6 Ways to Reinvent Your Social Media Positioning

Social Media Positioning

Why is the internet the ideal social media positioning medium for Marketers? The primary reasons are freedom and accessibility. It’s these same freedom and accessibility that make the internet almost impossible to conquer as well. It’s crowded. Yet, we are all presented with the equal opportunity to make an impact with our brands, products, and personalities.

“How do I survive in this new digital jungle?”, you may ask. To survive and thrive, you need to keep reinventing your social media positioning. Below are 6 ways to do just that.

1. Have a Unique Selling Proposition

Wish I had a nickel for every time I hear lines like “extensive experience in…”, “the best designer in (name the city)…”, “we are professional who…”. These words don’t mean a thing especially when every other competition on the web is saying same thing or just slight variation of it. You need to determine what really sets you apart from your competitors and say it, right away. You could say you’re the best if you really are, but your competitors can claim the same thing and present evidence to prove it.

The first way to reinvent your social media positioning is to know that one thing only you offer, that one thing that makes you unique, that one thing that gives the customer the reason to go to you instead of your competitor. If you can’t identify that, then neither will your customers.

2. Stop Selling and Start Helping

People get almost everything for free online, one way or another. They frown at everyone who gets in the way of their “free stuff”. The internet, for these people, is a source of freebies. If you start selling without adding value, they will most likely talk about you in a negative way.

It used to be said, “ask and you shall receive”. Today, you have to give to receive. Seek for ways to add value and you’ll quickly be positioned in the mind of your market as a thought leader. Your market trusts you as a result; people buy from those they trust.

3. Put the Focus on the Consumers, Not You

When you talk about yourself or your brand, you are the least important thing. That is another important tip in reinventing your social media positioning. In fact, you’re pretty insignificant. The only thing that matters is the person reading it. It has to be about them, what you can offer them, how you can make them better, and what they will feel when they interact with you.

4. Be Aspirational and Honest

This is where a lot of people and brands fall short. It is important to be aspirational and put people in awe. You need to be that brand they want to possess and personality they want to become. Is it OK to position yourself that way? The fact is, you should position yourself that way. However, make sure you can back up your claims. If you claim to be the best then be the best and show evidence you are the best.

5. Make it a Personal Brand, Not a Corporate Brand

People are more welcoming of personal brands. People are more willing to listen to “actual persons” who reach out via Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and other self-marketing methods, compared to nameless and overly calculated corporate brands.

Big brands are starting to realize this and some of the biggest brands are starting to reposition themselves as personal brands on the Internet. They usually get spokespersons or social media managers that serve as the face of their brand online.

6. Take Advantage of Influence Metrics but Don’t be Obsessed with Them

The rise of social media has lead to the creation of various tools like Kred, Empire Avenue, PeerIndex, Klout, and others that help quantify brands in terms of engagement, influence, expertise, and trust. These tools have certainly gotten smarter over the years, and they are very useful if you want to create a brand via social media.

However, be mindful of the danger figures and metrics could pose by encouraging you into thinking of branding as a game, in which individuals are nothing but numbers, stats, and figures that can be manipulated.

What are your thoughts on reinventing your social media positioning? Leave your comments below.

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  1. Hi Dougla,

    I agree with your points especially #2, Stop Selling and Start Helping! I think many businesses are really doing social media wrongly. I just did a post on social media selling and I laid out a 3 step strategy which frankly incorporates all of what you have hear. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Thanks @facebook-1218584655:disqus for pointing that out. It’s now a typo 😉 I had intended for seven points from the onset but decided to nix one of the points to eliminate redundancy. 

  2. Hello Douglas, 

    As always, a great post! I have been following you for a while, and I love your no-nonsense content. 

    I’m shocked to see that people still need to be reminded that social media marketing is about being social. 

    1. Thanks Cendrine! If we take “social” out of social media marketing, we’re definitely back to the one-way marketing age. I agree with you @cendrinemedia:disqus .

  3. They are all straight forward but you would be surprised at the number of people who forget them. I think the keyword is social which gives a lot of clues 😉

  4. Hey Douglas!  Great points to keep driving home.  As social media manager, one of the things I see business owners get afraid of when offering freebies is that they think it will never end.  They get scared that if they give away too much — then the customer won’t buy or that the customer will keep wanting free, free, free. That’s where having a sales funnel in place which will not only serve them but serve their prospective customers too!

    1. Hey April! While reading your comment, I kept saying in my mind, “sales funnel”. And bam! You mentioned it. The secret is having a continuum that leads to a desired result in the process of service.

      Great to see you, ol’ friend!

  5. Even though this is not specifically aimed at musicians, it’s great advice for all indie DIY musicians who are branding themselves and their music in the same way that many businesses are selling a product.

    1. Good point. I’ve been noticing that marketing advice for business applies doubly to musicians because musicians usually focus on their talent alone without considering to promote themselves. Businesses at least understand the integral part of marketing. 

  6. Great post Douglas! I do believe that position yourself using social media is the most important thing to do. All your other efforts and reach will derive from that position. All the ways you mentioned are great at positioning yourself. I just would like to add is that a great way to tie all those efforts together is to create a network with others. When people see you using social media as a tool to not only promote your business, but your real friendships and real conversations, it gives you social proof and adds humanity into your profile. The 7 ways you listed are great for building meaningful relationships as well. Great writing!

    1. Great point @PavelNovel:disqus about the importance forging a meaningful peer network. The impact of such a peer network is what has attracted and retains a lot of people to, and in the social web. There have been stories ranging from businesses partnership to marriages resulting from such a network. Like you rightly said, be human, be real, and reap the reward. Thanks for another great comment Pavel!

  7. It’s important to know your customers by listening to their needs and wants. Your sales can increase if you approach people and have interaction with them. You can also build relationships using social media networks. Customer engagement is essential when you have a business. You need to know your community to know who are interested in your products.

  8. The unique selling position (or USP) is the most important thing, especially when you’re trying to compete in a saturated market. Everyone can put their content out there with a click of a button, and you’ve got to do whatever you can to differentiate yourself from the competition. This is also why you can’t really be “generalist” anymore – you need to offer something unique that nobody’s ever sen before.

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  19. Great post Douglas! Through combining all of these especially #2, businesses have a way of separating themselves and stand out in a good way. Creative posting, that is industry specific with a call to action, may also prove to be a great way to gain awareness within the company and the people who work there.

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