3 Tips on Using Social Media to Build Your Brand

Social media can be a very powerful tool when it comes to starting and maintaining a small business. According to an article written by Forbes Councils Member Tony Pec, "Social media gives you the ability to voice your brand message, deliver deeper insight into you and your mission and values, and give your customers and potential customers their own voice to coexist with yours."

The internet is a very large place with many different platforms that serve different purposes for promotion. Some like YouTube thrive of long-form content while others like Instagram or TikTok are designed for shorter and static content. However, there are some ways to help navigate building your professional image online that can be applied to all of them. Here are 3 tips and pieces of advice from my own experience on how to use social media to help you on your entrepreneurial endeavors.

1. Interactivity

One of the most important questions one should ask themselves whenever creating your business is “Who is this for?”. While the answer may seem a bit broad at first, having a better understanding of who the audience for your business is can play a significant role in your approach towards making content surrounding it. Having opportunities for viewers to directly engage with promotional material not only provides a strong incentive for investing in your brand, but can also serve as an effective guide to improving your marketing strategy on the basis of understanding what your audience wants to see more of from you. 

2. Make Trends Your Own 

Whether it be hashtags, music choices, or formatting for video content, it never hurts to use popular social media trends as a way to help you get noticed. See if you can find unique ways to incorporate them in a way that aligns with your brand as it can be a great way to gain a broader audience by utilizing a mechanic or idea that they're familiar with.

3. Look for Networking Opportunities

In a lot of ways, social media is designed to be a collaborative medium as it allows people to connect with each other by fostering online communities based on shared interests and goals. This applies not only to business-consumer relationships, but also business' relationships with each other. Social media can be a great way to help connect with other individuals that can be beneficial in helping your small business grow and expand.

But perhaps the most important thing to remember when it comes to promoting a business through social media is that there is no right or wrong way to go about doing so. Look for ways to experiment and try new things out to decide what works best for you. Find out different methods of incorporating your unique vision and style of expression to make yourself stand out. That's what makes it such a useful and creative tool for both current and aspiring young entrepreneurs.

By Charlie Adams

Marketing and Advertising Manager of Target Evolution

Undergraduate Student at the University of Houston

Teen Biz Blog