Last week we helped you think through how to create your content. Today, we’re going to look at how you publish that content consistently. Consistency is extremely important in the social media world. Consistency leads to higher brand awareness, increased trust, and audience engagement, all things that help drive potential customers to make a purchase.
What do I mean by consistency? There are three main components of social media marketing that are vital to consider in consistency:
Consistent Branding
In order for potential customers to recognize your brand, you’ve got to be present and consistent. The more users who recognize your brand, the more who trust your brand. So how do you ensure your brand is consistent on social media? First, make a brand style guide if you don’t have one. (We have a quick how-to to help you get started). This guide will set up the colors, text, and personality of your brand making it easier to ensure that all content is uniform.
Consistent branding doesn’t mean that every post has to be the same color or design, it should simply be recognizable and relevant to your brand. If your brand is very professional and known for its knowledge, a silly meme about an unrelated topic probably doesn’t fit your brand. In the same way, if your brand doesn’t take itself too seriously, a #mememonday campaign may be just what your followers would enjoy. Whoever your brand is, be consistent.
Consistent Voice
Your copy, the writing you produce on posts, graphics, and blogs, should have a similar tone and voice. Why does this matter? It builds trust and authenticity. When your writing and images are designed to speak as one, your brand begins to develop its own personality, making your business more approachable and authentic. Secondly, your voice should be relevant to your audience. If you primarily target Gen Z and younger, using long, eloquent copy probably isn’t the most efficient. It can be easy to overthink your brand’s voice, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Set up a set of simple guidelines that anyone posting or writing content can follow, and even include a few examples of previous posts that capture your brand’s voice well.
A couple examples of questions to help you define your brand’s voice:
- Is your brand funny and lighthearted?
- Does your brand lean into the various social media trends, hashtags, and lingo?
- Is your brand known as an expert in your field?
- What level of professionalism do your customers expect from you on social media?
Consistent Posting
Organic reach (not paid social media boosting) is dependent on your posts. That doesn’t mean flooding social media with your posts, that can annoy customers and damage your reputation. Instead, find a balance that works for you: maybe three days a week, maybe two, maybe every day. Your posting schedule should be built around your business’s needs, your audience’s expectations, and your capacity to produce content.
One of the best ways to work towards consistent posting is a schedule! Create a schedule, online or paper, that plans out your posts for at least the next month. Know when holidays are, if there are any important work anniversaries, and what big projects you can spotlight this month. Plan what you’re posting when, so you know exactly when you need content prepared by. We would even go so far as to suggest creating all your content ahead of time, and then scheduling it to go out on specific days.
Consistency ensures that your potential customers know exactly who you are and what you do. The resulting trust leads to a higher likelihood of purchase and retention.
Struggle with social media consistency? Give us a call, and let us plan for you! (936) 637-7593
