Keeping your content consistent in certain ways across your platforms is a good way to work on your branding. Here are some tips I use to keep my social media in line with a look and feel. I start by asking myself what I want my brand to represent and I go from there. P.S. This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information.
- Pick a theme – I’m a journalist and so my theme relates to media, writing, news, digital. Overall, I brand myself as a media expert. I often post about my personal life to some extent as well because, especially in the digital world, I think people like to feel a connection. But I do try to keep most of my posts related to my work in some way. I also have experience covering lifestyle, so personal and travel posts work well for my brand too. Try to think about what topics work for your brand first and foremost for keeping content consistent.
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- Think of a style – Some digital content creators build special templates for their photos. You may go to an Instagram and see the same color filter applied to every photo, for example. I don’t do that, but I do think that can work depending on your brand. And while I don’t do that, I do consider colors overall – for example, both of my websites (work portfolio and blog) are based in purple and white. When I build content to promote my blog like social marketing videos or Pinterest pictures, I try to keep colors and fonts aligned with my blog.
Ask yourself what you want people to see that will make them think of you/your brand. Should any or all or none of your posts be in black and white? Do you want to include elements of art and design, and if yes, then how so? Creating a logo is another great way to keep your content aligned. You can use Photoshop or simpler apps and sites like Canva to create things for your brand too.
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- Choose keywords – What do you want people to think of when they see your social presence, site or brand? Some of my keywords are multimedia, digital, journalist. Think about your theme, your style and your image when you pick these words. They are words you should always keep in mind when creating content. Can you incorporate them into your content, or if not, are there ways to include indirectly? Try to continuously think of ways to connect your theme to keywords. All of my social media usernames are @LivNews and I use hashtags like #LivWell – this ties together my themes of news and lifestyle.
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- Listen to your audience – What do people respond well to when it comes to your content? What types of photos get the best results? You may be a food blogger who only takes photos of food or a wedding planner who focuses on couples. It’s good to focus on what you know works, but you can also try to play around with other things too and listen to your audience. Do they respond well when you mix it up or do they want only those food photos? You can also ask them directly what they want! Do they like your color scheme or do they think it should be changed? Listen, listen and listen some more.
So keep that content consistent and leave questions or comments below!