Cross Branding with Social Media

Cross Branding your organization with Social Media

The brands that your business associates itself with are a reflection of your brand.

An accounting firm, for example, that operates in a structured manner is likely using PCs, while a marketing firm would typically opt for Apple equipment, which is branded as the hardware for creative professionals. The same is applicable for your business and the social media brands you associate with.

Most businesses will be on Facebook and Twitter, and while their activity may be limited, they will still have some presence. What some don’t realize is that there are ­many more opportunities available through social media in addition to the two biggest players. While the traffic of the niche social media outlets may pale in comparison to Facebook and Twitter, the outlet might include or intrigue your customers.

Many retail and restaurant brands are finding success using geolocation social networks like FourSquare. These networks allow users to share with their friends when they are in a particular place. Some brands are even using these networks for promotional campaigns: giving a discount or freebie to those who “check-in”. What makes these tools even more valuable is their ability to sync with Facebook and Twitter; meaning, users’ friends on the larger networks can see the check-ins. 

The go-to network for video is YouTube, but there are alternatives. For those of you who view your brand and customer as more artistic or creative, Vimeo may be where you want to position video campaigns. I’m not suggesting you avoid YouTube, but using a more niche network may put you on the fast track to connecting with customers within your target market. Once you establish a following, you can exploit the enormous traffic of YouTube.

As you position your brand within these niche networks you are not only facing less competition when it comes to getting your voice heard, you are inevitably bettering your brand’s SEO. Once your name and content is curated on more social media outlets, you create a greater opportunity to have your content shared. Search engines gather information, more now than ever, from social media outlets. As your content is shared in greater numbers it becomes seen as credible and rises to the top of searches.

If you are unfamiliar with social media outlets beyond Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, here are some for you to explore: FourSquare, Vimeo, Flickr, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, UStream, Path, Delicious, Wikipedia, Squidoo, Google+, MySpace, and Technorati.

Just need the basics under your belt? Learn more about becoming Active Media Certified through our Social Media and Online Marketing Training Program.

Don't forget to follow Mark (@MarkAtKayak) and Randy (@Kayak360) on Twitter and connect with Randy in Google+.

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