You've started a business, and you want o get your company name out there... so the next step is all about branding!
Branding is all about creating and maintaining a connection with your audience and cultivating a specific association with your business in their minds.
To make this association stick, your brand message needs to be consistent, no matter who is seeing it and where they are seeing it! In other words, brand consistency equals brand recognition. But the real question is:
How do you maintain a steady brand image when there are such different platforms on which to be seen? Shouldn't you tailor your branding to each platform individually?
I mean... yes and no! When you are planning your strategy it is fair to approach it like you would making friends... you alter your approach ever so slightly based on the person... but you never change yourself! This means your brand design, language and overall message shouldn't change ever... but your approach on each site should. You need to have a plan of attack and a method to the madness!
Let's break down 5 major tips and strategies to use while you go into creating your brand consistency.
Plan Ahead! It is the easiest way to stay consistent is to have a plan! I know this sounds tedious and well your right it can in some cases, but it is the most surefire way to stay on message and keep your brand consistent.
Create a Brand Profile or Book. Basically this is a style guide that should contain info such as: accepted fonts, color palette, Logo(s) sizes and variations, over all style.
Establish Platform Guidelines. So, this topic alone I could write a full blog about, and well I might because there is so much info in share!!! But, basically, each platform should has unique requirements and best practices that should be taken into consideration when making your post! The big thing I want to get across in this section today, would be don't mass post the same content on every platform and expect it to do well. You need a plan for each and a calendar (there we are planning again) to really help keep it organized and be able to work smarter not harder.
Create Versatile Materials. No in #3 I just said do not mass post across the platforms, but what I did not say is that you cannot use the same content across the boards in different ways. Remember our audience social media hop. Meaning they go from one platform the the next and if they see the same thing on the same day that they just saw you will loose your audience as they will be disengaged. But if you take the same piece of work and alter the way that you deliver it on any given day... you are actually going to get more engagement and build your brand!!! For example... maybe you write a "quote post" for your blog. You can post the most interesting quote from that piece on your Facebook page, using the same quote on a photo for Instagram while writing about the experience on LinkedIn. While you do not need to create every single post to fit every channel, the ability to use similar campaigns helps expedite your marketing efforts and ensure your message and visuals stay on point!
Bridge the Online-Offline Gap. I know, your going to tell me that Miriam we are in the middle of a pandemic... what offline!? But, right now most branding efforts are focused online (understandably) But, with that being said, humans crave contact, and personal branding is no exception. So this area should not be neglected. Be sure that you are setting your brand up to have a cohesive message when you are back to client lunches, or speaking at an event. Think of your online branding as an initial way to get customers to engage with your brand in person - a brand that they feel that they already know.
At the end of the day, it is never to late to focus on your branding. If you currently have no branding it is not to late to develop this area. And if you do have branding and you are not fully in love with it, its time to think about re-branding. Your brand should look and sound similar across each platform.
If you find this article helpful be sure to follow for more, and sharing is always appreciate! If you need help your branding we would love to help you out!
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