Extending the Corporate Brand with Social Media

In my last post I explained the three objectives of a social media policy.

1.       Build a Network

2.       Extend the Brand and

3.       Dominate your web space.

And I offered an explanation on the importance of using Social Media to build a network and drive new customers to your door. The second objective is to Extend the Brand and social media is a powerful tool to do so.

So what is a brand and how can it be extended through Social Media? As a consultant, helping large companies manage their brand, I have learned that a brand is created and sustained by every transaction a company has with its customers.  The experience that a customer has with a company’s product or service extends beyond the performance of the product.  The marketplace is constantly assessing the resilience of a brand through the messaging it gets from product users. The Internet and Social Media is positioned to change brand perception in light speed because of the volume and velocity of the consumers’ messages. Did the product perform as intended or exceed expectations? If not, did the company make it right? These are the main questions that not only drive the brand dialogue, but these questions can be explosive in the viral virtual conversation.

Just do a simple google search on “…iPhone Antennae problem…” .  (For those of you who aren’t aware of the issue,  the iphone has service interruption when users place their hand over the antennae on the corner of the device.) The company has suggested users hold the device in a certain way or obtain a case (free to users through September) . iphone enthusiasts have created their own fixes on video and the articles on the subject dominate the search results.  So the dialogue is robust and the volume of media exposure has cast a shadow over the iphone brand. Is apple handling the situation through Social media and its Internet presence well? I believe the jury is still out, but the evidence says that they can do more. This situation has most certainly affected its future brand perception.

So what does this mean for you as you develop your Social media strategy? First of all, hundreds of millions of individuals are growing into and experimenting in the many hundreds of social media platforms. These platforms (facebook, wordpress, etc.) are where the e-public has chosen to connect and are making purchasing decisions more and more through the transparency created by these networks. Forward thinking Companies are using SM platforms to engage their users and shape the conversation.  Your challenge is to find the right platforms where the largest concentrations of your customers are already expressing their product experiences so you can have a dialogue with them as well.

My next post will address “How to Dominate your Web Space”. I will also give you the cliffs’ notes version of how the search engines work.  Stay tuned…..

 Charles Fellingham is a social media guru, speaker, consultant and is the founder of QAlias, to leading tool for Personal Branding. He also has a quarter century experience in Consulting, Training and Business Management with Fortune 500 companies.

So I’m in charge of Corporate Social Media….Now What?

Most companies find themselves in the start-up stage of Social Media and have committed to embrace the growing realization that Social Media is an essential part of brand marketing. If, after the dust settles on your company’s decision to ignite its social media campaign, you find that you have been chosen to lead that initiative, we have some advice for you.

Remember, there are three objectives to a Social Media Initiative

1. Build a Network
2. Extend the Brand and
3. Dominate your web space.

Building a Network means two things.  First, you want to corral your current customers.  They are the ones already buying your products or using your services. The key is to find out where they play in the social media space.  You will want to have a presence there.  The second is to expand your network through Social Media to create awareness of your products and services beyond your present client base.  This means finding new customers and extending your reach.

I worked recently with an independent restaurant that was seeking a younger client base and wanted to build its weeknight business.  By just having the service help ask a few questions of its younger dining clients they very quickly found that by creating a Facebook fan page to announce food specials and events they had a quick, low cost presence that would reach their current enthusiastic clients. They then rewarded their loyal followers for recommending the establishment to their “friends”.  For those Fans that had a large following, the restaurant offered specials for gatherings of “friends” after work. These strategies resulted in the increased weekday business and had the halo effect of a growing weekend business as well.  This is just one example of translating the virtual Social Community into business growth. And, business growth should be your ultimate goal as the leader of your social Media initiative.

Our next post will delve into the world of Extending your Brand and how to use the full extent of your Human Capital to build your brand, your network and grow your business through Social Media.

Charles Fellingham is a social media guru, speaker, consultant and is the founder of QAlias, to leading tool for Personal Branding. He also has a quarter century experience in Consulting, Training and Business Management with Fortune 500 companies.

Companies are beginning to wake up and realize that arguably their most important investment – their Human Capital Asset – could be at risk.  The Social Media explosion and Personal Branding phenomenon are creating a back door culture for employees who are positioning for better career alternatives, which are creating greater risk to a company’s client base and intellectual capital.

We have all heard the old saying “It’s not what you know, but WHO you know”.  We believe that in today’s corporate environment of globalization, increasing competition and many diverse markets, we must now consider – “It’s not only who you know, but WHO KNOWS YOU - AND WHAT YOU DO?”