Branding is, and always will be, a key part of your marketing strategy. When customers know your brand, they are more likely to engage with you. However, your brand is more than your logo, the colors you use, and your fonts. Your brand is who you are and how every aspect of your marketing works together to make your customers feel.
If you don’t have a brand aesthetic, you’re missing out. Particularly as it pertains to social media. You want your followers and customers to know your posts when they see them, not after they see the company name pop up. So whether you use certain colors, fonts, or always include your logo, there’s something special about immediately knowing who posted the picture or video you’re scrolling past.
Tarte Cosmetics, for example, primarily uses three models for their videos. They post other product shots and photos of real customers to keep things current, but if I see one of those three brand ambassadors, I immediately know I’m watching a Tarte Reel.
My wedding photographer posts light and airy shots of weddings, engagements, and details. I know immediately when I see a wedding post if it’s her or not (and yes, I follow a ton of wedding photographers and wedding tip accounts these days).
The University of Tennessee Football account bleeds orange and white. It’s pretty easy to tell their posts apart because there’s a Power T in almost every picture or video, but you get the idea here. Their posts hit you in the face that it’s them. And that’s what you want.
In 2022, your social media pages are often the first impression that new customers will have of you. Gen Zs, Millennials, and the like head to Instagram or Twitter to find out information before they head to your website. So, if your mission, vision, values, and who you are as a company don’t come through immediately, you may lose out on a potential customer.
We’re no longer posting the sandwich we ate for lunch on Instagram like we did in 2009 (phew, what a time). Instead, we’re posting real content with real value that matches our brand personality and what we stand for. This is crucial as a social media coordinator, marketing director, or agency. If you are not doing that, you need to step into 2022. If you are, keep it up. You know yourself and your company best. Focus on that.
This year, we’re focusing on that more than ever before. I’m no longer the only person coming up with content for Smarter Searches. We are a fun, quirky, smart team and that’s, at our essence, who Smarter Searches is. Because of that, we’re collaboratively coming up with posts. We’re focusing on who we are as people because that’s who our company is. Sure, we’re a bit goofier and drink more wine when we’re not working, but we want our clients to know who we are and what we’re capable of. Our favorite Christmas present, Marvel movie, and song give a glimpse into who we are, our likes, and our views. These factors work together to make the best team in marketing and we’re proud of that every day. We are Smarter Searches. Smarter Searches is us. And we’re letting that shine through in 2022 and beyond.
