Best brand communication on social media guides with Eden Gelt: DIY Guide To Video Placement: In my last blog “Where Video Marketing is the King of Content”, I discussed the importance of creating video marketing to stay relevant online. While writing this blog series, I also created my own vlog “Minute of Marketing” as a how to DIY guide, sharing insights and examples of marketing initiatives. Depending on the type of business you own, your goals and the clientele you cater to will determine where you should share your video content. Find more info at Edan Gelt.

Turn on the message app in GMB – it may be painful to answer sometimes, but this is a great way to capture leads. By engaging in messaging this gives you the power to talk to your audience in real time. These conversations are what can help your business stand out because it shows you are a real person rather than a bot or a corporate conglomerate company, that personal touch goes a long way. Don’t let the fact of being ‘live’ scare you away from messaging through your GMB. There are settings that allow an automated response so if you don’t want to be monitoring your messaging 24/7 this initial response will give your customers the response they want while you can get back to them with their exact answer the next day or during business hours.

Stick to it: Identify your strategy, value and messaging at the get go. When you waiver and change your position frequently, you waste valuable dollars and lose trust with your target market. Get it right, right away. That’s not saying you can’t make small changes along the way or as you grow but know who you are and stay the course. Laser Focus: Identify who you are trying to reach. You can’t be everything to everyone or you will wind up being nothing to no one. Come to the market understanding not only who you are trying to reach but also what their needs are. Identify your target market and learn about them; research what they value, where they look for content, what their pain points are and how your service, product or business fulfills that need or eases the pain.

When starting out you will need to choose a social media platform to broadcast your content and this means knowing your audience and where to find them. For example, if your audience is interested in the beauty industry and loves to watch hair and make-up tutorials then maybe podcasting isn’t for you and it would be best to stick with Instagram or YouTube. Business guru and YouTuber Vanessa Lau advises not to get caught up in “shiny object syndrome”, trying to launch your brand across a multitude of platforms and waste time pitching to irrelevant audiences. Two or three platforms suitable to your brand is adequate to diversify your content but also guard against stretching yourself too thin by managing too many social media accounts at once. Find extra details at Edan Gelt.

I’m with you. If you’re like me, videos featuring you as the star can be uncomfortable to create and even watch. But you’re in luck, if you’re a business professional marketing to other business professionals you only need to provide 1-minute of content. B2B videos 1-minute or less perform best with 68% of your audience watching the entire video. Even if you’re a business that is marketing to consumers (B2C), keeping it short is the rule since 60% of watchers will tune you out or turn you off after the 2-minute mark. So now that we know we only need to generate video content of 60-seconds (give or take), let’s get started.

Law of Reciprocity: In a book written by renowned professor and author Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the “rule of reciprocation” states that if someone gives us something, we feel obligated to give something back. It is an inert tendency in humans to feel compelled to reciprocate when given a gift (whether it is a gift, act of kindness or unexpected free item). This means when we give something of value away free, our core consumer should give us something in return. This may equate to future business, a referral or brand loyalty.

Free is one of the most powerful tools available for customer acquisition if done correctly. By offering a free sample, businesses get customers to try a product without putting up a price barrier, while the customer gets a ‘free’ item while not having to gamble a portion of their budget on a product they may not even like. Knowing this, brands should happily eat the costs associated with free. For more social media and brand communication tips – follow Communication Strategist Edan Gelt and her recent blog series – edangelt.com/blog.

Creating a Google My Business (GMB) listing is the first and most important step to local search success. GMB offers the strongest brand impact for businesses or individuals seeking exposure locally. In fact, approximately 90% of organic searches come from Google and it complements a brand’s existing website, shows in search results and maps, and communicates with third-party platforms using Google Maps API. Read even more info on Eden Gelt.

These are examples that have an obvious mechanism toward the building of trust. Consumers have long memories and acts like this will serve these companies well for years to come. But, there are more subtle examples. In the Philippines, the CEO of the McDonald’s operation in that country created a video. This video details the safety measures McDonald’s is taking to protect both consumers and their staff. This might seem like an obvious approach. However, at the same time other companies are portraying their staff as ‘heroes.’ This approach is being criticized for ignoring the fact that the employees are in as much need of protection as the consumers are.

Entertainment venue? Share the experience. Make your client’s hearts race or minds open. Give them a first-hand glimpse of riding a water slide or snippets of an attraction, show or new game. Let them feel the excitement of your brand. During the pandemic guests may be cautious to return – show them what you’re doing to keep them safe. Consultant? Give out free tips and tricks, a how to guide or case studies – have you seen my Edan Gelt vlog yet? I not only recommend vlogging, I also practice it.