The Weight of Social Media
It is crucial for brands to understand the impact of even a single social media post on their reputation and credibility.
Channeling Mean Girls here feels appropriate - “I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops.” The impact that one single post has in today's influencer based social media is astounding. For example, Elon Musk tweeting about Tesla’s stock price being too high sent share prices plummeting, and Kyle Jenner giving her two cents about Snapchat caused the company’s value to drop 7 percent.
It is often that these interventions shake the markets, which is why it is so important to establish loyalty, trust, and a consistent following among your consumers. Both Tesla and Snapchat are mega companies, so the fact that one single post can cause them to quake tells you all you need to know about the importance of brand strategy and positioning.
One thing that helps brands remain strong in the face of controversy is the act of intertwining their social strategy and marketing strategy. These two do not operate independently from each other; moreover, creating social content that is in line, relevant, and meaningful for what your brand stands for is how you will succeed in the long run.
Your brand’s reputation and potential for growth are a direct reflection of how your brand is perceived on social media. Social strategy should be a core part of your entire overall business strategy. It takes time and effort to properly align your social media with other brand aspects such as advertising, email marketing, and lead generation. Working towards a cohesive brand message should be an effort made across all teams with one goal in mind - unifying your image and steering clear from any potential reputational damage.
Another thing that we talk about often here at Indie is standing up for the things that matter and hold a lot of weight in our society. It is evident when a brand truly cares about the issues that they project as important - consumers, more so recently than ever, can see through facades and are quick to notice when company’s aren’t practicing what they preach.
All in all - what you put on your social sites holds a lot of power. The smallest tweet, post, caption, or hashtag has the ability to paint you as a hero or a villain. Be mindful when planning brand strategy, and be sure to keep the common goal in mind - creating a space for enjoyment. Work to create entertaining, riveting, and evoking moments for your consumers. Know what your brand stands for and continue to fight for those beliefs incessantly. If there is one thing we know for sure, it’s that social media is here to stay. And it is here to grow. You can make the choice if you are going to grow (and hopefully thrive) alongside it.
