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

Alfred Angelo Bridal Causes PR Disaster

This past month Alfred Angelo Bridal has caused quite the uproar with the closing of their stores nationwide. The company closed their doors after nearly 80 years in business with no warnings to their employees or brides-to-be. Many brides were left without word of where their dress was, whether it was going to be located, or whether they would be able to obtain a refund. Some were lucky enough to obtain their dresses right before the company closed the doors.

One can only image what a mess this has made for the company’s publicists. As someone in PR I think there are many ways that this situation could have been avoided. With the knowledge that they were going out of business Alfred Angelo Bridal should have informed employees and brides that their stores were closing. This would have given employees enough time to find new work and more time for brides to either get their refund or get their dress faster. Their publicists would have had an easier time doing damage control had they taken that route instead of keeping everyone in the dark.

So why did Alfred Angelo not make it known that they were going out of business? Probably because they were embarrassed to announce that they were filing for bankruptcy and because chances are they didn’t and still don’t have the money to give brides refunds. Hopefully, brides are able to get their dresses sorted out in time for their big day!

Written by Tiffany Jackson from Rebecca Adele PR & Events