Social media is the next big playing field for anyone interested in creating and promoting their professional or personal brands. That’s because new and ever-evolving technologies have changed the way most modern-thinking companies approach branding. The number of social media sites and services to emerge in the last few years is a testimony to the importance of social media in brand promotion. If  Twitter and Facebook are all the social media sites you are making use of, then you are sorely missing out on other valuable brand promotion platforms.  And more importantly, if you don’t have a social media presence then you risk losing out on potential customers.

Are you wondering if social media is relevant to you? Yes, it really doesn’t matter whether you are a blog owner or a part-time blogger, if you own a small business or a large corporation. The fact that you have a brand and are interested in promoting your brand makes social media relevant to you.  Here are some of the most important reasons how social media plays an important role in brand promotion.

1. Identify potential customers: Social media gives you the ability to join as many social networking groups as possible. You can join groups that have people with the same goals, interests and choices as you. Joining these groups on the basis of your brand will make sure you are among a group of people who have the potential to become your customers. So, interacting with your customers using these social media sites is a great of promoting your brand.
2. Reach Global Audience:Imagine the world as a huge marketplace waiting to be explored. Social media is an effective tool to help you reach global audience and take advantage of opportunities available in different countries. Most social media platforms have global audience. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have large number of followers in countries like China, Japan, England, etc.If you have a brand that has the potential to be a hit in other countries as well, then why should you limit your marketing efforts only to the U.S.? Thanks to the presence of social media, the world has become a single global marketplace.
3. Communicate with customers: The ability to interact with customers is perhaps the biggest advantage social media provides for brand promotion. While there are a number of promotion techniques available, effective brand promotion depends a lot on choosing the right engagement technique for your brand. Some promotion techniques are discounts, coupons, free products, and giveaways and these will depend a lot on your promotion budget.
4. Design Customized appeals and call to action: Social media helps you create customized appeals to target customers based on their feedback and comments on various social media sites. These calls to action are easy and inexpensive techniques to create brand awareness and promote brands.
5. Cost effect online advertising: With the exception of a few, most popular social media platforms are free. Twitter.com, LinkedIn.com and others can be used completely free of cost. Of course LinkedIn can be upgraded with a small fee, but this upgrade is not mandatory.
6. Build your own community: By being active on social media platforms, you can create groups of your followers. With these groups of highly interested people you will be able to create a market for your brand. You will have the ability to expand your businesses, improve brand awareness and promote your brand among your followers and their extended circles. You can make use of your followers to spread your marketing message and brand promotions.
7. Make use of Viral Promotions: Making use of viral videos and advertisements is another method of promoting your brand. You can also promote your brand by offering special discounts, the value of which gets multiplied when shared on social media sites.

The reach and influence of social media has improved tremendously over the years. Its impact on creating brand names, promoting brand awareness and improving brand loyalty has changed the way businesses handle branding. Promoting your brand on social media involves investing a lot of time and energy. But its impact on brand promotion can’t be undermined. Social media has the potential to make your brand popular and remain in public eye for quite a long time.
This is a guest post by Jake Anderson of fastinternetdeals.com, a site that offers savings and current information on att internet.