You may be thinking, "Why should I invest in social media?" Or maybe you’ve thought, "As long as something is posted, who cares?"
Well, if that’s your strategy, you may see results—it just might not be what you’re looking for. Let’s face it, social media is more than just posting. To succeed, you need a clear plan. A well-thought-out social media presence can boost brand awareness, position your company as a thought leader, foster loyalty, and—yes, even generate leads. But how?
You’ve got the basics, but your social strategy is lacking. I’m here to cut through the noise and show you how to build a social media plan that actually works.
What is Brand Awareness and Why Does It Matter?
Brand awareness is how well your audience recognizes and remembers your brand. It’s about creating a lasting, positive impression. Think of your brand as a person—who are they, how do they speak, and what’s their purpose? When your company is top of mind, customers are more likely to automatically choose your products or services. People are creatures of habit—why take the risk when they know they’ll get a great experience from you? If they’ve had positive interactions before, that builds trust and loyalty, making you their go-to choice.
Brand awareness isn’t just a buzzword. It directly affects the bottom line. Companies that focus on building brand awareness through social media can see major boosts in lead generation. Yes, you can turn those likes into leads. In fact, 65% of salespeople who use social selling fill their pipelines faster than those who don’t. About 9 out of 10 consumers will check you out and buy from—you guessed it—social media. So, why not leverage it and start filling up your sales funnel. It’s not just about posting, it’s about strategically engaging with your audience to drive results.
How to Build Brand Awareness Through Social Media
Now that we’re clear on what brand awareness is and its benefits, let’s talk about how you can start building it. You don’t need a massive team or a huge budget—what you need is strategy.
Step 1: Work Smarter the Right Tools
If you only have one person running your social media, investing in a social media management tool can be a lifesaver. From managing multiple platforms to tracking your analytics, these tools streamline the process. If a social media tool isn’t in your budget, an Excel sheet can be a great solution!
Step 2: Set Clear Objectives
Before you start posting, you need to understand your business and marketing objectives. For now, let’s assume you want to create brand awareness. For brand awareness, your content strategy should include the following:
Educational posts: Think blogs, infographics, or interviews that provide value to your audience.
Community posts: Highlight your involvement in charity events, sponsorships, or local community initiatives.
Culture posts: Show the human side of your business with employee spotlights, anniversary posts, company events, and behind-the-scenes content.
Hold off on the hard-sell product posts until you’ve built some trust with your audience. If you really can’t resist, try making every fourth post a ‘sales pitch’—but don’t expect a flood of engagement. A good example of an account that follows best practices is Therapy Services Inc. They've nailed the art of curating an Instagram grid that strikes the perfect balance between educational content and promotional posts. By using well-thought-out, targeted hashtags, they boost engagement and keep their feed looking cohesive and on-brand.
Check them out here.
Step 3: Engage, Don’t Just Post
Posting is just half the battle—you’ve got to engage. Social media isn’t a billboard; it’s about creating community. Start by picking four clients you want to work with and engage with their posts. At events, tag the companies and people involved. If your brand gets tagged (positively, of course), repost it and drop a comment.
The bottom line? Don’t just post and ghost—build genuine connections.
Step 4: Test, Test, and Test Again
The first two months are all about testing. Try to post twice a week and experiment with different days, times, content lengths, and platforms. It's okay to cross-post during this phase, but remember, what works on one platform won’t always work on another. Use this time to figure out the best copy length, timing, and tags for each channel.
(Pro Tip: Vary your hashtags! Use a mix of high-volume, brand-specific, and niche hashtags to reach different segments of your audience).
Step 5: Analyze and Optimize
After two to three months, you'll start noticing patterns. What content worked best? Which days, times, or post types performed better? Analyze the trends and refine your strategy. If you don’t have a social media tool, go into each channel, track top-performing posts, and categorize them by platform. Focus on commonalities—best tactics, ideal times, and hashtags for each platform. By month three, you'll have a refined strategy based on what works.
It's a Long Game, Not a Quick Fix
Let’s be real for a second—social media success doesn’t happen overnight. You’re not going to see instant results after a week or two. It takes about two to three months of consistent effort before you start seeing the impact of a strong brand awareness strategy. So, if you’re expecting it to go viral immediately, let me burst that bubble—going viral is a short-term boost at best, and it’s almost impossible to predict.
The Wrap-Up
If your goal is to increase brand awareness, build trust, and grow your audience, this is where you start. Remember, this is just the beginning—getting leads is the next step, and we’ll dive into that in our next blog. But for now, focus on building that awareness, and the rest will follow.