media update’s Jenna Cook offers insight into the world of brand image marketing.

Brand perception and social media go hand-in-hand; however, it’s not always easy to get the positioning of your brand just right. But how do you know if the perception of your brand is something you need to consider redefining?

Here are four signs that you might want to change the way your brand is perceived on social media:

1. Engagement with your branded content is low

Engagement is one of the surefire ways to see if your social media strategy is a hit or a miss.

If you’re consistently producing content that matches your brand’s values and CI standards, but there is little engagement to show for it, this may leave you skeptical about what it could mean for your brand.

Perhaps your followers don’t understand your content? Or maybe it isn’t as relevant as you hoped. It is critical to find out what is at the root of the problem.

media update top tip: Social media is a conversational platform for your brand, so leverage it in your favour. If you have tried everything, but you aren’t sure what your followers want, ask them what it is that will make them happy.

2. Your brand is attracting the wrong audience

You have carefully planned out content that is receiving lots of engagement online. Sounds good, right? Except that the people reacting to your posts are not your desired followers.

You might be wondering why this is happening, or why reaching the wrong audience could be negative for your brand. Surely all engagement is good engagement? Well, it isn’t.

To put it simply, engagement from certain people might be bad for your brand image because their values don’t line up with your values. Or their engagement may not lead to any constructive growth for your brand perception.

The kind of people who associate with your brand are a reflection of your brand’s image, so it’s vital that you connect with the right people.

media update top tip: Using social media is a great way to learn about your audience. If you aren’t reaching the correct following, then adjust your efforts to ensure that the content you deliver is what your desired audience will find appealing.

3. Your content causes confusion about what your brand does

It’s easy to fall into the trap of posting many different types of content in an effort to appease all of your followers. But this can make it difficult for your audience to figure out what your brand is all about.

If you are spending your time crafting and posting content with the intention of engaging with everyone, would this not make you more relatable to a wider range of followers? No, not exactly.

You are not doing your brand, or any of your followers, any favours by throwing a few unrelated memes in between professionally captured shots of your social responsibility campaigns.

media update top tip: Allow your values to inform your content. Nothing will improve your perception more than showcasing your brand, its offering and its values directly to your audience.

4. Your brand’s follower count is no longer growing

How well-positioned your brand is in the mind of your followers can be determined by the amount of people who remain loyal. They may show interest for a short while, but if they aren’t captivated by what they see, they won’t stick around.

If your follower count is dropping, then it may be worth assuming that people aren’t interested in the content you’re sharing. This may be a bitter pill to swallow considering the effort and the time that you have taken to build your brand.

media update top tip: Interest is a two-way street. For your followers to be interested in you, you ought to be interested in them by liking, commenting and even sharing their content. This will demonstrate that you care about your followers, and turn views into leads; or at least loyal followers.

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Now that you know you need to change your brand’s perception, wouldn’t it be helpful to learn how? Read more in our article, Five ways to change your brand perception for the better.