7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands

  • April 28th, 2009 | Written By: Jay Baer
  • | View Comments

Social media is perhaps the most misleading name for a marketing-related concept ever, given that it’s grown to represent a philosophy of consumer empowerment and brand/customer partnership – far beyond it’s humble roots of user-generated content.

As a result, social media has different meanings and connotations to different people, many of whom utilize social media to accomplish entirely disparate objectives.

That was the subject of two recent speaking engagements for me, one for the Flagstaff, AZ Chamber of Commerce, and another for the Black Hills Ad Federation in Rapid City, SD.

I wanted to capture and convey the many uses for social media for both businesses and personal growth. Thus, the presentation below, “7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Business & Personal Brands.”

The version on SlideShare (shout out to Slideshare.net for often putting my presentations on their home page), is the longer version that I presented in Flagstaff. It’s a lot of material.

For you short attention span readers, here are the “7 Ways” for your review. Comment away if you (dis)agree.

1. Reputation Management

Key point: People are talking about you online, whether you choose to listen or not.

2. Customer Service

Key point: Social media customer service is the new (800) number.

3. Public Relations

Key point: Social media enables you to take your message to customers directly.

4. Customer Acquisition

Key point: Market sideways. Features and benefits are too boring to work in social media.

5. Create Brand Communities

Key point: Activate your fans and give them something to do. Don’t just collect them like baseball cards.

6. Thought Leadership

Key point: Everyone in the world has expertise. What’s yours, and how to you distribute it?

7. Networking

Key point: Social capital belongs to individuals, and is loaned to brands. You can use social networking to develop relationships online that you’d be unlikely to have otherwise.

I concluded the presentation with my “6 Dangerous Fallacies of Social Media” which remains the most popular blog post I’ve written.

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View Comments to “7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands”

  1. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands | Social Media … [link to post]

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  2. I really liked the post. Nice to see and hear about value of communities when sometimes people get wrapped around the axle thinking if we build it, they will come.

  3. Great presentation Jason. You have to love any presentation that incorporates His Holiness Guru Pitka (slide #58). This also reminded me of a quote from The Love Guru, which could apply to marketers who are considering social media … “How can you be the Love Guru if you’ve never been in a relationship?” – meaning, how can a company understand its customers if it’s not participating in the conversation? … Participation = brand building.

  4. Great presentation, the content is very helpful in explaining the place social media has in a branding effort. Thanks Jason!!

    Bob
    @rjdcreative

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  6. Twitter Comment


    RT @guykawasaki: 7 ways to use social media for branding. [link to post] (see also http://branding.alltop.com/)

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  7. Twitter Comment


    7 ways to use social media for branding. [link to post] (see also http://branding.alltop.com/) (via @guykawasaki)

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  8. Wow, Jay! Solid presentation! This may be the best one I’ve seen yet on the topic. Very well done.

    olivier blanchard’s last blog post..Digital Crisis Management: Putting things in context.

  9. Twitter Comment


    RT @thebrandbuilder: RT @guykawasaki: 7 ways to use social media for branding. [link to post] Wow. Fantastic presentation. [Ditto]

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  10. Twitter Comment


    @guykawasaki Thanks, RT 7 ways to use social media for branding. [link to post]

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  11. Twitter Comment


    RT @contempt: RT @guykawasaki: 7 ways to use social media for branding: [link to post]

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  12. For students entering the job market their goal is Reputation Establishment (and maybe management of their Facebook persona) which links back to #6 -Thought Leadership.

    Thanks for your perspective!

  13. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands by Jason Baer [link to post] [link to post]

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  14. Shawn says:

    Well said, I agree with every point that you make and this is a great post to help many companies realize the growing importance of having a social presence on the web. Communication and community helps to build such a tremendous amount of trust and confidence in your brand that it cannot be ignored anymore.

    Shawn’s last blog post..Your friendly neighborhood SEO

  15. Twitter Comment


    RT @SocialMedia411: 7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands (Jason Baer): [link to post]

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  16. Great post: My list is shorter but more specific (http://michaelmyers.biz/CRUCES/think-of-it-as-a-branding-excercise) and communities definitely build brand depth (http://michaelmyers.biz/CRUCES/communities-build-brand-depth)

    Again. Great post. Thank you.

    Michael Myers’s last blog post..Join the Team?

  17. Twitter Comment


    RT @waynesutton: Sharing: 7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands [link to post]

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  18. Twitter Comment


    @ewans1 useful information check out the link [link to post]

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  19. Twitter Comment


    RT @tones810 Good post about marketing through social media. [link to post]

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  20. Twitter Comment


    RT @mashable: Reading: “7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands” – [link to post]

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  21. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands. Quick overview in PowerPoint format for easy education & sharing. [link to post]

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  22. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands [link to post]

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  23. Kevin says:

    I think key is to be using social as a real time focus group and letting the audience tell you what they want and then delivering on it

  24. Tej Arora says:

    Terrific, terrific, terrific. Every point strikes a chord!. Will add this link to the persuasion toolkit :) .
    Thank you.

  25. Twitter Comment


    @quickgunkris it resembles a typical O&M presentation – [link to post]

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  27. Great list! Thanks Jason. One other one to add to the list of 7 perhaps…Research and Development – engage your customers in product development for the get go.

  28. Twitter Comment


    Social Media and Making Your Brand Stunning!: [link to post]

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  29. Twitter Comment


    Neat article about using Social Media for business [link to post]

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  30. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands – both personal and business [link to post]

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  31. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands: 2. Customer Service [link to post]

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  34. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Strengthen Your Brand Through Social Media ([link to post]) and 9 Ways to Humanize Your Brand (http://adjix.com/4ttu)

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  35. Twitter Comment


    7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Brands: 3. Public Relations [link to post]

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  36. FriendFeed Comment


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  43. Twitter Comment


    [link to post]
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  44. To this list I would add:
    8. To Listen to & Learn From Your Customers (which is different than reputation management or customer service; just by listening you can glean a ton)

    9. To Conduct Market Research – pose questions, create polls, stir up a debate. Again, you’ll learn a lot (much faster & cheaper than traditional forms of market research efforts, too, I might add)

    Hollis Thomases’s last blog post..If We Were Google: Our Take on FDA’s Paid Search Regulations

  45. [...] presentation, “7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Business & Personal Brands.” read more… Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)How to fail at social mediaSocial Media PR [...]

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