Where can your customers reach you?
I’m willing to bet you’re active on multiple platforms in addition to having a website and potentially a storefront location.
Those of you who don’t have multiple marketing channels have a separate issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
But for now, let’s assume at the bare minimum you’ve got a:
- website
- blog
- Facebook profile
- Twitter account
- Instagram page
- LinkedIn account
- YouTube channel
You may even be active on other networks like Snapchat.
With so many channels for marketing distribution, it’s essential you have consistency across all your platforms.
Creating symmetry on all of these distribution channels will make it easier to brand your company.
Once you’re able to establish a brand name that’s recognizable, it’s easier to acquire customers and increase your conversions.
Any disconnect between platforms can create confusion for the consumer.
You don’t want them to see contradicting information on your channels.
It’s likely consumers will see your company on more than one platform.
In fact, the average Internet user has more than seven social media accounts.
You’ll definitely see some overlap between your Facebook fans and Instagram followers.
As part of your marketing and conversion strategy, you’re probably promoting multiple profiles on one channel.
For example, let’s take a look at a recent blog post from Savvy Apps:
From their website, their encouraging users to share this blog post on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and email.
It’s essential these people see the same message across all platforms.
If you’re having trouble maintaining consistency across all your marketing channels, I can help you out.
Here’s what you need to do to set yourself up for success.
Start with images
Pictures are powerful and resonate more with people than words do.
While someone may not always remember the name of your brand, they’ll know whether they’ve seen your logo somewhere.
According to a recent study, people remember about 10% of information three days after it’s been presented to them orally.
But if an image is added to it, 65% of the info gets remembered.
Images are also more memorable than just plain text:
Furthermore, the majority of people are visual learners.
Don’t confuse people by using different logos on various marketing channels.
Keeping everything aligned will help reinforce your brand and make it easier for them to remember you.
I’ll show you how I accomplish this.
Take a look at my Facebook page:
Instead of using a logo, I use my face.
That’s because I’m trying to promote and brand myself as part of my overall marketing strategy.
I want people to know who I am and what I look like.
Now let’s review my YouTube channel:
Notice the consistency?
Not only do I use a picture of myself again, but I use the exact same image.
This way, there’s no confusion for users.
I’m not the only Neil Patel on the planet. This way, they don’t have to wonder if this is the same Neil.
Plus, you can see in the top right corner of my YouTube channel that I’m also providing a link to my website, Facebook, and Twitter profiles:
Speaking of my Twitter account—yes, you guessed it correctly.
I keep it consistent by using the same image.
It should come to you as no surprise that my LinkedIn profile uses the same picture as well.
I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.
I practice what I preach.
While using a personal photo may not always be the best way to brand your company, having a logo that’s consistent on every marketing channel is probably your best bet.
Some companies like to change or alter the theme of their logo around the holidays.
For example, you might use an American flag around the fourth of July or add a turkey to the logo around Thanksgiving.
That’s fine, but just make sure you change that image on every single platform rather than just one or two.
Establish a voice for your brand
Consistency goes beyond visuals.
It also has to do with the type of persona your company takes on.
The language you use on a daily basis will vary depending on your current customers and target market.
There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer for this.
For example, if your company sells surfboards in southern California, your marketing channels can probably get away with using slang terms like:
- rad
- groovy
- stoked
- gnarly
But if your company sells life insurance on a national scale, it’s probably in your best interest to avoid slang altogether.
This goes for all written words on each one of your marketing channels.
The description of your Facebook page should have the same tone as the replies to user comments on your Instagram profile.
Your unique language is a great way to create more engaging content, which is a priority for marketers.
This is also essential for your blogging habits.
If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you know my tone reflects the way I present information on my other marketing channels.
I write as if I’m speaking.
My content is very informal and conversational but also packed with information.
I present a new video on YouTube in the same way.
Earlier, I mentioned responding to user comments.
Not only should your voice and language be the same when you respond to all the comments, but you should be responding on every platform too.
Don’t just respond to Facebook comments and ignore customers on your blog or Twitter.
