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/

Must Read Books for PR Professionals!

Public Relations is a complex and tactical area of professionalism. Because of this countless books have been written on the subject of PR. These books are great resources for PR professionals that will give insight, advice, and strategies from high esteemed professionals. Here are some of the best PR books in my opinion that are must-reads for every PR professional!

1. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is a classic read for PR professionals and has sold over 15million copies since first being published in 1937. It provides valuable tips on how to communicate and persuade others in a professional and personal setting. Carnegie also includes a lot of personal stories proving his principles, which make the book a more entertaining read. Not only is this book a classic, but it’s also a good read!

2. “Crystallizing Public Opinion” was written by Edward Bernays, the father of public relations. It explains the psychology behind public relations. In this book, Bernays shares how ideas are spread, why they are spread, and why ideas either thrive or die out. The most fascinating thing about this book is that Bernays was well ahead of his time and seemed to have predicted the future of PR. If you can look past Bernays arrogant tone throughout the book, it is a very interesting read!

3. “Spin: How to Turn the Power of the Press to Your Advantage” was written by Michael S. Sitrick, the founder of a major crisis PR firm. This book gives you an inside look into the world of crisis communications. It’s basically a crisis PR handbook! It’s an important read that will give you the tools to successfully prepare you to deal with any crisis that the PR world could possibly throw at you.

4. “Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset” is written by Daniel Diermeier, a professor from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Diermeier covers the importance of reputation and how the digital age has made maintaining a good reputation harder than ever. It’s a captivating read that will open your eyes up to the importance of reputation.

5. “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World” by Michal Hyatt gives you a step-by-step guide to build your own presence in a cluttered world. Hyatt gives insight on how to make your brand stand out by telling you how to be different, relevant, and noticeable. He gives advice on how to do this on various platforms such as blogging, social media, media kits, and more! Definitely read give this book a read and check out Michael Hyatt’s renowned blog and podcasts too!

Do you have any favorite PR oriented books? Share with us in the comment section below!

Written by Emma Bevilacqua of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Give Traffic to Your Site the Green Light with These Easy Tips!

You’ve done all the work to start up your own website but now you have to encourage people to actually visit your site! For many business owners, this can be one of the biggest challenges. Sitting back and hoping a few Facebook posts here and there brings enough attention to your site and business just isn’t enough; you need to take action!

Forbes agrees that one tip that can definitely get the attention of web browsers is to work on your headlines. A simple, straight to the point headline may get your point across, but without adding a catchy or memorable headline to an article or post, nobody is going to think twice about going to your site. On top of that, update and improve existing posts.

Visitors will get bored if they are reading through your website and suddenly all of the headlines and website content become dry and boring. Also, regardless of what your website niche is, connect with others in the same community who can lend a hand by mentioning you on their site or you can mention them on yours! There’s no shame in getting help from other professionals. You can even take the extra step to “friend” similar businesses or websites. Once you create that relationship, it opens up doors for them to feature you on their site(s) and you can do them the same favor. Look up what the other top 10 sites are that are in your area of expertise, and write an article or post about them. If you notice them, there’s a chance they may notice you back and give you the recognition you may need on their site. In return this can then cause their visitors to want to then visit your site!

When making blog posts, or any text on your site, it’s important to try and include every possible key word you can think of. That way, when people are using search engines to find businesses or websites that have what they are looking for, your site will most definitely pop up for them to explore. If people who visit your site decide to comment on your blog posts, try and interact with those comments. Respond, recommend and reach out. Being interactive with your users on your site is key to keeping yourself relevant and real to them. If you get enough reactions to a post, feel free to even write a follow up or a response blog post. This simple tip will really get your readers interested and begin keeping up with your site.

Don't forget to still use Facebook and Reddit! Try and increase your postings per week. Instead of just a few times a week, work on making it even a few times a day. In these posts, pay attention to sites you’re linking to or hashtags you are using, as these could all lead back to you and drive more interest and traffic to your site.

These may seem like self-explanatory or beginner tips, but that’s the point! These are simple, easy steps that any new website owner can use to get their business off the ground! So get out there and try some of these and watch your website flourish! 

Written by Shaylee Dillen of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Despite the Confusion and Backlash, the Instagram Algorithm Change is Actually a Good Thing

Instagram recently rocked the social media world by announcing that they would no longer show posts in chronological order, and would adopt a newsfeed order similar to Facebook’s. Instead of showing posts in order, the new algorithm will rely on a variety of markers such as relevancy and number of post engagements. 

The intent of this new algorithm is to provide users with a more personalized feed, showing posts that the user is likely to find interesting first.

Instagram’s announcement of this change was met with immediate opposition. A petition even took off on Change.org request Instagram to continue using the chronological feed. The fear stemmed from concern that Instagram’s feed would become too similar to Facebook’s.

In January 2015, Facebook updated its algorithm to include less promotional content from business pages. As a result, Facebook users saw fewer promotional posts from business pages in their newsfeeds. This upset many business owners, as they felt their content was now going to be seen by fewer Facebook users, which had a negative impact on their business.

Although Instagram’s algorithm change seems similar to Facebook’s, there is one very important difference: Instagram does not separate business accounts from personal accounts. Instagram’s algorithm change does not mean that users will see fewer promotional posts from businesses, it only means that users will see content they are likely to consider interesting first in their feeds.

Since the new algorithm takes into account relevancy and popularity, Instagram analytics will become increasingly important with the algorithm change. Businesses should track analytics to determine the effectiveness of posted content and make necessary adjustments to increase interactions and the number of post engagements.

The algorithm change may actually be beneficial to businesses. If you post fabulous content, it will pop up at the top of your followers’ newsfeeds, even if you posted it several hours ago. So now is the time to make sure your businesses’ Instagram content is the best it can be.

Written by Samantha Weisner of Rebecca Adele PR & Events