Tag : social media branding

4 Steps to Keep ALL Your Social Media Accounts Consistent

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11Jun

To really make it in the social media universe, you need to establish yourself on the most popular platforms. Becoming a user of many accounts is a great idea, but easier said than done. To truly take care of social media, your business will need one of the following:

      Facebook

      Twitter

      LinkedIn

      Instagram

      Twitter

–       YouTube

Google+, Snapchat, Periscope, and more are helpful additions, but when you’re starting out, I’d try to tackle social media’s “Big 6” first. Take our word for it- it’ll be more work than you think. At first glance, you’ll want each of these accounts to be as unique as a snowflake. Well, first of all, you’ll turn social media into a round-the-clock gig if you do that. Second of all, your branding will become an absolute mess. While you want each post to be consistent, you don’t want each account to be unrecognizable from each other. Here are some of the best ways to keep your many profiles consistent with branding.

Pictures– Even if you have a large portfolio of headshots, and many versions of your logo, you need to stick with one for your profiles. You don’t want people guessing if it really is you. They want something familiar when trying to follow you!

Adapted Updates- When you’re writing your posts, you’ll typically want to make two versions. One will be for your Facebook, Google+, etc. The second one will be to conform to Twitter’s 140 character limit. For the Twitter version, you’ll also be able to mention other Twitter accounts with their twitter handle. For example, you can say “Congrats @JasonTodd for closing on your new house!”

Long Forms- When you’ve written an article based around your profession, you can share it on Facebook’s Notes feature, LinkedIn, and of course post it to your own blog. Social media is an exception to the “duplicate content” rule for websites. People who use social media tend to understand that these posts are yours and you should spread it through all avenues.

Keeping Info Straight- Have multiple website domains? What about phone numbers? Social media isn’t the place for inconsistencies. You want to keep things clear and concise for your followers. Don’t make it so they have to guess what phone number to call.

You want your social media to be unique, but you don’t want it to be a “mishmash” of content. Keep things correct, clear, and constant so your customers and followers will know what they’re dealing with!

What are your thoughts on keeping things straight? Comment below!

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What’s Right and Wrong? Instagram Do’s and Dont’s

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12Jan

There is nothing worse than using a new marketing tool to reach more members of your target audience with your message…and then suddenly finding out that you have been barking up the wrong tree the whole time.

As so many of us are new to the game of Instagram for business marketing, there definitely is a learning curve.  But add to this the fact that many of us are ALSO new to the game of visual storytelling  – and you will see the learning curve get MUCH steeper.

In the interest of helping all of us make better marketing decisions on Instagram, I want to kick off by sharing a quick list of things that you should avoid at all costs on Instagram.

So here we go!

DON’T upload pictures of others (without their permission or tagging)
DON’T randomly like endless pictures of others to try to get visibility
DON’T have massive gaps in your posting times (days, weeks, months)
DON’T forget to respond to those who have commented or sent you a message
DON’T excessively use hashtags
DON’T be negative
DON’T get off message, and post random images that don’t make sense in your feed
DON’T only sell, or promote yourself, your company, and/or your products/services
DON’T use only photos, use videos too

So now that we know what to avoid…bring on what we SHOULD be doing!

DO share your tips, insights and knowledge with others
DO show off new products and services
DO show people using your products and services
DO communicate benefits of your product/service clearly
DO use Instagram advertising to reach a larger audience
DO create and execute contests to increase engagement
DO use the design tools Instagram provides to enhance your visuals

And this list could go on!  We’ll stop there for now.  Now grab your phone, tap on your Instagram application and get started!

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Why You Need To Get Your Branding Right the First Time

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11Feb

It is no surprise to anyone that marketing departments do not have the endless budget to satisfy a hungry company’s every marketing desire.  In fact, many times it is difficult to squeeze enough money out of the overall budget to get some of the necessary tasks executed.

Oddly enough, many times over-spending in marketing is due to an elusive culprit: inconsistent branding.

