Social media is arguably the most
powerful tool available for brands to maintain a channel of communication with
their audiences.
When you consider that 71 percent of
consumers who’ve had a pleasant social media service experience with a brand
are likely to recommend it to others, this proves that all brands should take
social media marketing seriously.
One of the challenges with social
media is that there are so many platforms available and all of them have their
own learning curve. Additionally, the landscape is always changing — new
platforms are being released and old channels are becoming stagnant overnight.
If you want to stay on good terms
with your audience, I recommend maintaining a presence on a multitude of
platforms.
No two platforms are the same and
when you’re trying to promote your brand using a handful of social media
accounts, you can easily create a disjointed experience for your fans if you’re
not careful.
Here are some tips for creating a
cohesive experience across all social media platforms.
Names and Taglines
Consistency starts with the names of
your social media accounts. Use the name of your business as your account name
and keep it consistent on all channels.
People shouldn’t have to manually
search for your account on a particular platform — the URL should be obvious.
For example, Taco Bell does an
amazing job of brand consistency on social media. You can find the brand at:
- Twitter.com/tacobell
- Facebook.com/tacobell
- Pinterest.com/tacobell
Also, if your brand has a tagline,
include it in the profile information for each channel. Can you guess what
Nike’s Twitter profile says?
One Voice
Before you start posting on social
media, it’s important to choose a linguistic style and tone for your brand. You
might decide to be lighthearted and funny or you could pick the straightedge
corporate approach.
There are no right and wrong
answers, but I recommend choosing your voice based on your niche. Imagine the
type of voice your key buyer persona will resonate with.
For instance, deodorant
manufacturer, Old Spice, regularly posts hilarious content using a friendly and
conversational tone of voice.
As a stark comparison, computer
manufacturer, Dell, takes a more professional approach to social media
marketing.
It’s important to keep a consistent
tone of voice when responding to comments on social media. No matter what
platform you’re using, communications should always sound like the same
individual when posted by your brand.
You may wish to document the
elements of your brand voice as part of a social media style guide, so everyone
who posts on behalf of your organization can maintain consistency across all
platforms.
Visual Familiarity
Seventy-four percent of marketers
use visual assets in their social media marketing.
Since visual imagery is such an
integral part of social media, ensuring you’re consistent across all platforms
is paramount.
Keep your profile image the same on
all accounts. This should be the logo of your company and should also be
displayed on your website.
Also, be aware of the tone of your
images and the color schemes used on your social media accounts.
Coca Cola features its patented red
prominently on social media – which drives brand recognition. The brand also
shares plenty of fun, situational photos of the coke product on all platforms.
These types of images help to
promote Coca Cola not just as a fizzy drinks manufacturer, but as a lifestyle
brand.
Most social media platforms have an
abundance of customization options for the visual elements of the account. With
a bit of tinkering, you can certainly get your social media accounts to align
with one another visually.
Reference Other Platforms
The more points of contact you have
with an individual, the more your brand will be reinforced. For this reason, I
recommend leveraging your follower base on one platform to build up your
followers on another.
For example, if you’re running a
contest on Facebook, post an update on all other platforms directing your users
to it. Likewise, many brands use LinkedIn to advertise for job opportunities —
you can direct followers from all other platforms to LinkedIn if they fit the
job specifications.
Users should be able to move from
one platform to another and feel a cohesive experience in terms of tone of
voice, style and visual displays.
Post Regularly
Content should be cohesive, but
tailored to each individual platform.
For instance, generating engagement
on Instagram is all about compelling imagery. Posting images of your product in
exciting scenarios, as well as utilizing user generated content, will build a
great sense of rapport with your fans.
With Twitter, posting high quality,
short and snappy content pertaining to immediate events is the way to create
engagement.
Whatever type of content you
specialize in, ensure that you post regularly on all platforms.
Most brands have a platform that
yields better results than others. However, this isn’t an excuse to let
secondary platforms decay and die.
When people move between a brand’s
social media accounts, they expect to see cohesive yet different styles of
content. What they don’t expect to see is neglected accounts.
When you fail to post regularly on
all platforms, this ruins your audience’s experience and undermines the
integrity of your brand.
Source: - http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/07/27/how-to-create-a-consistent-advertising-experience-across-social-media-channels/
Maintaining multiple channels takes
time, but social media marketing is a long game not a short-term fix. If you
want real engagement, you need to stay committed for the long haul.
Can you think of any other ways to
achieve a consistent advertising experience across social media channels?
Please let me know in the comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment