Happy November!

Whew! This year flew by fast! I can’t believe we’re right around the corner from our 1st Birthday on November 26th! This year, the HSM team is going all out for our 1-year anniversary! There will be crazy promotions, giveaways, and deals for days. It’ll be the perfect Black Friday x Birthday Month celebration so be sure to keep up with our blog and Instagram page @HarperSocialMedia!

Today’s blog post comes with an assignment. At HSM, our team is dedicated to helping your brand flourish but there are a few things we challenge our clients to discover about their own brands. We are going to share five of them with you. 

Here are five things you should know about your brand at any given stage in your digital brand journey:

1. Your Purpose

Why do you do what you do? And what is your purpose on social media? Answering the first question will help you answer the second. Understanding why you do what you do will help your brand management team discover how your purpose can effectively translate to social media. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly how your purpose would effectively translate onto social media. That’s what we are here for! HSM specializes in helping brands and businesses branch out on social media.

2. Brand Voice

Knowing your brand voice is an essential part of digital branding. It’s important to note that unless you are your brand, your personal voice may be different from your brand voice. How do you communicate while operating your business? If you can’t think of words to describe your brand voice, try. 

3. Brand Vision

Where do you see your brand in six months? One Year? Five? Chances are, you’ve got a plan. Whether you plan on snatching a book deal, selling brand apparel, or starting a Youtube channel, it’s part of your brand vision. Having your brand vision written down will help you to hold yourself accountable. If it helps, keep your brand vision visible in an area you walk past daily. 

4. Target Audience

Who is your target audience? Age? Gender? Race/Nationality? Get as specific as you’d like. Knowing your target audience is essential in growing a business both on and offline.

5. Barriers

What is the biggest barrier to your success? Think mental, emotional, physical. Write down all the barriers your brand or business currently has both physically and on social media. Maybe you’re a great communicator but aren’t tech-savvy. Barrier. Maybe you enjoy going live on Facebook but haven’t quite gotten the hang of this whole TikTok, Reels, and Snapchat thing. If your target audience includes young adults on the tail end of the Millennial generation and Gen-Z, not knowing how to speak their social media language is a major barrier. Knowing your barriers sets yourself up for success because your barriers can also be your weaknesses. At HSM, we commit to making sure your brand has the best chance at success despite any weaknesses your brand has.

Everything is an extension of your purpose -- why you do what you do. If you venture into something that doesn’t have a root in your brand’s anchoring purpose, you may want to consider an additional startup brand. Whatever you need, HSM is more than equipped to assist.

Don’t forget to set aside a few moments this weekend to complete this quick 5-topic brand exploration challenge. HSM challenges YOU to familiarize yourself with your brand. Know yourself. Know your customers. Those steps are vital to successfully growing your business.

Take a photo of your notes and share them with us @HarperSocialMedia! We’d love to see your weekend hustle!

Founder, Harper Social Media