Social media is an essential part of many brands marketing strategies. As discussed in our social media series, when a business interacts on social platforms it yields many benefits. Increased brand awareness and better customer services are just two of these benefits. However, one of the greatest ways brands are standing apart from the competition is by developing an engaging social media persona.
Brands With Great Social Media Personas
There are a number of food and beverage brands successfully leveraging social media. The brands mentioned below have done an amazing job creating a social media persona. But, how exactly have they managed to stand out in the overpopulated food and beverage industry. The answer…these brands simply understand who they are.
Carolyn Walker, Managing Partner at Response Marketing, elaborated on this concept: “We believe that the brands that have a deep understanding of who they are, what they value, who their audience is, and how they show up including tone of voice and personality have an easier time developing their brand across all channels, including social.”
Keep on reading to see what brands are winning with their social media personality.
Wendy’s – The Queen Of Twitter
One of the most popular food personalities on social is Wendy’s. Lindsay Milligan, Social Media Strategist at Bigbuzz Marketing Group believes that, “In today’s meme-centric world of clap-backs and sass, Wendy’s Twitter account has set themselves apart from the rest.”
There is no denying that this fast food restaurant has roasted its way to stardom. They have developed a very distinct brand personality which centers around sarcasm and humor.¹
Image Source: Wendy’s Twitter
Image Source: Wendy’s Twitter
Stony Creek Brewery
However, you don’t need to be a fast food giant to find your voice on social media. As the second largest brewery in Connecticut, Stony Creek, has a great understanding of their identity and how social media plays a role in this.
Response Marketing assists in the brewery’s branding and social media efforts. Since the brand’s personality is “aggressively laid back,” the social media managers at Stony Creek make sure that this theme is seen throughout their posts.
Explore what other marketing tactics are being used for Stony Creek.
MoonPie
MoonPie shares a similar social media personality to Wendy’s. They do a great job of combining humor and pop culture to promote their product.
Their Twitter account first started to develop a lot of attention during the summer of 2017. This is when they had a “Twitter War” with their competitor, Hostess Snacks, over which treat would be the official snack of the solar eclipse.
Here are a few of their more recent tweets that capitalize everyone’s current moon and Area 51 obsession.
Image Credit: MoonPie Twitter
Tips For Developing An Online Persona
In order to develop an online persona that properly reflects the brand, you must do research. For in-house creatives managing the company’s social accounts, get to truly know your brand. Ask as many questions as you possibly can. The same advice can be applied if you’re an agency helping to develop a brands social media accounts.
Keith Kakadia, CEO of Sociallyin, elaborates on how a social media personality can be determined, “Every company we’ve ever done work for has its own obstacles, goals, and dreams. These are the types of things that make up a brands personality. So we take those ideas, those aspirations; and we turn them into a creative social strategy that draws in the right crowd.”
“So we take those ideas, those aspirations; and we turn them into a creative social strategy that draws in the right crowd.”
– Keith Kakadia, CEO, Sociallyin
Keith continued to highlight why finding the perfect persona is important. He explained that when a brands social media strategy embodies their mission and personality, then you will reach the right customers.
The Significance
Every marketer knows that social media is an integral part of any marketing strategy. But why exactly is it important to develop a distinct personality on social media? Just think about all the competitors you have. Building a persona is just one way that you can stand out from the crowd.
In addition to standing out, an online persona allows customers to better connect with that product. Lindsay at Bigbuzz Marketing Group highlights that this is especially helpful when trying to establish a connection between a brand and a product/service that isn’t extremely personable, such as food.
Lindsay explained, “By seamlessly integrating these personalities into the customer’s everyday life, in their newsfeed, it makes this presence become more familiar and relatable.”
Taking The Risk
You can’t be successful or stand out from the crowd if you never take the risk. Just think about how nervous Wendy’s was before sending out their very first sassy tweet or reply to a customer.
“There are risks to everything. In social media, brand love and hate travel equally fast and far.”
– Carolyn Walker, Managing Partner, Response Marketing
Carolyn at Response Marketing emphasizes, “There are risks to everything. In social media, brand love and hate travel equally fast and far. If you do make mistakes or missteps, it’s best to own it, take accountability, apologize, and let folks know what you are doing to change.”
However, the process of developing a social media personality itself doesn’t have to be a risky process. Keith at Sociallyin believes that by engaging in research and getting to the know the brand you can help minimize risk. He said, “It’s deciding what steps you want to take to make the brand stand out that can be risky.”
The Biggest Risk
Lindsay Milligan, Social Media Strategist at Bigbuzz Marketing Group, argues: “The only risk to establishing a persona on social media would be to miss this opportunity. If done correctly, this tactic can only drive engagement, increase reach and create conversation with the customer. The only risk here would be if a personality was not created catered to that specific audience.”
“The only risk to establishing a persona on social media would be to miss this opportunity.”
– Lindsay Milligan, Social Media Strategist, Bigbuzz Marketing Group
This is why knowing your audience is such a crucial part of the research process when developing a social media strategy.
Now It’s Your Turn
If your brand is on social media, it is critical that you have a voice that will appeal to your audience.
A strong social media personality will: ²
- Make your brand memorable
- Help build trust
- Boost brand engagement
As a marketer a great way to help minimize the risk associated with this marketing strategy is by turning to the experts. This is what social media agencies were made for. Sit back, relax, and let the experts develop the perfect social media plan for you.
References:
¹ Forbes | ² Sprouts Social
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