TRG Branding With Social Media Ebook

ebook Ser ies: Volume I
the promise behind the brand.

BRANDIN G WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
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BRANDING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
©The Russo Group, 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
So, what is a brand?...............................................................................................................................................................................3

The Brand Promise..................................................................................................................................................................................9
Let’s Talk Social Media.........................................................................................................................................................................11
Okay, so what do I have to do?....................................................................................................................................................... 17
– Listen
– Prepare
– Converse
– Community
Questions?.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
– How can I use Social Media within my business?
– Is it worth it?
– What if none of this applies to me?
– What do I get out of it?
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 24
About Russo........................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

So, What is
a Brand ?
Before we even begin to talk branding,
we have to first establish what it is
we’re talking about.
To many, a brand is simply a logo.

A visual representation
of a company or product.
To others, a brand is the company or

product itself.
But, which one is right?

To Begin with –
A brand is not a Logo.

It’s not a Product either.

And no, it’s not a Company.

A BRAND IS
A PERSON’S EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
TO A COMPANY, PRODUCT OR SERVICE.

It’s important to you because –

Consumers have too many choices and too little time.
Most people see no differentiation between products.
People rely on their instinct when making choices.

Branding is a
promise
between you
and your
consumer
Consistent delivery
of your promise
creates trust,
trust promotes loyalty,
and loyalty leads to
advocacy.

In addition,
The brand
promise must be
authentic -
based on an actual point of differentiation,
authentically claimed and delivered –
it is the essence of the brand itself.
It must also be delivered everywhere the

consumer comes in contact with the company
and product…
…and this is what brings us

to social media.

Now, lets talk

Social Media.
Social media provides an ideal opportunity
to talk directly to your consumer – engaging them in
a conversation that can lead to not only
stronger brand awareness, but also brand loyalty
and advocacy.
To do this though,
you must first figure out,
what it is you want to say.

To find your voice,

You must bring Focus to your brand
by defining the one differentiating and
powerfully compelling quality
that makes your brand Razor sharp.
You must also find a Connection with your

audience by establishing your voice
and defining your message.
Lastly, you must bring Harmony

to your brand, by developing
a series of branded touchpoints
in order to establish trust.
But be careful to not center your message or your

promise around price, people or service.
these are false promises that can not be supported.

If price is your only point of

differentiation, you are not building a
brand. You are selling a commodity.
Every company says they have

great people. What makes yours
better than theirs?
If you promise it and then fail to deliver,

you can’t get it back.

So, find your niche, Discover your

voice, build your brand and
articulate your message.
And once you have your house in order,
You can invite the public and your consumers to visit.

Still looking for a

connection between
social media
and branding ?
Well, Social Media provides an opportunity
for social marketing –
which is better than advertising, because:
it creates a connection,
develops a relationship,
forms a tribe
and builds a brand.

But let’s be clear
Social Media is NOT about

advertising, selling or yelling
at the masses.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALL ABOUT
THE CONVERSATION.

Okay, so what do I have to do ?

FIRST, YOU LISTEN
Approach Social Media

as you would a conference.
Find out the who, what, where and when.

Read up on current events, and Study the
panelists and decide who you want to listen to.
Listen to your industry

(by visiting industry-related sites)
Listen for your name

(Google Alerts and Twitter Alerts)
Listen on a party line

(Google Reader)

After you
listen,
IT’S TIME TO PREPARE
Get dressed up in your suit. Walk around the room
and check them out. Pay attention to the ones with
a crowd around them.
Prepare to put your

best foot forward
with your website.
Your site should have an easy domain name; be
well-developed, interesting, and without ads.
Capture your brand essence;

and be sure to keep it updated regularly with
fresh and relevant content.

