Creating a branded experience on social media.

Rachael! How do I make my brand stand out on social media?

- A question I have heard A LOT throughout my career as a brand specialist. Social media is likely the first place clients will find your brand in the current times — it’s where potential clients meet you for the first time and where existing ones like to hand out and stay connected.

Let me answer some of your questions on social media presence that will boost the brand experience for your clients...

Brand Identity:

• You need a strong understanding of who you are as a brand, you need to know who you are, what you offer and how you help. Use your brand guidelines to create consistency in colors, fonts, and overall style across all platforms. This consistency helps in making your brand recognisable and memorable from the start.

• If you’re unsure where to start and you have not opened your brand guidelines in a while - open your brand guidelines. These are your brand’s heart — everything from your colour palette and font choices to your social media mock up is mapped out here (I know because I wrote them 😉). Not only do they keep your visuals aligned, but they also ensure your message resonates clearly and consistently across all social media platforms.

Consistency:

• Consistency doesn’t mean posting the same thing every day (and I am not for one minute saying you have to post everyday either!). It means maintaining a consistent voice and visual style that makes your brand instantly recognisable to potential and past clients. Choose three to four colors, a couple of fonts, and a tone of voice that matches your brand’s personality.
  

• Use the same profile images, header designs, and visual styles across different social media platforms. The small amount of effort you put in here will pay off 10 fold - your professional image makes your brand instantly recognisable to those that bump into your across the web.

Highlights:

• Instagram highlights are a bloody brilliant tool for storytelling. Use them to showcase different aspects of your brand: from client wins to daily behind the scenes, it is a great place to tell your brand story and show people how you can help them.

• Think of it as using each highlight to create a mini-documentary about your brand.

Instagram and Facebook Stories:

• Instagram Stories are not just for behind-the-scenes content (although those are great and it's what I personally love to see from other brands!). They are great for getting your current audience engaged and creating a feeling of involvement with your business. Polls, questions, and reaction sliders encourage interaction and provide valuable feedback for your own data. (If you watch me - you will notice I share a daily behind the scenes update and then ask questions where you can interact with me. It's fun, it's conversation building and it's valuable - win, win, win)

• Share parts of your day, thoughts on industry trends even if they're a little unpopular, or ask your current audience their opinions. This interaction humanises your brand and builds a community, as people start to connect with you through shared interests.
  

Engagement:

• Responding to comments, open up and get involved in online conversations, use interactive tools like polls and stories on your own content and interact with others. Building relationships encourages community, opens doors through connections and builds trust and loyalty. You do not need to turn up to a networking event once a week in person anymore (although this is very valuable and I would never say do not do this - a blog post for another time I think!) you can build connections online just by being active, friendly and embodying your brand!
  

Creating a branded experience on social media is about more than just looking good and brand visuals; we want to create a sense of excitement for your business through connection. Remember, every post, story, and comment is an opportunity to reinforce your brand’s values and vision, your brand story runs through EVERYTHING you do as a business owner.

and if you would like some help in creating that consistency - get in touch, I can't wait 💥😏