Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, SnapChat...
There are so many social media sites out there, each with their own little communities and sub-cultures.
It can be tempting to sign up for every social media platform to get the word out about your business. It's free and easy, but do you really need to sign up for every single one?
First, think about what your company is. Is it a restaurant? A store? A YouTube channel?
Any business that can get away with having a "fun" side to it will do good having social media accounts with more laid-back cultures. Twitter, SnapChat, YouTube and Instagram are the ways to go when it comes to these kinds of businesses. Fun "meet the staff" videos and pictures showing yummy meals from your menu are great fodder for social media!
If your business is more serious, such as a law firm or consultancy, you'd want to lean more toward LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. You want to make sure you always keep an air of professionalism, and stick to websites that promote those kinds of attitudes.
The biggest mistake a business can make is not worrying about their brand. No matter how small, every business has a brand that they need to cultivate. That means keeping the same tone across all social media posts and not joining a platform that doesn't mesh with your company brand.
Keeping your brand consistent may not seem like a big deal, but having your brand be all over the place will make your company look very unfocused. And as we discussed a few weeks back, that's the last thing you want!
An inconsistent brand makes your business look confused, unfocused and unprofessional. Less people will trust you or take you seriously and pass you by. You'll be losing customers and clients before you even get a chance to speak to them!
Quick homework assignment: poke around on a few social media sites. Whether it's a big company or the local bakery on the other side of town, you can probably see some consistency in their posts. They don't switch from silly to serious, or from conversational to speaking in the third person. The tone stays the same, doesn't it?
That's what you want to do! Keep the same tone so that your followers aren't thrown for a loop every time you post.
But... what do you do if you think your brand has already been too unfocused on social media?
Damage control!
Edit past posts that were posted within the last month, if you can. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are a few places that let you do this. You may also want to think about deleting posts that are just too out of place. If they were posted recently, you can replace it with a better-worded post.
Another thing to think about is how you want to move forward with your brand. Help your marketing team figure out a tone that you want (professional and serious, playful and silly, friendly and casual, etc.) and make sure they stick with it! Asking if you can approve each post individually during a digital marketing campaign wouldn't hurt, either.
Of course, when in doubt, turn to the pros! We offer marketing consultations to help you figure out the best tone for your brand, as well as give you pre-written posts. We even offer services to set up a social media account for you! Just set up a consultation here.
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