Don't Do It on Social Media
Updated: Feb 9, 2021
In the process of trying to build our personal or company brands, we are unable to distinguish between the different tonalities and content formats to be used on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In a fast-paced marketing environment, staying on top of the mind is important. But have you ever thought of the brand image you are building?
So, what’s the first blunder? – Cross-Posting!
"At least, let me use the same content for my IG and FB profile. What’s the difference? "– The mindset and the expectations of people when they open Facebook vs. Instagram.
When building brands, IT MATTERS. As does everything else.
Ever seen your boss mentally cringe/zone out the moment you start sharing about your day or your terrible personal problems? That’s what happens when you rant on LinkedIn. If you want to rant, do it on your Instagram stories. People might even DM you with advice and empathy. Every social media platform has a different essence that you must understand and respect.
What’s the second blunder? - Posting viral, forwarded content as a brand
Sharing family group content on LinkedIn with 'witty' captions is becoming a common practice in a bid to stay afloat in people’s feed while practicing the best ‘content marketing tactics'. Most of the time, people have already seen this content and know that it is not authentic.
But, let’s put this on the table for once. What are brands really built on?
Long-term branding relies purely on quality and consistency. And what works magic is consistently feeding your audience with content that they are hooked on to. And they keep coming back to your channel for it.
Consistency in messaging itself and not just the frequency. The content that you create and the conversations that you have online should have a very similar undertone. This could be the colors, the kind of images, the writing flair, the values that you believe in, and stand up for.
Why is creating your brand presence and building content on social media a time-consuming process? Because no great thing has ever come out of rushed, dispassionate actions. Accept that it does take research and hard work to get one piece of content out or to build engagement. Once that comes happens, the results will be overwhelming.
On social, there are no boundaries of the possibilities. Every week, there is a new trend and the internet goes gaga over it. So, what you ‘should’ be posting on social media in terms of content is variable. It can depend on so many factors including your appetite for creativity.
So, the easiest way out? How can you just jump over the potholes? Now, some quick, crisp rules you can follow!
Consider the inverted pyramid style when writing a post: key points or conclusion first, details afterward.
Change the tone. It’s a simple solution. Keep it formal and informative on LinkedIn. Keep it casual and engaging on Instagram. Keep it warm and friendly on Facebook. Keep it witty and crisp on Twitter.
