Beware of This Branding Mistake

Far too many brands make a branding mistake that can be easily avoided. This week I decided to write a brief post about a mistake that you might be making in your business that can be turning away potential clients. If you are anything like me and have been feeling like these past few years of social media platforms have you "trying all the things", you are not alone.

In the past several years, we have created accounts for the business in the following places:

Facebook Page
Facebook Group
LinkedIn
Redditt
Vine
Instagram
Pinterest
Google +
Persicope
Twitter
Dribbble
YouTube

... and probably more that my brain has lost track of. Have you done the same thing? If so, how about taking some time and think about the following:

Where are your target customers coming from?
How do people find you?
Where are you spending most of your time when it comes to social media?
Are there any platforms that you have an account on that you leave inactive?

branding mistake I took a look through my accounts this past week on a recommendation from my business coach and realized that I had brand messaging that was all over the place! On one account (that I have not touched in years), I still had my tagline from 2009 that was no longer appropriate.

While I consider myself to be on top of this branding thing, I was leaving places open for mixed messaging and I also had parts of my business that I lost control of. While I had my Instagram posts automatically posting to it, there was nothing else. It left some social platforms thriving, others shriveling, and one hot mess of a brand message across all the platforms.

The thing is, when we leave these unused accounts open, they are still producing a brand touch-point for potential audience members to find and connect with. If you are not thinking about them and nurturing them, they will be giving the wrong impression.

Perhaps you'd like to join me in my goal to bring your brand a bit more in-tune with your future vision. The work here is to:

Schedule out 30 minutes to go through the list above, and write your own list of platforms that you have open that are representing your brand.
Decide on which ones are adding value to your brand--which ones you want to engage with on a weekly or monthly basis
Delete all the accounts that are not adding value to your brand, or ones that you do not want to grow or work on at all (especially if they cannot also be 100 percent automated. (If you invest in a program like MeetEdgar that is automating content to your Twitter, you can keep it up without having to do too much work. This is great and helps build your brand. If you are willing to invest in some automation services and you have a plan for keeping them going and spreading your current brand messaging, please keep them)
Make a social media plan for the ones that you are going to keep. If you cannot fit a certain platform into this plan, consider whether you really want to make it a part of your social strategy. Know that different people are going to come to your brand and business in different ways. Don't be afraid to cross populate information across all your channels either. Just change them up a little based on the platform and you are good to go.
One strategy I once used is to map out different products or offerings I am going to be selling at different times during the year. I make sure that each month is working towards a specific goal in my business and I produce content and general strategies that works towards supporting that goal and mission each month and each week. Then, I know what to focus on each week and post things each day that support that overall vision. It takes a bit of time to plan this out and get it going, but it makes everything so much easier when they are all working together!
Implement. Update your tagline and your information so that all your platforms are spreading the same message.

Don’t Neglect Your Visual Branding

branding and website design Visuals play an important part in social media branding. If all of your social media profiles look as though they have different owners, it creates a disconnect for your clients. Your branding should be consistent across all of the channels. This helps people to immediately recognize your business.

To avoid a branding mistake, consider the following tips to take away from some of the best brands’ use of visual branding on social media:

Select your color palette: The simplest way to develop your color palette is to take a look at your logo. You want people to associate those colors with your brand. But beware: different colors can influence the way people perceive your brand.
Be consistent with a logo/avatar: Use the same logo/avatar for each social network. An easy option is to use your logo or a symbol that represents your business. People should see it and immediately think of your brand.
Be careful with filters: Whenever you are sharing images on visual channels such as Instagram, keep your filters consistent. Whether that means not using filters at all or Valencia, choose one or two and only use them. Using different filters for each image you share makes your posts look unorganized and inconsistent.
Produce templates: It can be helpful to create templates for all graphics you share on social media using software such as Photoshop or Canva. This way your fonts, colors and designs will always be consistent.

I am saying all of this to you as much as I am saying it to myself. This is my next main goal.

Bear in mind that whenever you deviate from your stated brand, you are diluting its power by some small amount. The simple tweak listed here will go a long way towards helping your business form key connections with your target clients.