If I had a dollar for every company who had inconsistent branding, I would be a very rich man. Now is this the point in the blog where I start wagging my finger and saying “bad company, bad bad company!”  Absolutely not!  I have been there and understand how a company strapped for cash and overworked can struggle to get a consistent image together.  There are changes in staff, or maybe the upper management is impetuous when it comes to graphic changes.

No matter what it is, you need to create a Branding File that is to be used as the main be all and end all.  This file should be created on a shared drive so that any one can access it, but only one person can add to it: the head of marketing.

Now what goes in this file? I would suggest the following items be added to the Branding File:

Your Logo: This would be the logo that is approved to be used.  Do not add every logo file in history here, just the one you will be using.

Word Document: A word document that has the following elements included in it: the approved font used in your logo, the approved font that you wish to use on all of your promotional materials (can be more than 1, but not more than 3), the colors you will be using and their corresponding RGB, CMYK, and HTML numbers

Images: Any images or stock imagery that you will be using in your marketing materials

Long Description: This is the long description of your business – 6-8 sentences that describes your entire business focus, what you sell or provide, location and more.

Short Description: This is the short description of your business. 2 sentences that explain your business fully

The last two items sound odd when we are talking about branding, but I believe it is very important to have boiler plate descriptions that you can use on the fly in any marketing that you have. If both of these are approved, your team can pull the verbiage whenever they need it.

Then when you are ready to have something designed or send something to the printer, you will be able to find exactly what you need without having to scramble for files and descriptions.  You will be able to get your printed and online materials to one color, look and overall consistent branding.  By doing this you will increase your credibility ten fold and help bring a more professional sheen to your business!

While this may sound elementary, this simple exercise will help you not only get organized, but also act as a springboard for a more organized marketing approach.

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How to Brand Yourself On Social Media Networks Without Spamming

29Aug

Since the day they cut the ribbon on the worldwide web, there have been people working hard on ways to spam you. Spam is marketing gone wrong and spammers are the much-hated scourge of the Internet – and the social media realm is no exception. Most users try hard to evade these spammy interactions. When marketing your business, you want to avoid being viewed as a member of this pesky crowd.

But how do you avoid that pitfall and still use social networking as a tool to market your business?

Two words: Be Genuine.

Social networking is all about making connections and building relationships. As any top salesman worth his salt will tell you, “You’re not selling a product, you’re selling yourself.” Social media platforms are all about authenticity.  Branding couldn’t be easier for those willing to open themselves up and truly connect with their potential clients.

Be Real – Connect with people by sharing who you are, your thoughts, feelings and ideas. Don’t project a false “image”—sooner or later, you’ll be found out.

Have Conversations – Participate in and create discussions that are stimulating and informative. Spreading ideas and providing respectful and thought provoking debate can get you noticed.

Build Relationships – The most loyal of customers are people who know and trust you.

Don’t Pitch – No one likes a salesman, so save the pitches for the car lot. Trust that you have the “right stuff” (a unique service, product or perspective) that will draw those who need that “stuff” to you.

Listen & Be Helpful – If you are listening to what people have to say about their likes, dislikes, needs and desires, you will know better how to serve them. You might also know how to help them solve a problem. When you give, you get in return.

Provide Value – Whenever you do post something, make sure it’s something of value. Whether it’s a witty status update that brings a smile and leaves them with a little piece of your personality or a quick blurb and link to a relevant article, make sure you’re not only making contact but sharing something valuable. Can it brighten their day, teach them something, get them in on an incredible deal? Then it has value. People prefer value over bottom barrel prices.

No Expectations – Don’t have expectations for how and when people should respond to what you give, building any relationship takes time. They may not need you today but they might tomorrow. The person they trust the most, who is freshest in their mind, gets the business or referral.

Spamming is very recognizable. That’s why email servers have created a file and filters to catch it. You don’t want to end up in the SPAM file. Provide value, practice authenticity, care about people, and you should do just fine.

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