For any business, social media is more than just a shop window to your store or brand; it’s an opportunity to shake hands with your potential customers and introduce them to what you do. The 21st-century explosion of social media means that for the first time ever, users are having brands come to them and infiltrate the spaces they occupy to a degree never before able by television, radio, or print. Particularly for brands operating in the sexual wellness sphere, traditional advertising can be restrictive, and whilst social media has policies, we are the experts at navigating these hurdles to ensure success when marketing on social platforms.
Initially, the invention of the internet made space for a digital shop front that brands could direct their audience to. Today, and with the help of social media, brand reach can spread at exponential levels that have never been seen before. 67.1% of the world’s total population has and actively uses social media, and why wouldn’t you make the most of that?
Hire experts like Little Leaf to navigate this tricky landscape and build a strategy to establish a brand’s social media presence. The benefits are numerous, but here are our highlights.
Social media benefits brand reach
46% of people prefer social media over watching the television, and even when they are watching their favourite shows, 71% do so with their phones in their hand, opening up their leisure time to potential targeting.
31% of people now use social media as a search engine, relying on the user generated content and physical recommendation of other people online via videos, Reddit threads and discussion boards. With Gen Z, that statistic jumps to 40%, showing that traditional search engines may be falling by the wayside.
Young people may also trust their peers that also occupy this space when asking intimate questions about their bodies, sexuality or the like. Trends show that people want reassurance and guidance on personal issues like their personal pleasure or sexual wellness from a more reliable and personal source than just a website page.
User demographic research will add value when researching your target audience
Social media functionalities allow you to delve into demographics such as age, gender and location, facilitating the research of your market and full understanding of the needs of your audience. These analytics offer a treasure trove of data and facilitate niche marketing like never before. By using this information, brands and agencies like us can better identity trends, desires and pain points, which allows for more informed business decisions and custom-tailored approaches that get better results.
You can find out more about how to tailor your marketing and PR approach to Gen Z audiences here.
Better brand recall and brand awareness helps brands stand out
Social media allows brands to not only build a following, but also engage them in conversation. In short, it makes them a part of a community that they would otherwise be on the outside of. Social media lets brand get in on the inside jokes of the internet and to adopt a ‘personality’ that lets consumers better connect.
Not sure how to brand yourself on social media? The National Heritage Threads page is a great example of how to do this well. They post so regularly about jam scones that it has become something of a meme. Another brand with great social media is the Monzo Threads account, which makes jokes to users that are so self-aware, it breaks the fourth wall. In an age where we are going advertisement-blind, social media is guerrilla tactic that can infiltrate and inhabit the spaces where we are having conversations. This is a great model for the sexual wellness brands to adopt, as building a personal experience builds a level of trust with users and help them to feel empowered to to engage, and then convert. Users don’t feel like they’re being sold to and used. They can connect with brands and align with their values in a totally innovative way. They feel that anything is possible, and that’s all thanks to social media.
Brands that identify activism as a key part of their brand identity can enter conversations to make their views and values abundantly clear. In turn, this will earn them not only the respect and favour of their target audience, but customer loyalty, as more people are choosing to only support brands that minimize their carbon footprint or demonstrate that they are allies to different communities.
Liquid Death is a canned water company that modelled their entire product on the desire to look cool at rock shows while remaining sober; the rise of a straight-edge hardcore scene that doesn’t drink alcohol immediately connected to this creative solution. The packaging looks like a beer can, but the entire brand embodies the punk lifestyle, hyperbolizing tattoo imagery and alternative vocabulary.
By establishing themselves as an ultra-cool brand of the moment, Liquid Death established something of a cult following. Their IG bio is in on the joke of their exaggerated brand name: “
“Don’t be scared. it’s just water and iced tea.” They don’t ever really talk about the water – instead, it’s all about the lifestyle. They strengthen their brand identity and voice with every post they make, truly carving out a unique space for themselves in the market.
Why now is the time to invest in social media?
Young people are being introduced to technology earlier and earlier, and will identify a missing social media presence like the Alpha bloodhounds they are. Aside from all the amazing benefits of social media, simply not having a properly fleshed out account will appear as a weakness when compared to the competitors operating in the same industry.
Without the right accounts and messaging delivered on these accounts, businesses will struggle to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with competitors in the industry that are using social media as a tool to engage in the community, strengthen customer service, and enhance their brand image. Ultimately, a lack of social media presence can be perceived as a lack of brand credibility and identity. If someone doesn’t know who you are, why should they deem you trustworthy and buy from you?
Social media is (mostly) free
Although there is a certain pay-to-play element of social media with paid advertising and boosted posts, accounts that create consistently engaging, funny and valuable content will see their brand awareness increase without paying a cent. With scheduling apps, the right planning means that businesses can be savvy with their time as well.
With so many tools that require payments or subscriptions, enhancing your business from all angles by simply creating free profiles and posting content is a must. Organic reach is an essential way to help a brand grow significantly and generate more leads on a consistent basis.
Strategy at this stage is essential in communicating engaging content to your following, and navigating meta restrictions when phrasing certain restricted language can be the difference between a viral post, and a swift shadow-ban.
Merge with like-minded content creators
As mentioned previously, people connect with and trust brands that are backed by recommendations. Influencers who act as spokespeople and vouch for your product or service therefore deeming it credible, will be a great asset for your social media and your brand overall.
This gives you access to a whole new community of social media users and also opens the door to user-generated content. Although macro-influencers with large followings look impressive on paper, micro and nano influencers can offer results that are just as good due to high levels of engagement on their pages. Additionally, aligning with the right creators who share the same values as you can help bolster reputation and identity.
The option of paid or earned partnerships on social media also allows a business to reap the benefit of partnering with content creators without any cost, just by offering free products in exchange for posts or stories.
Monitor your competitors
If you’re still looking for the best tactics on how to brand yourself on social media, regular account checks will provide you with vital information about what your competitors are doing. It provides better insight into what is (and isn’t) working within your industry and offer valuable tips on how your brand can improve. This can be done by following competitors to keep a close eye on what they’re up to, analyzing their best-performing posts, and developing a strategy based on this. You can also see what influencers they’re partnering with. Finally, investing in paid tools designed specifically for monitoring and analytics can help you complete a competitive analysis and see where potential weaknesses or opportunities lie.
Get in touch with a member of our expert team here and let’s discuss how our social media team can help grow your business today.