Prepare to share your thoughts
– Vote on content to tell others that it’s great
– Let people know about events
StumbleUpon
– Bookmark content of interest
delicious

Now, it’s time to Converse

After the panels, go to the cocktail party. Say hello.
Don’t be offended if they don’t hear you at first, it’s loud in there.
Twitter
(users can send and read messages known as tweets)
Facebook
(users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with
other people. Users can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles
to notify friends)
YouTube
(users can upload and share videos)
Flickr
(users can share personal photographs and bloggers can use it as a photo repository)
Blogs
(individuals maintain regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as
graphics or video)

Next up, Build a

Community
Make friends, and you will soon find a crowd
around you. Truth is, people want to hear what
you have to say, so be sure to use the right tools
and language. Let people know where
and how to find you.
Networking sites like LinkedIn and Plaxo

(are both career-based Social Networking sites designed
to attract a more business-minded community
over the socially-minded)
Whrrl (Social Media’s “story telling” networking site.

With Whrrl, users can upload photos and videos and
then build a community of users based on
common interests and stories)

But how can I use

Social Media within
my business ?
Well, you can use Social Media for employee recruiting
and inter-office interactions. In addition, Social Media gives
you the ability to post job listings on business-oriented social
networking sites like LinkedIn. You can also use these sites
to make business connections and further communicate your
message to those who need to hear it most.
On the internal side, you can use social media as an inter-

office utility. Use sites like Facebook to get to know your
employees and promote additional channels for them to better
communicate with thier contacts.
You should create a policy for Social Media use by all

employees as part of your company handbook.

Is all this worth it, and what if

none of this applies to me ?
The bottom line is that people live online now.
They research products and services before they purchase them -
According to Inc. Magazine, January 2009,

“In 2008, 90% of purchases were made
after research online.”
Your company has to have a presence in social media

because that’s where your consumers are spending their time.

Conclusion
Aside from a well-organized branding strategy,
you get an edge.
Since the technology of Social Networking is still relatively new,
most people still don’t know what to make of it, or how to take advantage of it.
The upside is: you do!
If you utilize a blog, maintain a Facebook page, and even have consistent Tweets,
then you’ll be well on your way to building you own social empire.
Being the first to use Social Media in your category gives you the opportunity to DOMINATE your category.
Three things to remember:

Branding is crucial | Social Media helps to create a community around your brand | all it takes is time or money (but mostly time)
For more detailed information on social media and branding,

visit therussogroup.com to download white papers in our knowledge section.

RUSSO IS A STRATEGIC BRANDING AGENCY –

AND AS A BRANDING AGENCY, WE ARE BELIEVERS.
Here, we believe in the promise behind the brand.

And here, we believe that changing the conversation motivates consumer behavior.
Through the use of consumer insight, we develop branding initiatives for our clients
that form emotional connections with their consumers.
For more information on branding, social media

or to learn more about The Russo Group, drop us a line, we would love to hear from you.
116 E. Congress St., Downtown Lafayette, LA 70501 | 337.769.1530 | F 337.769.1531

www.therussogroup.com | www.razorbrandingblog.com | jaci@therussogroup.com

BRANDING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
©The Russo Group, 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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ebook Ser ies: Volume I

the promise behind the brand.

CLICK SCREEN TO BEGIN.

BRANDING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

1 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

So, what is a brand?...............................................................................................................................................................................3

2 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

To many, a brand is simply a logo.

To others, a brand is the company or

But, which one is right?

3 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

4 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

It’s not a Product either.

5 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

And no, it’s not a Company.

6 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

7 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

It’s important to you because –

8 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

9 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

It must also be delivered everywhere the

…and this is what brings us

10 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Now, lets talk

11 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

To find your voice,

You must also find a Connection with your

Lastly, you must bring Harmony

But be careful to not center your message or your

12 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

If price is your only point of

Every company says they have

If you promise it and then fail to deliver,

13 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

So, find your niche, Discover your

14 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Still looking for a

15 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

But let’s be clear

Social Media is NOT about

16 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Okay, so what do I have to do ?

Approach Social Media

Find out the who, what, where and when.

Listen to your industry

Listen for your name

Listen on a party line

17 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Prepare to put your

Capture your brand essence;

18 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Prepare to share your thoughts

– Vote on content to tell others that it’s great

– Let people know about events

– Bookmark content of interest

19 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Now, it’s time to Converse

20 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

Next up, Build a

Networking sites like LinkedIn and Plaxo

Whrrl (Social Media’s “story telling” networking site.

21 < B ac k | H ome | Next >

But how can I use