Social Media Networking | Defining Your Brand Persona

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Who is your brand?
What is a brand?
What is branding?

Your brand is a promise to consumers. Brands aren’t built overnight.

Dan Pallotta of Harvard Business Review explained this concept well in a recent blog post. He wrote, “Ultimately, brand is about caring about your business at every level and in every detail, from the big things like mission and vision, to your people, your customers, and every interaction anyone is ever going to have with you, no matter how small. Whether you know it or not, whether you have a swanky logo or not, you do have a brand. The question is whether or not it’s the brand you really want.”

Your brand’s personality is reflected in every customer touch point and experience just as a person’s personality is communicated in an individual’s actions and behaviors. Social Media amplify’s your brand.

The last thing you want to do is waste time and money by developing a weak brand.

Let’s explore some success principles of developing a strong brand…

To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your brand strategies (Social Media Marketing) through your company at every point of public contact.

Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects.

What will consumers get when they purchase a product or service under your brand umbrella?

The brand promise incorporates more than just those tangible products and services.
It includes feelings that consumers get when they use your products and services.

1. Define Your Brand Persona

What are the physical attributes of your brand that communicate its personality?
What are the psychological attributes of your brand that communicate its personality?

Do your brand’s existing physical and psychological attributes match your audiences’ wants and needs for a brand in your market?

2. Who is Your Brand?

If your brand was a person…

What kind of personality would it be?
What kind of people would want to hang out with your brand?
How would it communicate with others?
What kinds of Social Media Marketing Platforms would it participate in? Why?
Would it be strong?
How would it feel about global events?
Where would it spend time?
How would it treat other people?

Is your brand positioned correctly or does it need a personality overhaul? Get started by thinking of the brands in your market, competitor brands in your market.

Who are they?
What is their brand persona?
What is their personality?
What are their physical attributes?

3. Your Brand Components

Are the brand components and objectives clear to your target market? Are you sending mixed signals to your audience?

What makes up your brand?
Colors? Style?
Service?
Quality?
Taste?
Experience?
Do they work together?
Are they consistent from Social Media site to site?

4. Your Brand Beliefs

Do what you believe your brand to convey match up with your clients beliefs about your brand?

If you clients are expecting a budget priced product and you offer high end products, will there be a disconnect?
Does Mercedes Benz carry a different brand message than a Kia?
What about Tiffany jewelers?

Take some time to answer the following questions…

What do you want people to see and appreciate?
What do you want customers to hear, see, think and feel?
Who are they engaging with?
What do you stand for?

Defining your brand persona will humanize engagement and make takeaway impressions and value consistent across every social network and in every scenario.

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