage. Propaganda and fake news during the 2016 election had such a profound impact that it outperformed real news. Facebook received a considerable amount of backlash because of this to the point where they needed to do something to combat it. Now, if you see an article you believe is fake, you have the option to report it. If enough people report it as fake, it gets sent to a fact-checking organization like Snopes or Politifact. Once determined that it is indeed fake, the article shows up on Facebook with a red banner saying, “Disputed by Third-Party Fact Checkers.”

In some instances, these precautions don’t have the desired effect. Usually fake news stories don’t get branded as fake until after they go viral and the damage has been done. Certain groups see that Facebook flagged a particular story and say, “Hey, they’re trying to censor us! Share this!” This is what happened with Christian Winthrop’s false story that claimed hundreds of thousands of Irish people were brought to the US as slaves. By saying, “Don’t share this, it’s fake news,” it had the opposite effect.

 A number of technologists, academics, and media experts have pitched ideas to Facebook to help them with their fake news problem. Some ideas include verifying news pages, sort of like how Twitter uses a blue checkmark for verified celebrity accounts; sharer reputation ranking which takes into account the types of articles a person shares; and connecting fake news to fact-checking sites, so that when you click a link to a false story, it can also open a page debunking it.

Even with all of these modifications, some think that the more Facebook tries to debunk a story, the more people will still decide to believe it. So, the question remains: How can we get people to agree with facts when the fact in question doesn’t fit how they want to view the world?

Written by Alexia Amato of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Squiggle Eyebrows Take Over Social Media!

First there was the Ice Bucket Challenge, and who could forget the Great Dress Debate of 2015; so what’s this year’s social media trend? Well strap yourself in, cause it’s squiggle brows! 

What are squiggle brows you may ask? Well the whole trend started earlier this year with Youtube beauty star Promise Tamang-Phan (pictured above) when she posted a photo on her Instagram with her eyebrows in the unique shape. As it turns out, she drew her inspiration from a photo that she had seen were a woman had photoshopped her eyebrow to make it look wavy. Promise took this and made it a reality! When asked why she would want to try such a… bizarre look, Promise told the Huffington Post “I am always experimenting and trying different makeup looks on my social pages. It was done for fun to show my followers something new.”

But wait! Social media isn’t stopping there. Some are taking it so far as to draw their lips on that way. What!?

If you want to try the look for yourself, there are plenty of websites online that are posting how to do it. But be warned, it involves gluing down your eyebrows which does not sound particularly present. See below for a link to the instructions.

Before you leave, feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you feel about this interesting trend. 

Directions: https://www.women.com/shannon/lists/how-to-make-squiggle-brows-video-photos-details

Written by Mitchell Clifford of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Has Social Media Gone Too Far with Location Sharing?

Snapchat has recently come out with an update that automatically shares your location to your entire list of friends. It is only once you go into your settings and set your profile to “ghost mode” that you are hidden from being seen. Many are concerned that this feature could be potentially dangerous due to over sharing.

This update takes creepy to a whole new level. It will even show your “bitmoji” or your avatar in the car if you’re driving, or with headphones if you are listening to music off of your phone. It also includes street names on the map and locates you in the specific area of whatever building you may be in.

Updates on various apps including location settings and features such as check-ins call for a constant reminder to always be selective and smart about how much information you put out there about yourself. Many people of all ages are guilty of over sharing information on various platforms or social media.

Although Snapchat’s new location feature only allows Snapchat friends to see your whereabouts, it’s always smart to be aware of who you are adding as friends, and that if you choose to keep this feature turned on that all of those people can watch where you go at the swipe of a finger!

If you don’t like being watched but are unaware of how to turn this location feature off, follow these quick instructions!

           

1.     Open up the Snapchat app

2.     Use 2 fingers in a pinching motion to swipe open the map

3.     Tap the bar next to “Ghost Mode” to turn it on

Lastly, if you want to customize which friends can see your location with this feature, you can go into settings and handpick the 

Written by Meagan Catalfmao of Rebecca Adele PR & Events