Defining Your Brand Through Consistency: Maintaining Your Online Presence
Consistency is everything when it comes to branding. A potential client should be able to search your name on every platform and quickly recognize your profile. You need to establish your image and stick with it. If your pages are inconsistent, you will look disjointed, and they might be unsure if you’re the same person. Your social media pages should give potential clients the confidence to know that you are a trustworthy professional.
One of the common ways that service professionals have inconsistent profiles is not to review their social profiles or make changes across all platforms. For example, if you have a new headshot, be sure to change it across all your accounts.
Maintaining your Social Platforms:
Use the same username: Most social media accounts will give you a username for searchability. Do not use different usernames for your Facebook and Instagram; use something unique and easy to search.
Cover photos: Having a cover photo improves your SEO ranking, so you must use a high-quality image, that you can use across the board.
Profile picture: Use a professional headshot for your profile picture, even on your personal accounts. It’s vital that if someone searches your name, they will be able to recognize you.
Logos: If your brand has a logo associated with it, be sure to include it within your pages. It’s part of your branding and will help people recognize your business.
Bio: Your bio is your chance to communicate your unique value proposition and convey your personality. Spend some time developing a strong introduction statement that summarizes who you are. Your bio should match across all your platforms.
Branded Hashtags: Using a branded hashtag will group all your posts under one hashtag, making your content easier to find. It should be brand-specific and represent your brand.
Not only is consistency important for your brand recognition, but it also plays a part in your SEO. Search engines are looking for valid, reputable information to display. If someone searches for you, and you have a different phone number listed on every platform, this will hurt your visibility. Go through all your online presence and ensure that your data is accurate.
Improve Your SEO Through Consistency:
Website: Review your website quarterly to make sure that you aren’t missing any information. Link your site to your social and vice versa.
Links: If you are linking to any resources, make sure the links still work and that you aren’t promoting a broken link.
Contact Information: Your contact information is the key to converting your online presence into real-life prospects. Don’t let your contact information become outdated or inconsistent.
Google Business: Google dominates search results, so you should have a Google Business listing that accurately describes your business. Keep it up to date and aligned with your other online platforms.
Go through your digital handshake and see what inconsistencies you can find!