Good branding is not enough to win in 2024. Good brands are two dimensional and do not promote or include third-party buzz… which makes for a very flat brand in the digital ecosystem of 2024.
Great brands, on the other hand, are three dimensional.
One of the most common questions I get in my business is how to get people to share and interact with a brand on social media. I call brands who do this well 3D brands. Not only are 3D brands well-branded as a company, their digital ecosystem is also healthy and full of eWOM (or digital word of mouth).
If your brand is stuck in 2D land, here are two ideas to fix it.
1) Ask customers to talk about it. This step seems obvious but it’s incredible how few marketers do it. BarkBox does a great job at it, regularly asking customers to show their dogs interacting with their plushies, toys and treats. Not only to they get third-party buzz activated in this way, they also get a lot of great marketing content. If you’re not a product-based business, that’s okay. You can still ask customers, “how did we help you?” The key is to ask the question. It’s okay to even give incentives like drawings or contests for customers to answer. We are used to seeing that online and generally are motivated, not offended, by it.
2) Create a social program. For bonus points, make this part of your business plan. Many companies do toy drives or other feel-good things as one-offs, but how can you make it part of your brand story? Home Depot did this with Habitat for Humanity and it’s paid great dividends. If you’re nervous about creating such a partnership, you can always start your own program. Toms shoes broke into the market with their “One for One®” program. Consumers generally want to do good things for others (and talk about it). It’s also a great way to get employees involved in something and spreading the word intrinsically as well.
In addition to these strategies, try to flip your thinking about social media. Think of it as a relationship-building tool versus a broadcast tool. Don’t forget to give and take. Ask questions, make comments on others’ pages, and be reciprocal. After all, no one married the person who talked about themselves the entire first date and never asked a question.
