Wall Street Journal Feature- Creating a Brand for a New Business- here are Kris Ruby, President & Founder of Ruby Media Group’s answers for how to effectively tap into social media to build a brand
“I’m a freelancer looking to build a company around my services. What tips can you offer for creating a solid brand?”
Kris Ruby
You can create a brand for your business by effectively executing a comprehensive social media marketing strategy that includes utilizing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging. Opening up a two-way communication channel with customers is vital for building a brand for your business in Web 2.0. Recommendations from bloggers and influencers in your industry are also critical to securing your “brand equity” online.
The best way to begin building your brand is to communicate and engage with followers, rather than by trying to market to them. Build “social engagement” into your company’s social media strategy, as opposed to promotional tweets and Facebook posts, which can hurt your brand equity in the long run.
Here are my top tips for building brand equity in social media sites for every business owner:
- Set up Google alerts for your company.
- Create a Facebook fan page, Twitter page and LinkedIn profile page for your company.
- Secure a minimum of five recommendations on your LinkedIn profile.
- Build geographically targeted lists on Twitter that other community members will want to follow.
- Optimize all blog content for search engine optimization visibility.
- Guest blog for brand diversification.
- Join relevant industry-related groups on key social media platforms.
- Lead a webinar on a newsworthy topic in your industry to distinguish yourself as an opinion leader.
- Publicize your availability by creating press releases for speaking engagements.
- Become a columnist to earn “Internet” brand equity. You’ll also gain inbound traffic to your company’s site if you write compelling content.
- Respond to queries posted on Helpareporterout.com (HARO) and Profnet.com for quick PR hits.
Digital Referrals and “Word of Mouse” Marketing
Digital referrals are the best referrals.
The best way to get your clients to refer you to other clients is through social media “word of mouse” viral marketing. Digital testimonials, specifically on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are ideal ways to share past testimonials of work completed with your entire network.
Recommendations from bloggers and influencers in your industry are also critical to securing your online brand equity and digital authority.
People are more likely to trust peer reviews and recommendations as opposed to ads.
KRIS RUBY is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, an award-winning public relations and media relations agency in Westchester County, New York. Kris Ruby has more than 15 years of experience in the Media industry. She is a sought-after media relations strategist, content creator and public relations consultant. Kris Ruby is also a national television commentator and political pundit and she has appeared on national TV programs over 200 times covering big tech bias, politics and social media. She is a trusted media source and frequent on-air commentator on social media, tech trends and crisis communications and frequently speaks on FOX News and other TV networks. She has been featured as a published author in OBSERVER, ADWEEK, and countless other industry publications. Her research on brand activism and cancel culture is widely distributed and referenced. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication with a major in public relations and is a founding member of The Young Entrepreneurs Council. She is also the host of The Kris Ruby Podcast Show, a show focusing on the politics of big tech and the social media industry. Kris is focused on PR for SEO and leveraging content marketing strategies to help clients get the most out of their media coverage.