Social Networking: The Importance Of 2.0 Branding?

The importance of 2.0 branding

What is 2.0? It’s a term that refers to social networks and Internet itself. Traditional media like TV, radio or newspapers are 1.0: there’s only one emitter who gives away one message to an audience, and that audience can’t reply. But years ago we have entered a new era in massive communications: the 2.0 era. It means that now, with the Internet, people can reply, interact and send their own messages themselves. And that’s all thanks to social networks.

It didn’t take long until brands arrived to social media. They started interacting with their customers by Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and so on. They allow their audiences to follow them online, to talk to them, to get answers and to be in touch.

It’s not all about answering your customers, managing potential crisis or uploading new posts every once in a while. It’s about maintaining an unified style of communication every time you interact with the online audiences. For example: do you imagine a multinational business consultancy tweeting something like “Hey dudes! Have a cool Saturday! YOLO”? Or even better, do you think its right for a clothing brand for teenagers to upload a picture on Instagram with it’s CEO receiving an award for the company’s productivity on a business gala? Of course not. Examples like these might seem a bit extreme, but the point is that you need to be consistent to what your brand means to your customers in every touchpoint you have with them. Otherwise, you risk your brand image as a whole.

A brand is nothing but a symbol. A symbol that represents something irrational to your clients. For example, Coca Cola means happiness, family, good times. Mercedes Benz means status, German engineering. Disney means dreams come true, a happy childhood. Volvo means trust, security. You need to ask yourself what does your brand means, and how do your clients feel about it. And mirroring those images, those symbols, on social

They need to know about everything your brand means. They need to know about its spirit, its values, it’s mission. They also must be aware of your audience’s personality, they likes and dislikes, they way of living, their hopes and dreams, their expectations on your brand. And most importantly, they need to have the ability to communicate all of that into a tweet, a Facebook post, an image on Instagram or a LinkedIn status. Not that simple, right?

Of course not, but it is 100% reachable. And the results are truly amazing. Your customers will be attracted to your brand for its very interesting contents on social media. The complaints you might get on social networks will be successfully solved and the troubled customers won’t feel disappointed no more. Your audience will “feel” your brand 100% at every touchpoint, understanding what all is about and engaging with it. You will achieve their loyalty: the emotional reason why your customers will continue buying your brand above the other ones on the market. Isn’t that what we want, after