Whether you are maintaining social media for personal use or your business, branding is essential to your success. Brand identity is an aspect for everyone that obtains a social media account. Regardless, if you are a college student seeking an employer, a business promoting or selling products, or a blogger seeking subscribers on social media it is out there for the public to see. The content you put out reflects your brand. Branding yourself in an explicit way is important to your online identity. But what exactly does “branding” mean? How is your brand identity relevant to social media? Your “brand” tells your story - it derives who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. Defining your brand is like finding yourself, a concept of self-discovery. Listed are 5 essential ways to help evolve and impact your brand identity on social media.
The posts that you share, whether it is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. should remain consistent and valuable to your audience and your social media brand identity. You’ll create a stronger reputation if you create content that is consistently supporting your brand image. Before sharing, ask yourself: will your audience find this valuable? Entertaining? Educational? It’s important to share content that will benefit your audience in some way. It’s not about how many posts shared, it is about sharing useful posts that add value to your brand.
By defining your brand, you are creating your online “voice”. Your voice reflects the written message of your brand. Is your voice inspirational? Is it motivating? Your message can be articulated in your bio on the social media platforms that you maintain. Write a statement that is meaningful to who you are and captures the essence of your brand.
This “voice” of your social media brand identity can also be apparent in the visual imagery that is shared. Visual content on social media strongly resonates with your audience. Regardless if it is in a tweet, Facebook status, or blog post, images gain more attention than simply written content. Entrepreneur reports that "articles with images receive 94 percent more views; and Twitter content with images receives nearly twice as many views as text posts, even though there are seven times more text posts on Twitter." Focusing on vivid imagery is essential to gaining a larger audience.
Through visuals, a growing number of brands use strategies to successfully gain visibility. One strategy is choosing a consistent color scheme that is recognizable. Also, editing enhances the imagery of each photo. Further, filters play a role in reflecting your brand image. Choosing the right filter is a crucial decision. For example, on Instagram, do you want your brand identity to be dark and dreary with Reyes, or bright and vibrant with Mayfair? Remaining consistent with colors and filters is an easy way for people to identify your brand as they scroll through their social feeds.
Overall, your social media brand identity is the story that you choose to share with your audience. The narrative should reflect who you are and articulate your message. Your brand's identity should be a clear, concise narrative that defines you. Think of your social media as your storybook. Your brand identity is your story to tell. Discovering yourself and expressing your purpose through your voice is all apart of that story. Everyone has a brand identity; you just have to find it.
So tell us, have you found your brand identity? What’s your story?
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