Answering comments is a great way to build relationships with your customers.
Discounts and promotional offers
Another aspect of consistency has to do with your offering to your customers.
Let’s use a hypothetical example to illustrate my point.
Pretend your ecommerce company is offering a site-wide sale: 50% off everything, no exceptions.
The sale lasts for one week, and you promote it on Instagram and Facebook.
Backtrack a few weeks prior to the announcement of this sale.
Let’s say a Twitter user tweets at your brand, asking when the next sale is. Your repose shouldn’t be, “We rarely offer discounts.”
I realize this example may be a little extreme, but I’m sure you get what I’m trying to say.
Certain luxury brands may never put items on sale as part of their marketing strategy.
But a brand that offers items for 50% off on one platform shouldn’t be telling consumers on another channel they don’t often have discounts.
It’s contradictory and confusing.
Evaluate your call to action
What kind of action do you want users to take when they are interacting with one of your marketing channels?
Do you want them to sign up for something?
Are you trying to make a sale?
There are lots of ways you can present your CTA, and you can A/B test different options to see which one works the best.
You can’t afford to ignore it as part of your marketing strategy.
While your CTA wording or button placement may vary slightly based on the platform, the overall message should be consistent.
Again, there’s not one right answer for this.
It depends on your company’s goal and marketing strategy.
Here are some examples of what your CTA could focus on:
- Customer acquisition
- Retention
- Sign ups
- Downloads
- Social shares
- Sales
First of all, you need to make sure all of your marketing channels have a CTA.
You’d be surprised how often I see companies forget to do this.
They have a profile set up on multiple platforms, which is great, but some of these pages neglect to encourage any form of an action from the customer.
Once all of these are in place, they should have the same message.
An easy way to accomplish this is by having all your CTA buttons link to the same landing page.
That way, you can see which profiles are having more success and adjust the placement, wording, or color scheme of the underperforming CTAs accordingly.
Contact info
Here’s another one you would think should go without saying, but again, I’ve seen many companies have an inconsistent approach to this.
Ask yourself two questions:
- How do you want customers to contact you?
- How do customers want to contact you?
There’s a difference.
Your best bet is to provide different options, but they need to be consistent.
As you can see from the data, the majority of customers don’t want to get an automated response from a computer or something similar.
In fact, the majority of people prefer talking to someone.
Whether it’s over the phone, in person, via web chat, or email, they want a direct line of communication with a customer service representative.
Here’s an example of something I saw in one case.
I won’t use their name because I don’t want to embarrass them.
They were a regional company that offered both products and services.
On their website, their phone number was plastered across the top of their home screen in big bold font.
All of their CTAs directed the website visitor to “Call Us Today!”
This held true for buying a product, scheduling a service, or just an inquiry.
While I didn’t think dealing with customers over the phone for each problem was the most ideal option, it was clear the company felt it was the easiest method for them.
The business also had an Instagram profile with a decent following for a small and somewhat local company.
But their phone number was nowhere to be found on their Instagram.
That lack of consistency prevented them from generating new leads on that social platform.
Not all their followers will go to the company’s website to find their contact info.
That’s why I recommend giving users as many options as possible to contact you.
But if you’re going to limit those choices to just phone or email inquiries, make sure all your platforms have that information available.
Conclusion
Consistency is key.
It’s one of the best ways to brand yourself and your company.
That way it will be easier for customers to recognize your business and what it represents.
Start with your images and logo.
Make sure it’s the same on all of your marketing channels.
You can use the examples I gave you earlier with my Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles as a reference for how to accomplish this.
Next, you’ll want to maintain the same voice, tone, and language across all of these platforms.
Establishing a unique voice will help you create a better connection with your customers.
Just make sure your language is appropriate for your target market.
If you offer discounts or promotions, those should be the same on every marketing channel.
Make it easy for customers to get in touch with you by offering consistent contact information on all of your profiles.
What do you need to change on your marketing channels in order to stay consistent with your CTA and value proposition across them all?
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