The digital age has transformed the way societies operate. The abundance of information widely available for individuals with access to computer technology and the internet has affected different aspects of how businesses and aesthetics drive consumption.
A Santa Clara University (SCU) study stated that the developments in communication and information technologies have become an integral part of society. According to the same study, social media platforms are equipped with convenience, immediacy, and reward systems. Making them essential in the drive to product consumption that helps businesses prevail.
How does the power social media holds affect how businesses represent themselves?
Each business requires a brand that showcases its core identity. The core identity contains the reflection of a business’ values and how they operate on a level perceived by customers. The importance of brand representation in social media cannot be understated. In 2020, 51% of purchases were made using mobile phones. The number indicates a trend wherein people make more than half of their purchases online with the use of their handheld devices with access to the internet. This pushes businesses to increase brand representation in social media and on the internet in general.
According to a study by Pew Research Center, 91% of retail brands use to or more social media channels to strengthen the presence of their brands. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), on the other hand, has 81% of their demographic in social media. Making social media one of the main channels for businesses to market their brands.
The power of social media affects brands in a way that pushes them to increase online activity in the name of business visibility. As there are 3.8 billion active social media users spending an average of 116 minutes of their days on social media, the creation, and maintenance of brand publicity in social media is of significant importance.
The digital era has allowed people to document numerous moments of their lives. Social media users made various platforms places for sharing their personal stories. This includes purchases, especially significant ones.
Does that make aesthetics essential to brand representation?
A report entitled “The Impact of Brand Consistency” surveyed over 200 business organizations to gain an understanding of the impact and value of brand consistency. Brand consistency is having a clear voice and visual consistency that accurately represents businesses. Aesthetics come in terms of being compelling and idealized through the consumers’ perception. Brand aesthetics include factors such as but are not limited to the following: 1) use of fonts; 2) color palettes; and 3) imagery.
Imagery is integral because it is the main channel of communication between the brand and a potential customer. An example is a prevalence of buying groceries online due to the coronavirus which made customers prefer ordering their needs online. Brands with established reputations have greater chances of benefiting from this because of strong consumer trust. However, SMEs have to rely on how attractive their products look to potential customers online. There can be instances wherein excellent product packaging (i.e. attractive colors, informational labels on parts such as lids, bottle neckers and hangers, tags, etc.) can help increase their sales.
As mentioned in Lucidpress’ report, the participating organizations credited the revenue increase of 23% to the internalization of brand values by consumers which increases the likeliness of purchase execution.
Previously mentioned in this article is the activity of over three million social media users. Currently, over half of the world’s population are social media users. This makes brand representation coupled with consistency and good publicity an essential factor in driving product consumerism. As not all businesses benefit from social media presence alone, it boils down to how they voice out the identity of their brands through aesthetics as a means of virtually communicating with consumers.
In summary, businesses do reap the benefits of establishing a social media presence. The question, however, is how they will establish it. This article has highlighted the importance of brand representation through consistency and building a relationship with consumers through visual aids. For SMEs, another way to build a bond with customers can be through allowing customers to reach out to their brands directly.
For businesses powering through each other, it is essential to maintain originality and to strive for a single, consistent, and compelling method of representing their brands. It is also important to note that consumers do not only execute purchases based on brand aesthetics, but also factors such as reviews and product quality. A brand with excellent brand aesthetics may be able to close transactions with its customers, but poor product quality will make revenue inconsistent.