Your brand, and how it’s represented, is critical to the success of your business. It’s what differentiates you from your competition and it’s the one thing all of your customers associate with your company. Here are a few tips to help you maintain brand consistency.
Consistent Design. When a person thinks of a ‘brand,’ the first thing that usually comes to mind is the visual elements. You want to make sure you’re using your organization’s logo, colors, fonts, and other brand-related imagery, consistently across all social networks, websites, and communication channels. Obviously you don’t have as much visual control with Twitter and Facebook, but you can ensure that your Twitter background matches your business or organization’s colors, and that the logo or profile image is the same on each network. Use the one that your customers will recognize no matter where they connect with you.
Define Your Messaging. What do you want people to think when they come into contact with your brand? Make sure you focus your communications on your organization’s areas of expertise and take care in using the same voice and tone on all mediums. You may have employees posting to your social media accounts or that have their own accounts that represent your brand. Establish a few ground rules with them in advance to ensure they’re maintaining and advancing the company’s positive image. Discuss your key goals, topic areas, and business voice with everyone who will be representing you online. You never know where that first impression will come from.
Separate Business From Personal. It’s very easy to blur the line between business and personal with Facebook and Twitter. That’s why it’s highly recommended to separate those two parts of your life, if you can. Create separate accounts for your personal connections and business connections. This way you can strategically control what your prospects and customers see, versus bombarding them with your family photos or venting about a client that’s on your friends list!
Adapt. You can (and should) change small aspects of your branding over time to move with the trends and to meet your customers’ needs. Just make sure the changes aren’t so drastic that you confuse your clientele. McDonald’s has changed the look of its restaurants and its menu numerous times over the years, but those golden arches are always consistently represented.