Does your brand just lay there by the side of the Web as your audience cruises right by? Well, thanks to the social networking, your audience can become active participants in your brand. Facebook, Myspace blogs, twitter and YouTube allow your them to interact with your brand bringing back to life and getting it back on the road.
Just like any new direction in marketing, there two-sides to this issue. There are traditionalists who insist that a brand should stay pure and on course. Don't let the audience in, controlling every aspect. The flip side to this discussion: Let your audience participate in your branding through comments, criticisms, critiques, video, blogs, forums, etc.
I tend to straddle both arguments. It's important that a company maintain control over a brand, controlling its essence, always defining it. But through participation in the social web, you can use your audience to refine your brand. Allowing comment or criticism, even a YouTube video done in fun, may help improve your product or service and help your audience feel closer, letting them become brand participants. This will also allow your brand to evolve as well as help keep it ahead of the competition. Yet there will always be fanatics and extremists. That's where you need to exercise some editorial control. Although many brand fanatics may take matters into their own keyboarding fingers and keep bad elements at bay.
Sure, you take a chance letting brand participants control your brand, but you also will build a loyal following as a company that is open and honest about its products and services.
If you haven't already, give your brand a needed kick in the ass and get it moving down the road.
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