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Affinity brands surpass all others in their category because they possess a rare combination of three key attributes where the brand is integrated into the lifestyle and identity of devoted believers. (e.g. Apple, Salvation Army, John Deere)

There is a distinct correlation to success when you recognize how the brand believer (consumer) embraces these attributes as personal;

• Quality - “I do not require the highest quality, but will never accept the lowest”
• Community - “I am not alone in my quest; my passion is shared by others”
• Timeless - “It’s not about brand sustainability, it’s about the sustainability of my interest”

Unfortunately, not every brand is an Affinity Brand, but fortunately every consumer is a Believer (in something).  Remember, everyone on the planet shares one characteristic; to be accepted.

The Brand can’t fake affinity or artificially manufacture it.  It must be as honest, complete and as sustainable as the need of the believer.   The brand only exists to fulfill that felt need.

Focus less on your Brand Affinity - focus more on Believer Affinity.

The requirement for brands to participate in social networking is increasingly higher and higher.

As a brand, the ability to do so effectively is essential for any level of success.

Your audience(s) will forgive you for a few mistakes; but not for long.

————————————————

Keep in mind the following:

1. Don’t contribute to “data-litter”.  Generating massive amounts of social media data for the sake of awareness is annoying at best.  Do fewer things better; this includes prospective communications.
2. Share the microphone.  Social is bidirectional; a conversation.  Be ready to listen to others.  Think about ways for your brand-presence to be perceived in a listening posture.  (Remember? 2 ears, 1 mouth = we should listen twice as much as we speak.)
3. Speak authentically.  Using pacifying language can be demeaning. Respect those you engage no matter their level expertise. The platform isn’t exclusive. Be prepared to engage with all levels of expertise.
4. It’s not Show & Tell.  Unfortunately for many, social media is “all-about-me”.  This might work for the first two minutes, but then you better move on to more interesting topics.
5. Follow (join) others.  In social media there are leaders and followers. Most brands enter social media to lead.  The balance is to follow.  Do both.  Join others, Fan others. Follow others.
6. Personalize the brand.  Social media is first person.   Brands are seldom a person.  Create one. Assign one. Develop stars within your organization to join the conversations on the brand’s behalf.

Recognize the vocal minority is still a minority; even though the volume appears to have increased.  It only seems louder due to their accessibility.  It doesn’t mean they have any more or less influence than before.  Remember volume is always relevant to something.  Instead, focus on the something.

The vocal minority is in-vogue, easy to access, entitled, and can be incredibly effective when they posses two attributes; believability & credibility.  Believability is important.  Credibility is required.  Neither are negotiable.  If they do not posses these attributes, they are also easily ignored.

Remember this when (not if) you are encounter a vocal minority.

Bypass the influencers and reach out directly to the easily-influenced.

Why?

Because they are reachable and they are now just as eager to join the conversation.

PS. It’s also required.

Mainstream brands have spent countless dollars attempting to manage public opinion and up until recently, effectively so.

Brand maneuvering, once exclusive to the use of newspapers, prime-time networks, and a handful of cable news agencies is now being imitated at a personal level; meaning those individuals managing personal-brands via ever-expanding social media channels.

(How many friends are you now following?   Can a brand really be a friend?  Facebook certainly doesn’t know the answer; first we were friends, and then they said we were fans, and now we just ‘like’…?)

The complexity of daily brand-management will continue to increase due to the emerging volume of personal-brands competing in an already overcrowded social media space.

Midstream brands (those hoping to be mainstream) are clamoring to access social media networks. Unfortunately, this requires fiercely competing for available airtime.  Today, more user-generated commentary will be posted on Facebook and Twitter than all traditional media outlets combined.  This equates to roughly 110 million posts - every 24 hours.  (And every single post is important to someone.)

Midstream brands are better off to pretend they are going-through-the-motions while actually focusing valuable limited resources solely on those efforts producing results.

The secret of successful midstream brands is that they know how to quit that which isn’t working and move on to the next thing.

The desire for brand-exposure in the marketplace accepts the assumption that “there is no such thing as bad publicity” - yet this can be frightening at times.

The opportunities for brand-exposure are mostly self-serve.  They are numerous, sometimes a dead-end, and often risky.

Potential public opinion fuels within us a readiness to react for fear of it being negative, which sometimes results in a retreat to safety. For some brand managers this fear can be paralyzing; an unfortunate thing considering the number of channels currently available.  (and not all equal)

Three things to remember when putting your message out there:

1. Target by audience.  Brands messages should always be unique to the specific audience they intend to reach. While your brand positioning and/or tag-line is sacred, how you say it should adapt to the targeted audience.
2. Be specific.  Content accumulates (meaning; content attracts more content).  This requires the message you develop to be specific to a task or call-to-action.  What are you expecting the response to be? Be specific enough to narrow the possibilities for responses. It is also easier to measure.
3. Check back often.  The brilliance of social media is that people will react.  This requires that you check back often to see what is being said and how people are reacting to your message.  If they engage you, be available to respond and answer as best you can.