By: Kaia, Social Media Manager

“Authenticity” has become marketers’ favorite buzzword, and brands are now expected to always be honest and transparent in their efforts to connect with consumers. Telling consumers a brand story instead of just advertising to them is what wins trust and appreciation. In a time of social media-fueled cynicism, knowing what your brand stands for and communicating that effectively is a powerful tool.

Developing a unique voice for a brand’s content helps set it apart from others in the media. It also helps inspire a sense of familiarity when customers hear or read its content, making it easy to identify and identify with. This unique voice also begins to take on the qualities of a familiar friend, which is the ultimate goal for brands looking to establish awareness.

But how do brands achieve this? Check out our recommendations below.

Social media has experienced explosive growth over the past few years. As of July 2015, there are 2.3 billion active social media users. With 1 million new mobile users joining social networks every day, it’s hard to ignore the boom and impact of people-based media.

Due to the widespread adoption of mobile smart devices and the increase in the number of businesses that offer Wi-Fi hotspots at their brick and mortar stores and other public locations, consumers are now more digitally connected than ever before.

The power of the hashtag (#) has taken the social media world by storm.

Once known as the “pound sign” or being synonymous with a game of tic tac toe, the hashtag has been morphed into a global symbol that links unique communities together through the use of a single word or phrase.

Video ads have certainly proven their power on Instagram according to a report released by Brand Networks from a study done on more than 2 billion Instagram advertising impressions.

The fashion industry especially has fared well with its use of video ads. According to BN Video, ads account for 71% of the fashion industry’s ad spend, driving 90% of its impressions during the first three months of 2016.

From Facebook to Twitter to Snapchat, brands now have more ways than ever before to connect with their target audiences. With hundreds of apps being launched everyday, determining the inherent business value of emergent social media platforms is not only difficult, but can also be time consuming for marketers.

However, before marketers begin to jump to the next new social media platform, they should do their research and have a clear understanding of their target audiences’ wants, needs, and preferred modes of communication to determine if the platform they want to adopt is the right fit for their business objectives. Given consumers’ growing demand for personal interaction with brands and influencers; and increased interest in real-time promotions and offers, marketers must look for new social apps that encourage consumers’ always connected lifestyles.

Making an impact on social media is harder for brands now than it ever has been before. Every social media channel is filled with people trying to make an impact and resonate with potential clients. A recent study from the Journal of Consumer Research has found that people who are active in social media are likely to be influenced by the opinions of those they follow on those social media channels. For marketers and business owners, this means that connecting with trend setters who have a large amount of followers is more important than ever.

These connections and the resulting endorsements can be much more profitable than conventional methods of advertising, which typically cost much more than advertising online. The potential reach of social media trend setters can also be much farther than a television commercial or newspaper ad. The right social media post can go viral, resulting in invaluable exposure for the brand.