The importance of brand identity on social media for micro and small publishers

Abstract: In today’s world, using social media is part of many people’s daily routine. As many consumers exists on social media, the networks have become attractive marketing channels for brands around the world. To stand out in the crowd of companies and become more recognisable among consumers, brands can implement a consistent brand identity across their communication channels. This study examines the importance of brand identity for Swedish micro and small book publishers (MSPs) on social media, in order to find out how the use of brand identity on social media impacts their businesses. To accomplish this, four respondents from book publishing companies were interviewed to learn how developed their companies’ brand identities are, how they market their business on social media, and what they think is most important about brand identity and social media marketing. The results from this empirical research were then categorised according to qualitative content analysis. Through analysis, it was concluded that the companies themselves find brand identity important, but that they implement it differently. It was also concluded that the most important part of brand identity on social media is the companies’ tone of voice and brand personality, and that these parts steer the visual identity. So, in conclusion, brand identity is important for Swedish MSPs on social media, but it does not have to be fully developed to be effectful.