3 Simple Ways to Build A Relationship-Based Brand

Helping customers connect with your brand can be a major challenge, and standing out from your competitors can be even harder. Customers are flooded with messages every day – from ads on TV and Radio, to web banners, to social media marketing messages. As a small business, how do you encourage people to not just pay attention to your brand, but engage in it? Build a relationship with your customers and potential customers, and here’s 3 simple ways you can get started now.

1. Start your Facebook page (and let people know it exists!)

Get your company on Facebook. Create your personal account and log in – then in the search bar at the top of the page, type in “facebook pages” and click on the first result of the search (Facebook Pages). Up in the upper right, you’ll see a button that says “Create a Page” – click that button to get started.

You’ll select your page type and enter some basic info about your business. They’ll walk you through uploading a picture (I suggest your logo, to start), sharing the page with friends, and adding a website link.

After you’ve completed the set-up, click “Wall” in the left column. From the “Write something” bar at the top, you can post anything you like – updates on your products, special offers, photos and video – and instantly share it with people who have chosen to “like” your page.

Be sure to let customers who visit your business know that you’re on Facebook – once they “like” your page, they’ll be able to respond to your posts and have conversations with you about your business.

Try to post something at least 3 times per week to keep people paying attention to your page!

2. Start a Blog

You know you’re the expert in your field – so start showing it! Head over to Tumblr and start your company blog. It’s free, and after a simple account sign-up, you can start posting news and information to your customers. While Facebook is great for customer interactions and small updates, Tumblr (or other blogging services like WordPress or Blogger) allow you to write longer posts of value to your customer.

You can also integrate Tumblr with Facebook so that your customers can choose how to interact with information as they prefer.

3. Create compelling content

It can be tempting to use your social media as a marketing portal to promote news about your business or special offers you have. In some cases blogging promotions can create value and interest for your company. However, for real engagement to take place, and to build value beyond the bottom line,consider writing for your customer rather than about your business. What does this mean?

It means writing and creating content that your customer finds useful, and demonstrates specifically why you are the expert in your field. If you’re an event planning company, consider writing tips on how people should plan events, and post interesting photos or video of events you’ve participated in (or even ones you find compelling that were done by other companies outside your area of business). If you’re an insurance agent, consider writing ways people can protect their investments, lower their rates, and care for their homes and vehicles. Make the content about the customer and it will translate into more eyes on your social media, more eyes on your website, and more leads for your business.

Building a relationship-based brand from the ground up can look like a difficult task, especially when you get started. When you begin, you’re writing content that may not get the attention you hope. Over time, though, you’ll find that through great content, more people will pay attention to what you’re doing, and will even help you out by sharing the content themselves with their network. Take a couple of hours today and start with these three simple steps. You’ll be well on your way to a better brand through building relationships and social media marketing!

Start the conversation! How have you thought about using social media as a cornerstone of your marketing? Comment below!

SEE ALSO: Brand Loyalty: Twitter vs Facebook