Managing a variety of social media accounts can be difficult, especially when you are not sure how to keep your profiles up-to-date, professional, and on-brand. The key to keeping your business profiles looking professional and trustworthy is consistency.
You can create consistency and brand recognition by following these tips for using social media profiles for your company.
Brand Guidelines
If your company does not have brand guidelines already defined, this is a great place to start creating a handbook for social media. Brand guidelines serve as a reference point for company colors, fonts, brand voice and tone, and messaging to establish a clear plan for what posts should look like. You can also include any versions of your logo that you want to incorporate, as well as a few templates for graphics to post for variety. Photography is another important area to plan for, and you should decide if you will use stock images, professional photos, or more casual cellphone images. Lastly, you need to include your company’s core values so that you can continue to reference them and align your messaging on social media with those ideals.
Setup
Once you have your brand guidelines in place, you can set up your social media accounts to match the guidelines. You should use the same logo as your profile image and the same banner photo on each social media platform for easy brand recognition. Then, you can create a brief company bio that you can include on each account.
Posts
While your posts should follow your brand guidelines, that does not mean that each post is exactly the same. You want to customize your content to your audience and the social media platform you are using. This is your opportunity to get creative and find new ways to describe your services or share relevant content such as articles or blogs from reliable sources.
Another way to keep your feed consistent is to post on each channel regularly. The more often you post, the better. Whether you post once a week or a few times a week, you should keep up with whatever timeline you decide on initially.
Story
Your company’s story ties each element of posting on social media together. By visiting your page, your audience will get to know your logo, tone, and bio. You can take it a step further by sharing your company’s unique selling points in your industry. The story element takes each post to the next level and helps visitors remember your brand and values. By regularly presenting new content that’s in line with your brand, your company will establish trust and showcase your expertise.
According to research from Accenture, almost two-thirds of consumers worldwide prefer to purchase items from businesses that have strong core values. If you are not sure what your brand story is, we can help you identify what makes your business different and develop consistent brand messaging.
CONTACT US to learn more about creating an effective brand messaging strategy for your business.