Via Scoop.it – Being Your Brand
Community managers from different businesses & industries offer their insight on how to best increase your productivity & the best tools to do so.
Via mashable.com
Tag: brand strategy
Why Wikipedia Is Important For Your Social Media Strategy
Many times Wikipedia is overlooked as a tool for both branding and social media. Wikipedia at its core is a collaborative information source and a social media. It is often one of the first listings that appears in search results, and is many people’s first choice when they want quick information.
A big reason that Wikipedia should not be overlooked is because Facebook pulls information and images directly from Wikipedia pages for the info sections of community pages. Community pages are Facebook-administered and auto-generated. Community pages were auto-generated from keywords Facebook users often used in reference to their “likes”, interests, and work. So, there is probably at least one (if not more) community pages out there with your company’s name.
Since community pages are Facebook-administered, it is important to keep content up-to-date on your company’s Wikipedia page, or create a Wikipedia page for your company so that the community page is not blank.
The majority of Facebook users are unaware that companies do not actually control community pages, so your brand can still be damaged by incorrect content pulled from Wikipedia. In addition, only a certain amount of content will be pulled from the Wikipedia page. (Approximately 250 words though this number varies greatly across pages)
Below are screen shots of the Macy’s Department Store Facebook Community page and the Macy’s Department Store Wikipedia page – Same content!
Integrating Brand Strategy into Website Design
Now, more than ever, it is important that we stop treating a brand and a website as separate entities. Websites should be extensions of the brand, not separate.
A brand is more than a company’s logo, product, or tag line; it is the experience that customers associate with the company and the essence of the company.
A website is the online extension of a physical storefront, and there should be a seamless extension of brand identity between the physical store and the website homepage.
A bad website experience can affect sales and even permanently affect brand image the same way that a misdirected advertising message can.
Since customers are doing more and more of their shopping online, whether or not they are purchasing or researching, it is difficult to imagine separating brand strategy from your website strategy and design.
Below are examples of companies that I think are doing a great job of using their websites as direct extensions of their brand. Check out their websites to see more ways that they are extending their brand from in-store to online.
Planning for Your Social Media Campaign
I can not stress more, the importance of doing your due diligence before starting a Social Media campaign. Everything may go smoothly after launch, but don’t be blindsided if things do not go as plan.
Rather, have a crisis management plan in place for everything you think could go wrong. A great example we can all learn from, in regards to the importance of having a crisis management plan in place prior to launching your Social Media campaign, is the recent McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter campaign. McDonald’s Twitter campaign did not evolve as planned and the lack of a crisis management plan made the situation even worse. Check out the LA Times article about the campaign: McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter marketing effort goes awry
Protecting Your Brand On Facebook
Recently I noticed that about an hour or so after reading a post from a company I follow, the number of comments on the post had almost doubled, or maybe even tripled. While I was amazed, I also knew that this was the power of Social Media in action; creating conversation and buzz quickly and in real t
ime. The number of comments on a brand’s single post can reach into the 1000’s in the matter of hours.
Moderating a large, and rapidly multiplying, amount comments can be difficult and overwhelming. One reason that moderation can be difficult is because of the Facebook culture. Facebook users expect a two-way conversation with the company, not just the other users. The combination of the users’ expectations and the vast number of comments turns social media brand management into a 24/7 job.
When venturing into the Social Media forum, it is important to plan not only one when, where, and what you will post, but also how you will respond to your audience. For most companies, the difficult questions or comments that you receive now, whether through email or phone calls, are the same questions that you will receive in the social media forum. Setting up a protocol on whether you will respond to comments, and if so, which ones. This is imperative for brand health.
The expectations of users varies by platform, Facebook users are more likely to expect a response than twitter followers, or at least expect a response sooner. At times, it may seem like it would be easier to delete negative comments that show up on your company’s page, but that may actually lead you down a more difficult path. Facebook users notice when a comment has been deleted from the comment thread and are often offended. Be very cautious when deleting comments, because this action may spark a larger negative backlash.
It is very common for Companies to post a “commenting policy” in the info section of their Facebook page, which would include protocols for dealing with inappropriate or offensive comments. If an inappropriate or offensive comment is posted on the page, then the established protocol should be followed to a “T”. In the Social Media world, it is considered justified to remove the offensive comment from the page. In addition, you should also respond to the comment via the comment thread or through Facebook message. You could mention your company’s “comments policy” and ask that they contact you via email with any questions or concerns.
If you only remember one thing when deciding to do Social Media, is that it is imperative that you prepare as much as possible beforehand. Social Media is an amazing tool that can grow and build a strong community around your brand, as long as you are prepared and active.