Boosting brand significance with social media

September 4, 7:30 PMWork Life ExaminerJudy Martin

In USA Today's cover story last friday More marketers use social networking to reach customers Jon Swartz chronicled Ford's social media marketing strategy  touting its new sub-compact car, the Fiesta. The motor company dished out the cars to top bloggers for a while in return for a YouTube monthly review.

According to some reviewers, the Fiesta proved to be fuel efficient and ergonomically desirable. Better than typical advertising or marketing? Perhaps, as word of the mere marketing strategy spread like wildfire, but so did Ford's new association with a newer - smaller - greener car in our economy-conscious 24/7 busy world. It's brand significance got a boost.

Whether you're coming out of the gate in a new business or career, branding is not just about your motto, tag line, or image - its a confluence of the aforementioned with a chunk of tone as to what makes your brand significant in its niche. Not just what makes it different - but why it is associated with a deeper level of purpose, whether for the consumer, globally or consciously. Etching significance into the mentality of the consumer elicits emotion and fosters loyalty.

PR Guru, Hilary JM Topper, MPA, President & CEO of HJMT COMMUNICATIONS just released a book for those who are just jumping into using social media to boost their business and  brand. Her book,  Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media But Were Afraid to Ask is an easy-to-understand guide, that will get you going in the right direction.

In it she covers the biggies with regard to the sites that are a must-join no matter your career, and she also delves into some of the more obscure social media sites that are more niche oriented depending on the sector you're working in. 

Here's the highlights from a recent interview with her that will help shed more light on what the book has to offer.

Judy: Your subtitle is significant - "Building business by using consumer generated media" In your opinion will social media replace traditional marketing or PR methods, or is it just a supplement?

Hilary: Social media is a supplement in the overall marketing mix. Businesses today need to be aware of the fact that consumers have a powerful voice in decision making. When a friend tells you that a movie is terrific, you want to go to that movie. If a friend tells you that the new shop that opened in town is high priced and has nothing in it, you don’t bother going there. So within the marketing mix, businesses need to be aware that social media or consumer generated media is more powerful now then ever before because it’s published on the Internet for millions of people to see.

Judy: If starting a small business, especially when you still have another job, there concerns about putting yourself out there with social media - correct?

Hilary: Absolutely! Once you are in social media you are an open book. If you are starting a business and still have another job, the best advice I can give is to build up a community first. Get people talking about random things. Get them talking with you and each other. Once you decide to build this up, meet with them for breakfast or lunch and discuss what you are doing. The relationship is the important key here. Once that’s established, people will want to do business with you because they want to do business with people they like.

Judy: Which social media do you think is best to drive reputation? Product? Bring in customers?

Hilary: I think this depends on the product or service. For example, Blendtec, an industrial strength blender which is sold to consumers, used YouTube videos to get their message out and as a result, saw a 700% increase in sales. Zappos used Twitter to get messages out to their consumers and to interact with their consumers. In my book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media but were afraid to ask...” I suggest that a business use three or four different social media sites to get their message out. This could be Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Youtube or Indenti.ca, Koornk, Plurk and Youtube if you have an international business.

Judy: You speak about creating trust with a client using social media - how so?

Hilary: Social networking and social media enables you to get to know your consumers. By getting in touch and learning what their needs are, you create a trust that will last.

Judy: How can social media help you better integrate your working and living experience when so many are battling sensory overload?

Hilary: As a society, we are moving away from newspapers (because of online editions on mobile devices), telephone (because of ichat and Skype), away from television (because of Tivo) and away from radio (satellite radio). I’m not saying that there won’t be any left, but I am saying that it’s important that we as a society evolve along with the communication tools from the past. There might be a lot out there for us to watch and listen to, but everyone is different and relates to one form of media better than another. It’s important to make that decision for yourself and recognize which type of stimulus you respond to the most and then focus on that.

Judy: What are your thoughts about using video to promote your product or service - does it carry more weight in the realm of social media?

Hilary: Video has an integral place in social media. New social networking sites appear daily and have a video component. People want to see you, they want to see your product or service and it definitely should be part of your marketing mix.

Judy: If you were to choose three avenues of SM which would they be and why?

Hilary: I would choose Facebook, Twitter and a Blog for my business. They give me an opportunity to connect and create conversation. Facebook and Twitter help me promote my blog where there is more content.