Social Media Marketing (or SMM for short) is an extremely cost-effective way to increase brand recognition, website traffic and sales, provided it’s done well. 

With more and more users on social media, SMM is a key part of any marketing campaign but many businesses are unsure of how best to gain recognition online.

Though SMM is a relatively new type of marketing, many of the rules and techniques used in traditional marketing will serve you well here. Before you grab your phone and head out to snap the best Instagrammable shots you can, think about:

Your Message:
What are you going to say on your official social media accounts? Will you play it safe and just post about your products and services, or are you going to post about wider developments in your industry? 
Whatever your message is, it should line up with the values of your company as well as being relevant to your industry and your organisation. For example, while ice cream companies can campaign for greater awareness of GMO ingredients and be praised, it makes less sense for a fast-food chain to comment on political violence…

Your Tone:
Is your brand professional, playful or a little mysterious? Think about your range of products and/or services as well as your target audience. Are you selling cheap and cheerful products or a premium service, and how should this be presented in your social media posts?

If you’re trying to promote a premium product, then it makes sense to be a little more refined in how you choose to present it. Contrastingly, products in lower price brackets are often promoted with ‘cheap and cheerful’ marketing so customers think of them as treats rather than investments.

Once you’ve decided what you want to say and how you want to say it, you need to think about just how you want to present it. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and colourful photos help to grab attention much better than paragraphs of text, so now think about the visual aspect of your message.

We’re talking about more than picking the best model for your next photoshoot – everything that viewers see when you post online affects perceptions – so keep these recommendations in mind to show the best side of your business online:

Choose (and Use) a Colour Palette:
We try to use our classic black and blue colour scheme across all our social media posts (or complementary shades and colours at least) to create a consistent look. We don’t stop at the logo, either – most of our posts include the colour blue or a complementary colour – so our social media presence looks professional and coordinated.

One of the simplest ways to develop your colour palette is to base it off your logo, picking matching or complementary colours that work well together. If you choose and stick to an effective colour palette for your brand, you’ll be able to increase brand recognition, hopefully to a point where people associate those colours with your brand. 

Use the Same Logo/Avatar Across Different Platforms:
Consistency is key when it comes to creating a professional profile on social media. By using the same avatar or logo across all social media channels you post on, you can present a consistent brand image online and raise brand recognition. 

If you manage to attract an audience with your social media content, then more and more people will associate your brand – and your logo – with the content you post. What’s more, you can use icons with small variations (such as different colours) to indicate sub-brands like region-specific companies.

Filter Carefully:
If you use filters (such as Instagram’s pre-set filters) when posting online, keep it consistent. Whether you choose to go #NoFilter or not, pick one or two that suit your style and stick to them. We suggest using a filter that complements or accentuates your colour scheme and aesthetic, but make sure you’re okay with using the same filter for multiple posts before you commit.

Using different filters for each post can make them seem unorganised and inconsistent, so try to keep the colour settings, etc. on your posts consistent.  This will help to cement your brand style and stand out from the crowd with your own unique look.

With these tips, we hope you can create a professional social media presence that allows you to reach a wider audience and gain even more customers!