It’s High Time that You Rebrand Your Company’s Social Media Profile

One might wonder what makes a company’s presence on social media of utmost importance these days. Why businesses are getting more and more active on such platforms. The answer is: The increasing traffic on these websites! The best way to reach audience is either through advertising or PR, but a social media profile just makes it more convenient for business owners. It has indeed become a vital element of the modern marketing mix. The BIG THREE ¬- Facebook, Twitter and Google+ – have now become a growth catalyst for all those companies that have a profile or a page of their own on any of these websites. Other than these, Tumblr and Reddit are the platforms that would provide you with the opportunity of fetching the best possible results. For all those business owners that are looking for a chance to become a part of the digital market, social media is indispensible.

Updating the social media profile is a necessity, but how to update is still a challenge for some. Here are the steps involved in the process altogether:-

1. Give your audience a sneak clue of the change

Keeping the change a secret till the last moment is likely to generate negative response from audiences as it cannot be assured if they may like the change or not. So, to stay on the safer side, give your audience a clue about the change in advance. To do this, you may post images or news about the change on social media and ask for their reviews. This way the audience feels that you value their opinion and it may generate a sense of excitement in them for the launch.
Once done, post a survey on twitter or facebook to get a feedback and then make changes as per the requirement.

2. Refurbish your social media profiles

Once ready with a new, upgraded and modern visual identity to guide your rebrand, it’s time to show it off!
Ensure that when you are proceeding with the rebranding process of your social media profile, every aspect of it is touched upon and nothing is in its previous state. From the profile picture to the most minute elements, everything should be updated in way that it clearly indicates the new identity of your brand.
The review websites like TripAdvisor, Yelp and Foursquare should also be edited along with the standard websites like Facebook and Twitter.
Social media handles too, need to be updated. The social media usernames of the companies need to be spelled correctly and arranged sensibly. Also, it should be ensured that the name is the same across all social media websites so that people can locate you easily.

3. Remodel your Google business page

If you do not have a Google business page, then you are missing out on a big opportunity to reach new customers. Ensure that your business page is updated so that even in new locations, your customers can easily locate you. Give your address, phone number, operational hours, etc. for your customers’ convenience.

4. Redirect social media links

Old social media links may lead customers to the wrong locations. A redirect may help them to locate the right one. Now the task of creating a redirect may be a tricky one as it requires ensuring that each link works correctly. A tool named Google Webmaster can be used to check for broken links.

5. Organize graphic assets

The graphic assets need to be organized well. Make use of a digital asset management system or DAM to prevent misuse. It should have guidelines regarding who can use the graphic assets and who can’t.

6. Announce rebrand

Final work is the announcement of your rebrand. The announcement can be done by publishing a letter regarding the rebrand and what it means for the community. This generates support for the company.
You have known the importance of rebranding, learnt the steps involved in this process, but are not aware of the do’s and don’ts involved, then the entire process goes meaningless. Here are some do’s and don’ts of rebranding the social media profiles:

Do’s
• Complete your profile
• Use customer’s name while addressing
• Quick reply
• Respond as per the requirement, personally or publically
• Responses to both compliments and complaints are important
• Use customer-friendly terms
• Be specific

Don’ts
• Avoid grammatical errors
• Become defensive
• Neglect overuse of slangs
• Transfer questions
• Don’t be afraid to check in
• Allow customers to wait
• Spam with replies

Indeed, rebranding is not just a change in the username on social media. It involves an overall makeover of your identity altogether. It has to be ensured that all your activities are aligned with the PR activities and social media messages. And, of course, the rebranding procedure should be well taken care of.