#TBT to the summer of 2014 when seemingly everyone was dumping a bucket of ice over their heads. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge not only raised $115 Million for ALS Research, it created brand awareness simply by friends seeing what other friends were up to on social media. While viral success may elude you, read on for some tips on increasing your brand’s exposure with minimal investment…
1. Followers as Brand Advocates
Imagine scrolling through your Facebook feed and noticing that 2 of your friends “liked” Jack & Diane’s Deli down the street. The reality that two people you know endorse their mile-high sandwiches increases your trust that it will be delicious. Actively soliciting engagement from followers can create a snowball of brand awareness through friends seeing other friends’ engagement.
Consider using small incentives to speed up the effect. Imagine how many more likes and shares the Deli could get if they ran a campaign to “Get a free Mile-High by hash-tagging #JackandDianeDeli”. Follower counts and engagement would likely increase, which in turn expands the number of people with a positive brand association through indirect referral.
2. Influencer Marketing on a Budget
Paying big bucks to influencers for mentions of a product or service is a hot trend in social media marketing. You may not have the marketing budget of a Fortune 500 company, but you can increase your visibility by tying your business to an existing brand or influencer.
We like Entrepreneur.com’s tips for getting the attention of other companies and influencers:
- Mention their names or cite their websites in your content pieces. Influencers with Google Alerts or other notifications set up on their names will see your content after it’s published.
- Tag any influencers you’ve referenced when sharing content to your social media profiles.
- Email influencers after you’ve published your content to let them know they’ve been referenced in your work.
3. Paid Ads to Increase Visibility
With organic reach dwindling, the only guaranteed way to get your brand in front of eyeballs is to pay for it. The good news is that social media paid ads and boosted posts are still a relatively inexpensive way to get in front of a targeted demographic (check out iScreamSociaMedia Newsletter #6 for a breakdown of Facebook’s paid ads). The nice thing about this method is that even if the person never clicks your ad, they will still see it amidst the baby and puppy posts in their feeds. Achieving brand awareness without being on the hook for the click-through cost of the ad.
Using social media to promote your brand takes patience, consistency, and quality content. When done properly, however, it can be an inexpensive yet effective way to expand awareness of your brand. For more information on how iScreamSocialMedia can help build your brand check out www.iscreamsocialmedia.com or email us at GetTheScoop@iScreamSocialMedia.com.