Ciarra Kennedy
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Building Brand Trust
In today’s world, it is not easy to trust everything you read or see. Identifying and knowing just what to believe can be so hard to distinguish between what is real or fake. Branding can be a chance to enhance a company or its business media outlet and show the brand’s values. First impressions are everything and a lasting, positive impression should be the goal, even as the business continues to grow.
I am currently a social media manager, therefore, I understand the importance of helping brands market each business to fit their audiences best. I will highlight how companies or businesses use social media for social networking and marketing. Grabbing the viewers’ attention by having well-known people to help promote my brand is a strategic effort. When real people, or people in the limelight, are being connected to what is being promoted, buyers and viewers tend to have a better connection. It makes it real to them.
Social Media and Marketing
Companies use advertisements on social media such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. to not only gain a wider following but to build a better brand trust. For instance, advertising on social media helps promote brands that would otherwise not reach some outlets and audiences. Not all the same people groups view every single media outlet there is. People’s likes and dislikes vary, and this goes with social media as well. Because of social media development, consumers are able to share their brand experiences. They also are able to comment online and see comments regarding their brand. This allows for interaction with others through social commerce and use reviews, recommendations and rate the brands. (Chen et al., 2011; Hajli, 2014; Liu et al., 2018; Ridings & Gefen 2004).
Social media has become a two-way street between the audience and the media itself. Being able to reply and respond to messages or posts on social media gives a way of communication. Also, when seeing trends that have evolved and different outlets and adopting these new trends for oneself, this is a result of trend-setting. Being free to ask for advice and to give advice or opinions is a way of communicating. Within the posts, we are able to see how and what to do in order to strengthen our media platform. The public today is more opinionated now more than ever. People are not afraid to say how they feel about a brand. Today with “cancel culture” running rapidly, many businesses are more couscous now more than ever. It is important to stay unbiased and remain within the code of ethics. Social media allows one to be informed, entertained, have access to social networking, seek social status, as well as, communicate with the government and various organizations. Social media and the possibilities it can provide are endless. (Hajli, 2014; Liu at al. 2018). All these possibilities and ways of exploring social media play off of each other and intertwin at times.
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I found it very interesting that a survey was done before COVID-19. “While more and more people use social media daily and spend tremendous amount of time on social media, a survey of more than 80,000 people in 40 countries before the COVID-19 pandemic revealed low levels of trust in digital news and rising concern about misinformation online, despite the efforts made by journalists, editors, politicians, and public health officials to convey truthful messages to the general public” (Newman, Fletcher, Schulz, Andi, & Neilsen, 2020). Since finding this information out, I was curious how statistics were now since COVID-19 is in the past. I am certain these numbers have increased because of so many being home bound and having only the internet to visit since visiting other people and businesses was literally put on hold. I found research done by the Pew Research Center and posted on April 7, 2021 shows that every age group searching the internet, which includes all the social media platforms we hear of, has increased since COVID-19. They also did a breakdown of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and a few more online platforms. YouTube and Facebook were used most. (Pewresearch.org, April 7, 2021)
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Media Usage and IMC
IMC stands for Integrated Marketing Communication. This focuses on many different things, such as public relations, sales, and advertising. This article relates to IMC and helps bring a better understanding to the reader of how social media is used in our society today to help build brand trust and elaborates on how companies and organizations use these platforms to help in public relations. This article is great for industry practitioners because it addresses the different avenues and methods used within brand trust today.
I came across a particularly important and informative article, 10 Steps to Building Personal Brands on social media, which can help you stay on top of your social media accounts. Fully Update Social Media Accounts, Identify Your Expertise, Use Social Media Apps to make posting easier, Keep Posts Positive, Be Consistent, are just a few of the steps. I feel being consistent is most important. Get a handle on scheduling, schedule reminders and take notes throughout your day and you will create the most efficient social media brand you can.
Article Reference:
DMI, Simon @. “10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media.” Digital Marketing Institute, Digital Marketing Institute, 1 Sept. 2022, https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/10-steps-to-building-your-personal-brand-on-social-media.
“Social Media Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 11 Jan. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/.
Zhang, Mingmin, et al. “Trust In Social Media Brands and Perceived Media Values: A Survey
Study in China.” Www.elsevier.com/Locate/Comphumbeh, Elsevier, 2022,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563221003472.
IMC Hawks Blog 