How you present yourself on social networks matters. Your online presence should, ideally, be consistent with your offline branding – and the ‘voice’ of your presence on social networks in line with how you want to be perceived professionally. Social networks allow you a level of customisation that can ensure that the look/feel of your brand is in tact.
Today’s guest contributor Sarah Prout, found of Sprout Publishing and popular Twitter-er, offers you a checklist of branding tips for your Twitter presence.
There are numerous key elements to consider when flaunting your brand on Twitter. Of course we all know that branding is so much more than a pretty logo and a good colour scheme. It’s about the feeling that’s evoked within the hearts and minds of your target audience. It’s the way your imagery and selected content blend seamlessly to build trust and curiosity for potential clients. It’s a vehicle of expression to convey your business philosophy and also reinforce your presence in the online world. However, if you don’t have a strong brand then you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd. Here is a checklist to consider for brand proliferation on Twitter:
1. Profile Picture Perfection Make sure your ‘avatar’ or ‘user pic’ is of your face. Many people make the mistake of using their logo instead of a happy snap of their beautiful mug. Remember that Twitter is about relationship building, so you want to make it as easy as possible for your followers to connect with your smiling face and start to build up a sense of trust immediately. Profile pictures that are of faces have a higher conversion and retention rate for authentic activity on Twitter. TIP : Choose a happy picture of yourself as a ‘profile pic’ and show that entrepreneurial sparkle in your eyes. It’s magnetic!
2. Bio Boosting Did you know that there is auto-follow software that can scan your bio and locate you based on key words you choose to use? The best thing you can do is explain what your business is about in your bio and lace it with really nifty key words that mean you’ll get located (and followed) by the right people. For example, as a publisher I use key words like ‘entrepreneur’, ‘author’, ‘business coach’ etc. The key is to weave it so it contains all of your relevant information in the most concise way possible. TIP : Keep your bio niche relevant and ready for key word automation action from potential clients/followers.
3. Branded Background Creating a branded background is the best way and ideal platform to give your followers a little more information about your business and the product/services you offer. This is a good opportunity to display your logo or product images and also display links to other sites you belong to such as FaceBook or YouTube. My personal opinion of customized backgrounds has morphed somewhat over the last six months. I think that many people opted for the FREE customizable designs or even paid a designer to create backgrounds for them that aren’t as unique as they should be. I’ve spotted hundreds of backgrounds that are super-generic and in their lack of originality detract from their business branding altogether. I dabbled down the generic template avenue until I created my own super-clean background in Photoshop for a more minimalistic approach. TIP : Keep it simple. The cleaner and clearer your background the better.
4. Colour Palette Harmony It’s a good idea to choose colours for your text, links and background that all match your branding. Consistency is the key so that your trusted followers know what to expect. Make sure your colours will match your website and other social media hang-outs. TIP : The idea is that you make ALL of your social media platforms branded in the same way so that they look like a natural extension of your home base (your blog, website or online boutique). People want to see consistency of your colour schemes, profile pics and logos everywhere they visit that reinforce their perception of you and your enterprise.
5. Relevant Tweet Action The content that you pump out into the tweet stream is all part of your branding too. You want to make sure that the links and statements aren’t completely focused in one direction and display somewhat of a balance to keep your followers at least semi-enthralled. For example, you can’t run a strawberry farm and only tweet about croquet. You want to strike a harmonious balance that allows people to connect with a variety of content you are willing to express. TIP : Try and maintain a ratio of 20% business (links, keyword niche content, blog posts) and 80% connection (personal statements, links, retweets, @ replies). If you implement these 5 brand-boosting elements then you should have an excellent framework to create success using Twitter for business. TODAY’S TASK Implement at least one of these 5 brand-boosting elements for Twitter. And, think about how the same principles can apply to your other online profiles e.g. Facebook and LinkedIn. Until tomorrow, Suzi
