How to Maintain a Clear Brand Identity Across Social Media

Today it is common, and in some cases necessary, for companies to have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube—not to mention all the smaller niche networks. Every one of these networks can provide your business access to a unique segment of potential customers.

The social media marketing strategies needed to do well on each of these individual networks may be very different but there are ways to keep your brand identity clear and recognizable no matter what network you’re on.

Steps to Looking Good Across Social Media

Create a Consistent Look

Before you even begin posting, it’s a good idea to decide how your business should look across the different social networks. Each social network is laid out differently but make certain elements like your profile pic and description are consistent. As a rule of thumb, your social accounts should be in keeping with your company website.

Salesforce is a great example for having a consistent look:

Choose Your Voice

There is not a right or wrong choice when determining your brand voice, other than it should be authentic. Your brand’s social media voice should reflect your business as a whole and remain consistent. Understanding yourself and your audience will make it easier to determine what type of voice your brand should have not just online but across all marketing communication.

Know Your Audience

In many ways, this can be considered step one of your process. Your knowledge of your audience or buyer personas is an essential element of your social media marketing strategy as well as your brand. Knowing who you are speaking to allows you to create the most relevant, and, therefore, likeable/shareable, posts possible.

Look for your brand’s niche. As you adjust your social media posts to attract the appropriate target audience on each site,  keep in mind the place your company sits within your industry. Once you find the right niche for your brand, you can work towards owning that particular area on each social media network.

Repurpose Content

Don’t duplicate content but rework and update previous content in a way that is most appropriate for each network. By doing this, your followers will begin to look to you for your creativity. The best way to repurpose your content is in taking existing content and putting a new spin on it. Review your catalog of content you and look for repurposing candidates. Is there a text-based blog post that will lend itself to becoming and infographic (great content for Pinterest)? Can you turn your case studies into videos?  

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Be Human

Humanizing your brand on social media is how brands establish their identity. Whenever possible showcase your brand’s human side to draw people to you since people are more likely to follow other people rather than faceless corporations. There are some easy ways to add humanity to your brand; firsts always keep in mind that you are posting to other actual people. This is particularly the case for B2B brands since it’s very easy to think of your target audience as a sea of companies rather than people.

It’s also important to take the time to respond to comments and feedback from followers. Whether you reply to a tweet or respond to a Facebook page comment, this interaction shows that you care about the people who follow your company. Make sure you don’t focus all of your interactions on just one social media network. Keep your interaction strategy consistent across all social media sites.

Social Media Branding Impact on Behavior

Social media branding has a direct effect on buyer behavior. According to a 2014 study by Socialnomics, social media influences a whopping 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions.

Across B2B and B2C spectrums social media now is now a necessary aspect of the buying cycle. Potential and current customers are looking to social media networks to engage with and research brands they are interested in, before making a purchase and beyond. If you fail to convey a consistent brand identity across all your active platforms, customers will become confused and may lose interest.

Your customers are currently searching for your products/services in an increasing number of places online. Without a clear online identity, you will fail to send the correct message. Consistency is the key. No matter where your brand is represented online make sure your look and your messaging is consistent.