Social media marketing is redefining the consumer-brand relationship in more ways than one. The way a brand creates its aura and impacts the audience has changed so much since the onset of social media. We’re no longer limited to a certain number of pages or frame sizes, like with traditional media. From brand activity to brand awareness to brand building - everything is happening on social media. The engagement is 24x7, and the possibilities are endless.

Brands get to tell stories and build strong, meaningful relationships. Why all of this is so important now, in the current context, is because the consumer is changing. The relationship consumers want to have with a brand is changing. They want to be a lot more involved, so they want to know exactly what they are getting, how they are getting it, and where it is coming from. Consumer today is so aware of everything that’s happening around them. A traditional advertisement allows a brand to tell only so much, and so, has a different kind of impact. Whereas social media works really well for brands that want to tell stories.

There are several ways to build the consumer-brand bond over social media. For instance, regular activity of Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions with the founder on Instagram stories allows people to have direct conversations with the brand. Back in the day, consumers rarely knew the name of the person behind the brand, and forget putting across their queries to them. An activity such as this also helps the brand get insight into what and how the consumers think. Social media is a two-way street. Similarly, Instagram polls are a great way to launch or introduce a new product. Based on the audience’s feedback and engagement, innovations can be largely driven. People can write to the brand at any point in time. 

Social media is changing the way brand awareness is carried out. In the age of Metaverse, the more a consumer knows about a brand, the more they are able to relate to it and eventually be loyal to it. While educating the audience about the products is one thing, taking them behind the scenes takes things to another level. Be it a nicely packaged behind-the-scenes video on YouTube or a series of short clips on Instagram, people today are interested in knowing what goes into the making of a brand. Be it the process behind it or the people, the consumer is keen to know. These days, I often hear young folks say that they’d love to work with an XYZ brand because its work culture and employees seem great. So, employer branding has also become easier thanks to the social media marketing ecosystem.

People today directly open Instagram when they want to look up a new brand they’ve heard of. The first perception of a brand is getting built on social platforms. There’s a significant amount of revenue that social media drives. The rise of influencer marketing–the way consumers relate with influencers and believe them for what they endorse - cannot be overlooked. No wonder brands are inclined towards influencer collaborations and campaigns!

I personally am a heavy online shopper. And I find myself ordering stuff from brands off Instagram that may not even have a website of their own. In my observation, it is a huge leap but social media by its very nature helps build that trust among audiences. Social media marketing is of great benefit to small-business owners or brands that are big on personalized products/services or want to cater to a niche audience. You could be working out of your home and running a business at the same time, thanks to social media. As an entrepreneur, it is very exciting to see this.

Last but not least, building a community of brand loyalists or patrons is now easier than ever. The way a brand tells its story, the kind of image it projects, and how relatable it all adds up to creating a tribe that the brand thrives through. It adds credibility if people have a face (of the brand) to connect to. Therefore, it’s becoming more important for the brand founder(s) to step up their game and work on personal branding too.