Building Your Brand 140 Characters At A Time

Building your brand is not as simple as having a logo made or website header designed.  Although your logo is an element of your brand, a brand is actually a feeling. It is the way people feel when they see your logo.  It is the emotional response they have when they hear your name or see your product. Your brand is about who you are and why you do what you do, not the look of your company.

For example, think of the Harley Davison logo.  People have that tattooed to their body. Let's pause and think about this: People willingly have the company logo of Harley Davidson inked into their skin forever. Why? Well, I can tell you it's NOT because orange is the new pink.  No. Rather, it is because they love what the logo and company represent. The Harley Davidson brand represents freedom, adventure, individuality and living life to it's fullest!

So, then how do you turn your logo into the symbol of your company?

…Get ready to start building your brand one tweet at a time!

First, start by looking at your username and photo.  If you are trying to brand your company instead of yourself then, it may be in your best interest to use your company name and logo for your username and password.  However, if your company name is complicated, confusing or long, then it may be in your best interest to use a high-ranking keyword phrase as your username. 

On the other hand, if you are trying to brand yourself, or you want your company to have a more personal feel, then you may want to use your personal picture for the photo section.  This helps people connect to you personally.  It breaks down barriers.  You may also want to use your name as your username, or you may want to keep it your business name.  That is up to you.

As, you can see, there are not set 'rights or wrongs' when branding yourself with twitter. Rather, the branding you create on twitter is all about what you put into it and what intentions you set along the way.

For example, some people will tell you that all of your tweets need to be related to your business…whether that is great content, quotes, links etc.  They believe that sharing your personal life is pointless and possibly confusing.

They have a point.  Endless sharing about the nuances of your day does not forward your business or your brand. 

However, take a look at Zappos ceo, Tony Hsieh twitter account.  He has over 2 million followers, and he tweets about both business and personal matters.  In fact, I often feel more compelled to click on his business tweets after I've read a few of his funny life ones.  For example, in one tweet he shared a riddle that his team at work came up with… kind of fun. Yes?

Be relatable.

Remember, each tweet represents a small facet of your personal brand.  Each tweet helps to define you and your business.

Here are 5 tips to keep in mind while building your brand on Twitter.

1.  Don't be scared to say, "I'm sorry".  The airline, JetBlue has over 14 people tweeting for its company everyday.  Their main concern is to act as another form of customer service.  This helps keep customers happy and sharing the love!

2. Host polls and contests. Starbucks is constantly asking poll questions that engage their followers and open up a line of communication.  They understand the importance of a dialogue.  Starbucks could be hosting a monologue and only posting tweets about their products and drinks all day, but a monologue does not leave room for a follower. Open up and ask questions!

3.  Figure out what your audience likes to hear and tweet about it.  For example, if you are an image consultant and your audience is tweeting about the weather then, perhaps it is time to start tweeting about weather related clothing options.

4.  Don't forget to reply.  As mentioned in point #2, you want to create a dialogue, not a monologue. Thus, when someone asks you a question or retweets your tweet, or engages in any way, it is important that you respond.  Your actions speak louder than words.  You get more of what you do than what you say.

5.  Have Fun! Followers hang out on twitter to play and have fun.  If all of your tweets are serious, content heavy and full of links to other places on the web, your followers will disappear.  Have fun. Ask trivia questions, host a contest or share a silly joke.

How are you building your brand through twitter?

What have you noticed about successful tweeps on twitter?

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is a renowned marketing strategist and speaker who is trailblazing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing. With over 30 years of experience as an online entrepreneur, Kim helps entrepreneurs grow their business and authority online by using AI technology. She is leading the way with proven AI frameworks that help entrepreneurs build authority in their space.

She is keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.

Named by Forbes as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, Kim is well-known for her skill to simplify complex technology and make the use of AI understandable for business growth. Her relatable, actionable advice helps guide new entrepreneurs to harness the power of AI to succeed in digital marketing. Kim is leading the way in combining human and technological skills to create a new model for AI-powered marketing.

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